NBA Trade Rumors: Dallas Mavericks unlikely to trade Dorian Finney-Smith

What's the rumor?

Entering the season, many experts believed that the Dallas Mavericks would face a battle to qualify for the playoffs. However, the Mavs have started the season with a much better than expected 13-6 record, and appear to be among the contenders in the West following last night's hugely impressive win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Due to their excellent start, the Mavs are expected to be active in the trade market over the next month, although Heavy.com is reporting that Dorian Finney-Smith is unlikely to be used to facilitate a deal:

"When it comes to assets on the roster, Finney-Smith is one of the more coveted guys the Mavs have. At $4 million per year through 2021-22, he has a very friendly contract. Of course, he’s exactly the kind of guy the Mavs want around Doncic, so it’s hard to imagine them trading him."

In case you didn't know...

Finney-Smith went undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft, although he was soon picked up by the Mavericks, and has been an important part of the team ever since. Finney-Smith has made more than 200 appearances over his three years with the team, and the forward has recently established himself as a regular starter.

So far this season, Finney-Smith has played 19 times, averaging 8.7 points on 47% shooting from the field. He also averaged a career-high 5.2 rebounds per contest., and at 26, his prime years are still ahead of him.

The heart of the matter

The Mavericks will be ambitious in the coming weeks as they look to add further talent around the outstanding Luka Doncic, although it makes little sense to tear the existing roster apart. With this in mind, Dallas is likely to trade out of favor players such as Courtney Lee, while Finney-Smith should have a long-term future with the team.

What's next?

After stunning the Lakers at Staples Center on Sunday, the Mavericks next face the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night.

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