Four Mavericks Who Immediately Become Trade Bait After Dinwiddie Signing
The Dallas Mavericks needed one more player to complete the 15th position on their roster. The Mavericks finished their roster by signing guard Spencer Dinwiddie to a one-year contract.
The signing has brought Dinwiddie back to Dallas. Dinwiddie was instrumental in the Mavs’ run to the 2022 Western Conference Finals. Dinwiddie was later traded to the Brooklyn Nets in the Kyrie Irving deal in 2023. However, Mavs fans are familiar with Dinwiddie’s game and should be thrilled that he is back in Dallas.
However, Dinwiddie’s return has put pressure on some players on the roster.
4 Mavericks who immediately became trade bait after Dinwiddie signed.
With Dinwiddie’s return, some of the team’s players may see less playing time. By the trade deadline, some Dallas players could be on their way out.
The Mavericks’ roster has excellent depth, and while signing Dinwiddie benefits several players, it may also force them to trade some of that depth if players underperform.
Here are four Dallas Mavericks players who immediately became trade targets following Spencer Dinwiddie’s signing.
4. Max Kleber.
Maxi Kleber is a power forward, while Spencer Dinwiddie is a guard. However, Dinwiddie would utilize Kleber as trade bait when he returned to Dallas.
Before the Mavs signed Dinwiddie, Kleber was already straddling the line between trade bait and valuable asset. With Dinwiddie in the team, Kleber is under extra pressure to perform well.
Kleber has had two injured seasons the past two seasons, and his confidence shooting the ball was lacking in the 2024 NBA Playoffs when he returned from a right shoulder injury. Dinwiddie isn’t scared to shoot the ball and has been healthy for much of his career.
Kleber also has a marketable deal since he has two years remaining at $11 million per year. With the Mavs’ backcourt stocked with quality, the Mavs might deal Kleber to enhance their frontcourt more.
Kleber would be one of the first guys on the Mavericks that would be trade bait now that Dinwiddie is back in Dallas. Pressure on the 32-year-old striker has never been higher before as he is virtually always injured, and his effectiveness has reduced over the years.
Dinwiddie obviously won’t take too many minutes from Kleber considering that they are different positions, but Dinwiddie might find himself higher on the depth chart than Kleber and challenge him to prove that he deserves more minutes.
