Mark Cuban is the kind of team owner that loves to be aggressive during trade talks to help better his team for the future. He is always thinking long-term success. Brandon Jennings fits into the Cuban mold perfectly. The Dallas Mavericks are expressing interest in the point guard if the Milwaukee Bucks make him available before the Feb. 21 deadline.The 23-year old point guard is in his fourth year in the NBA and is averaging 18.5 points and 6.1 assists per game this year. He is young and his potential to become one of the league's great point guards is very high. Naturally, this has put him right on Cuban's radar.
Jennings is not currently available to be traded. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. If the Bucks decide they can get a good trade for Jennings, they could decide to make him a free agent now and send him to the Mavericks.
Jennings could step in and make a difference immediately. Current point guard Darren Collison is putting up decent numbers for the time being, averaging 12.8 points and 5.4 assists per game, but he does not bode well to help the team in the future. The aging player could see his time on the court become smaller as the season progresses. Jennings has the abilities to make him one of the Mavs' top three players on the roster with a high ceiling of potential. Music to Cuban's ears.
"I'll analogize it to Steve Nash. Whatever we saw in Nash and Michael Finley with Donnie Nelson back then, same type of thing. There's been lots of players we picked up over time that weren't All-Stars that turned into cornerstones. We'd take those," Cuban said.
The Mavericks would have to get rid of a lot in order to get Jennings. Forward Drew Gooden could see himself getting mixed into this trade. With certain players already signed to long-term contracts with Dallas, they might have a hard time giving up quality in order to get quality back.
The Mavericks are not necessarily looking for a player that has proven ability. They want a player that fits the system and can be coached up. Brandon Jennings is the perfect player for the team, they just have to figure out how to get him.