Raptors: 3 best assets Mavericks could give up in Goran Dragic trade

The idea of a Goran Dragic trade has been circling around the Toronto Raptors from the very second he arrived in town, as given his desire to win a championship and the fact that Masai Ujiri might not be gunning for the Larry O’Brien Trophy this year, a trade might be the best scenario for both parties.

Dragic, who averaged 13.4 points per game with Miami last season, has been frequently mentioned as a player who could end up with the Dallas Mavericks. This is due in no small part to the fact that Dragic has been considering forming an all-Slovenian backcourt between himself and Luka Doncic.

Dragic and Dallas certainly seem like a nice fit, but Toronto won’t just give away someone with his scoring talent for pennies on the dollar. With a $19.4 million salary for this season and plenty of gas left in the tank, the Mavericks will need to offer Toronto some quality assets to actually facilitate a deal.

The Mavericks might be a bit top-heavy given all of the money that Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis, and Tim Hardaway Jr. account for, but they have some solid assets to part with, like these three rotation players.

3 best assets Dallas could trade to the Toronto Raptors for Goran Dragic.

3. C Dwight Powell

Powell will almost assuredly come to the Raptors in any hypothetical Dragic trade, as his $11 million salary for next year can help the Mavericks match Dragic’s money. After some injuries limited his effectiveness, Powell averaged just 5.9 points and 4.0 rebounds per game last season.

However, that doesn’t mean Powell will be a complete net negative. A native Canadian who saw his volume drop last season, Powell can still fly through the air for some impressive dunks, and the Raptors could always use another rebounder and interior defender off of the bench.

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Dwight Powell might have to come to the Raptors in this deal.

Powell, who just turned 30, averaged 9.5 points on 60% shooting in the three seasons prior to his uneven 2020-21 campaign. If the Raptors are convinced that he can get back to full health, there’s a real chance that he can play an impactful role as a center this season.

With Freddie Gillespie coming off of an awful performance in Summer League play, the Raptors could stand to get some extra depth, and Powell has more experience and pedigree than most dime-a-dozen backup bigs wallowing around in the free agent market. Maybe a return to Canada could invigorate Powell and get him to turn back the clock a bit.

2. SG Josh Green

Toronto might suddenly end up with three first-round picks from the 2020 NBA Draft if this deal does through. Not only will they have drafted Malachi Flynn at No. 29 and traded for No. 20 pick Precious Achiuwa, but the No. 18 selection in Green might be on his way up north in a Dragic trade.

Green didn’t get on the floor much in his rookie season, but the former Arizona star looks like everything Masai Ujiri wants in a guard. Standing just over 6-5, Green is a premium athlete for the position with a penchant for skying to the basket and making some stops on the defensive end.

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The Raptors could develop Josh Green into a quality guard.

Green, a 36% 3-point shooter with a low volume of triples in college, needs to improve as a shooter, but Ujiri seems willing to add any shooting deficient player with the idea of turning their shots around after a quick convo with Nick Nurse. If he fixes his jumper, the sky is the limit.

It might be tough for Green to get a ton of minutes due to the presence of Gary Trent Jr. as the starter, but Green could assume the starting two-guard role, eliminating any potential ball-handling friction between Dragic and Malachi Flynn in the process. Ujiri will almost assuredly ask for Green in any Dragic deal.

Before last year, the 7-2 Brown likely would’ve been another top recruit who bounced around the G League and back end of NBA benches for a few years before going overseas. However, the Thunder gave him a chance to start, and he responded with a solid 8.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game this season.

Brown has been passed around a bit this offseason, as he was traded to Boston along with Al Horford before ending up in Dallas due to the Josh Richardson deal. While Khem Birch and Achiuwa might be in town, his numbers last year could make it tough for Toronto to refuse to ask for him.

Moses Brown could blossom with the Toronto Raptors.

Even with some solid box score numbers, he is extremely raw. That being said, you can’t teach height or the springiness that he has despite his size, and he could be a genuinely impressive starter-level talent if he continues to add new facets to his game as a member of the Raptors.

While he might not fit into the smaller, positionless mold that the Raptors treasure, Ujiri is not going to be one who turns down someone as tall as he is with the athletic ability of someone six inches shorter. Ujiri shouldn’t get off the phone in Dragic talks until Brown is sent to Toronto.