Fresh from a NBA Finals appearance earlier this year, the Dallas Mavericks are keen on making a return to the championship stage. While the Boston Celtics emerged victorious, the Mavericks are out for blood this year. In the ongoing 2024-2025 season, the team is currently ranked second in the wild Western Conference with a 16-8 record.
Let's not forget that the Mavericks also made one of the best upgrades during the offseason by signing one-half of the Splash Brothers, Klay Thompson. Although the four-time NBA champion has struggled to shoot the ball consistently, the potent duo of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic continue to take the team to new heights. Moreover, the glorious rise of Dereck Lively II has been a welcome sight.
Although the Mavs have been a hot team lately by winning seven straight games, the team could still use some improvements to their roster. Last year, the team could've really used more depth to their roster. In order to address the problem, the team should look into trading away some assets in exchange for some minor upgrades to beef up the supporting cast. One of the possible moves includes trading away a struggling Maxi Kleber, who's having a nightmare start to the 2024-2025 season individually.
Maxi Kleber is having a career-worst season
Dallas Mavericks forward Maxi Kleber (42) against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center.
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
The Mavericks are certainly rolling. However, pretty sure they could do even better had Maxi Kleber become his usual self. However, the German power forward has been a no-show this season. After battling injuries and illness, Kleber hasn't been the same.
Kleber was pretty much a starter for the Mavericks since he joined the team. However, with the emergence of Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford, the 6-foot-10 big man slowly degraded to a smaller role off the bench. This year, the decline turned out to be worse for Kleber. He is only averaging 1.7 points and 3.0 rebounds per outing. Those numbers are an all-time low for his NBA career.
To make matters worse, his shooting has taken a huge dip. The Mavericks big man is only shooting 34.6% from the field overall and 22.2% from beyond the arc. Given that Kleber's bread and butter on offense has been his perimeter shooting, those aren't great signs.
On the bright side, Kleber has stepped up defensively, especially when Lively was out of action. But while he has held his own in terms of rim protection, the Mavericks could use someone who could make an impact on both ends of the floor to support the team's new big three. Should Kleber's shooting woes continue, it might be a great idea for the Mavericks to move on from the German big man.
Mavericks have upgrades available on the trade market
It's safe to say that the Mavericks are going all-in to win it all this year, especially after having a taste of the 2024 NBA Finals. Looking back, the team really needed all hands on deck to pull it off against the Boston Celtics. However, that didn't exactly happen. One of the players who shied away from the bright lights of the championship stage was Kleber himself.
In the 2024 NBA Finals, Kleber only registered 1.8 points and 1.4 rebounds per game. His confidence diminished, forcing Kidd to keep him off the floor. Fast forward to today, Kleber is piecing together another underwhelming season for the Mavericks.
Fast forward to today, the Mavericks look like strong Western Conference contenders. However, anyone will agree that they are possibly still lacking in one more championship piece to the puzzle. With the team trying to maximize the window of their star-studded core, there are plenty of options for the Mavericks to upgrade their roster.
Related Dallas Mavericks NewsArticle continues below
Some notable names that are probably on the Mavs' radar include Duop Reath, Paul Reed, or even former Maverick Dorian Finney-Smith. Acquiring any of these players in return for Kleber might bolster the team with their productivity on both ends of the floor. Given that the Mavs are hungry to win it all, the team simply cannot afford to have any liabilities on the court.
Tradeable salary
Another reason that Kleber could be on the way out is his salary. Kleber signed a three-year contract extension worth $33 million, back in 2022. As a result, he is expected to make $11 million for the 2024-2025 season.
Kleber's salary should give the Mavericks plenty of options to engage in a player swap. Hence, his contract could also be key for the franchise to pursue the remaining piece to their championship puzzle. In terms of value, Kleber should still be serviceable for any team that's looking for a productive big man.
While his shooting has abandoned him, the power forward just needs to regain his confidence back. Moreover, his impact on the defensive end should be an asset for any contender.