Being winners out of their last 10 of 11 contests, the Dallas Mavericks are hitting their stride at the perfect time after some early season struggles. Dallas’ role players have found their rhythm on offense amidst fluctuation in the lineup, and it seems like the Mavericks’ offense is getting more and more fluid on a night-to-night basis.
The Mavericks are currently ranked eighth in both offensive rating and defensive rating among the entire NBA, which points to the persistence of this Mavericks team despite a length of adversity. The Mavericks have proven that they are one of the best teams in the Western Conference throughout this recent stretch, but if they want to become bonafide contenders once again, they may need to see what improvements they could potentially make at the back half of their rotation.
The Mavericks have relatively limited flexibility at the moment, and it doesn’t appear that many players are on the front office’s chopping block at this juncture in the season. However, one player that has been wildly inconsistent and a far cry from his former self, is none other than Maxi Kleber.
Per recent rumors, Kleber looks like the biggest candidate to be traded at some point this season by the Mavericks unless Dallas unexpectedly deals their chips in for a bigger star. In 17 minutes per game throughout 14 games this season, Kleber is averaging a mere 1.7 points and 3.0 rebounds per game on 34.6/22.2/66.7 shooting splits.
Kleber has still defended fairly well for Dallas, occasionally showing bursts of the switchable big man that made opposing ball handlers think twice when challenging him at the rim throughout his younger days.
Overall though, Kleber has been slightly better than average at best defensively, and his offensive game and shooting ability have seemingly abandoned him at this stage in his career for whatever reason. Given the inevitability of Dallas making phone calls on Kleber during this trade deadline at the bare minimum, here are five potential upgrades the Mavericks could acquire in a Maxi Kleber trade.
Dorian Finney-Smith's return to Dallas has long been prophesied ever since he was shipped from the Mavericks to the Brooklyn Nets in the Kyrie Irving deal in 2023, and this season finally seems like the time that Finney-Smith could return back to Dallas given recent rumors of trade offers that other teams around the league are offering the Nets. Finney-Smith is currently owed $14.9 million this season, which would be applicable to swap with Kleber in a one-for-one deal that includes some second-round pick compensation heading back to the Nets.
Finney-Smith already knows Dallas' system and the 31-year-old wing would be the perfect bigger-bodied 3-and-D wing off the bench for this Mavericks team. Dallas may need to acquire some more second-round picks to meet Brooklyn's asking price, but this deal may be the dream outcome for Dallas if they trade Kleber.
Duop Reath flashed onto the scene last season as a floor-stretching big man who isn't a slouch defensively, as the 6-foot-11 South Sudanese product played just his first NBA season last year at 27 years old. With younger bigs dominating their lineup, Reath is playing sparingly for the Trail Blazers at the moment, but his skillset as a player is very reminiscent of Kleber's a few seasons ago, and he's roughly four-and-a-half years younger than Kleber as well.
Reath is still on a rookie scale deal, but he'd be the ultimate flyer candidate to take back in a bigger deal if Dallas traded away Kleber to Portland, and he'd be able to anchor Dallas' third-string center position.
While Cody Martin hasn't had as impactful of a career as his twin brother Caleb Martin, the 6-foot-5 wing could be a sneaky solid addition to the Mavericks if they swapped him for Maxi Kleber. Charlotte has done a lot of business with the Mavericks over this past year, and they'd be remiss to pass up an opportunity to accumulate some draft compensation from Dallas once the trade deadline gets closer, as the Hornets currently sit second to last in the Eastern Conference at 6-16.
Kleber and Martin could be swapped one-for-one so long as the Mavericks throw in a few second-round picks in the deal, and Martin would be a great veteran point-of-attack defender who can hit some 3-pointers and act as a tertiary shot creator at times if he was traded to Dallas.
Isaiah Stewart would be a great player to add into this Dallas lineup if the Mavericks sent some pick compensation and Maxi Kleber to Detroit, as the 23-year-old big has shown potential to be one the more servicable backup bigs in the league. Stewart is a little undersized height wise at 6-foot-8, but he has a plus-size wingspan and is a stout 250 pounds. Stewart has been a great rim protector off the bench for the Pistons this season, and he can occasionally anchor down and guard bigger-bodied wings as well.
While Stewart's shooting numbers have been rougher in a reduced role so far this season, he's the perfect prototype of a player Dallas would want in a Kleber trade, especially given his youth as well as the fact that Dallas wouldn't have to attach any additional salary to trade for Stewart if they sent out Kleber. Dallas even registered interest in Stewart around this time last season, so don't count this possibility out whatsoever.
Our last candidate that would do wonders for the Mavericks in terms of upgrading the Maxi Kleber position in a trade is yet another Detroit Pistons backup big-man, as Paul Reed has thrived in an extremely limited role for the Pistons this season. Reed has only averaged 10 minutes per game throughout 11 contests this season, but his shooting splits have still been very good, and he's still shown the same level of roll-cut ability and versatile defense as an undersized big.
Reed is yet another candidate on this list whose skillset mirrors a younger Kleber's, though he's likely a better finisher and roller while still possessing the ability to be just as effective beyond the arc as Kleber has been at points throughout his career. Given Reed's limited role, Detroit likely wouldn't command more than one or two second-round picks in a one-for-one swap of Reed and Kleber once the trade deadline gets closer.