Throughout the NBA offseason, the Dallas Mavericks have been the subject of countless rumors and speculation when it comes to the idea of them trading for a veteran starting center. But what if the player they've been looking for has been on the roster since draft night?
No, we're not talking about Dereck Lively II, who has loads of potential to be Dallas' defensive anchor for the future, but is only 19 years old and admits he hasn't done enough to earn the Mavs' starting center spot. However, another center Dallas acquired on draft night – Richaun Holmes, in a salary-dump trade with the Sacramento Kings – could be the short-term fix. Mavs owner Mark Cuban certainly seems to think so.
“I think Richaun Holmes is going to be the most underrated pickup of the summer," Cuban told Justin Termine and Frank Isola on SiriusXM NBA Radio. "I mean, people forget what he could do with Sacramento before he got hurt, and then they get Sabonis and he takes his place.”
Although some fans will think Cuban is sugarcoating the situation, he does make a good point. Before the Kings traded for Domantas Sabonis, Holmes had a career-best year during the 2020-21 season, as he averaged 14.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks while shooting 63.7 percent from the field in 29.2 minutes per game as a full-time starter.
"[Richaun] told me he was in jail the last couple of years," GM Nico Harrison said when he joined NBA TV's broadcast of the Mavs' Summer League game against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.
If that's truly the case, then Holmes' theoretical handcuffs should finally be taken off in Dallas. Not only do the Mavs need what his skillset brings to the table after having such poor frontcourt depth last season, but playing alongside two of the best ball-handlers in the league in Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving doesn't hurt his chances of making a big impact either.
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