Mavs Looking to Trade Dennis Smith Jr.

The Dallas Mavericks are looking to trade point guard Dennis Smith Jr., according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The report states that the Phoenix Suns and Orlando Magic are pursuing Smith Jr., the ninth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. According to Mitch Lawrence of Sporting News, the Detroit Pistons have discussed a deal for Smith Jr. 

Pistons have talked to the Mavs about Dennis Smith Jr., per sources.

— Mitch Lawrence (@Mitch_Lawrence) January 15, 2019

Smith Jr. averaged 15.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 29.7 minutes per game in 69 contests during his rookie campaign. Smith Jr. looked like a franchise cornerstone for the Mavericks, but he has regressed in his second season. He is turning the ball over 3.1 times per contest, a staggering amount.

Dennis Smith Jr. is reportedly on the trade block. (Jerome Miron/USA Today Sports)

With Luka Doncic emerging as the clear-cut favorite for the NBA's Rookie of the Year with Dallas, Smith Jr. is no longer seen as a key piece of the future. Doncic, who often operates as a point-forward, could make the All-Star team in his first season in the league and the Mavericks are set to build their franchise around him. Smith Jr. has been utilized more in an off-the-ball role, something he has struggled adjusting to. His per-game averages have dropped to 12.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists.

The Suns’ reported interest in Smith Jr. makes plenty of sense. Phoenix needs help in the backcourt to compliment shooting guard Devin Booker, a budding star. De'Anthony Melton, a second-round pick, is currently manning the point guard duties.

The Pistons have 28-year-old Reggie Jackson and 30-year-old Ish Smith point guards on their roster. It’s doubtful they view either player as an integral part of their future. The Pistons are reportedly looking to add a young floor general.

Orlando is in a similar situation as Detroit. It currently doesn't have its point guard of the future on the roster. The 21-year-old Smith Jr. could certainly fit the bill for the Pistons and Magic.

Pelicans Interested in Terrence Ross

The NBA's trade deadline (Feb. 7) is fast approaching and playoff contenders, such as the New Orleans Pelicans, are looking to add talent for a potential postseason run before it's too late. The Pelicans are willing to fork over a first-round pick in a trade and have shown interest in Orlando Magic guard/forward Terrence Ross, according to Sean Deveney of Sporting News.

Ross is averaging a career-high 13.3 points and 2.2 three-pointers per contest for the rebuilding Magic (17-24). The sharpshooting swingman has posted a 52.7 effective field goal percentage (eFG%) and is the only player who consistently scores off Orlando's underwhelming bench.

Orlando's Terrence Ross is having a career year. (AP)

Deveney notes that the Magic would prefer to move Jonathon Simmons, who plays the same position as Ross and is under contract for $5.7 million ($1 million guaranteed) next season. Simmons, who is averaging just seven points in 20.7 minutes per game with a dreadful 21.7 percent shooting from three-point territory, has not lived up to expectations since signing with Orlando in 2017. Teams are reportedly much more eager to trade for Ross, the better player.

The Pelicans are 11th in the Western Conference with a mediocre 20-22 record. They have won their past three games, though, and still feel they can reach the playoffs for the second straight season. They trail the eight-place Los Angeles Lakers by 2.5 games.

It's imperative for the Pelicans to show their commitment to winning to superstar big man Anthony Davis, the subject of ceaseless trade rumors. Davis can opt out of his current deal in the summer of 2020.

Ross would add scoring to a Pelicans' bench that needs all the help it can get. Orlando will surely seek an unprotected first-round pick from New Orleans. That is the only way a deal would be truly worth it for the Magic.

In order to make the deal possible, the Pelicans may have to part ways with forward Solomon Hill, who is signed through the 2019-20 season and makes roughly $12.5 million annually. Ross has an expiring contract worth $10.5 million. The salaries are close enough for the deal to be financially acceptable by the league's trading standards.

Magic Expected to Shop Nikola Vucevic

The Orlando Magic are exploring the trade market for center Nikola Vucevic, according to Michael Scotto of The Athletic. The Magic are looking to flip the 27-year-old for some young talent and/or future draft picks.

After selecting Mo Bamba, a 20-year-old 7-footer, with the sixth overall pick in this past draft, the Magic—who picked center Jonathan Issac in the 2017 NBA Draft—made it clear Vucevic is no longer a part of the team's future. With two young centers on the roster and the franchise in full rebuild mode, Vucevic is better off playing elsewhere.

Vucevic is entering the final season of the four-year, $53 million extension he signed back in 2014. He will earn $12.75 million in 2018-19.

The Magic are trying to trade Nikola Vucevic. (David Manning/USA Today Sports)

Vucevic averaged 16.5 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists last season. He has played with the Magic in each of the last six seasons after being drafted with the 16th pick in 2011 by the Philadelphia 76ers, who traded him after his rookie season to Orlando in the Dwight Howard blockbuster three-team trade that also featured the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Magic have an abundance of big men in their frontcourt after picking Issac and Bamba in consecutive drafts and signing Aaron Gordon, a power forward, to a four-year extension this offseason. Rather than let Vucevic walk away in free agency next summer for nothing in return, Orlando is wise to seek out a trade partner for the center’s services.


The trade rumors involving Vucevic are another signal that the new front office regime—spearheaded by general manager John Hammond—is trying to soak away the remains of the Rob Hennigan era. Hennigan, the team’s former general manager, struggled mightily to put forth a competitive product as the Magic posted dismal 132–278 record in his tenure—the worst five-year stretch in franchise history.