How Jalen Brunson Can Help The Mavs Swing A Trade

Jalen Brunson
Photo credit Matthew Stockman/Staff/Getty Images

By Josh Clark and Mike Fisher 

DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) - The Dallas Mavericks hold point guard Jalen Brunson in high regard, so much so that they shut down 105.3 The Fan's Mike Fisher's inquiries about including him as a key piece in a trade that would land a "big get."

But maybe that's because the right deal hasn't come across their desks yet.

The Mavericks hit a home run when they drafted the Villanova guard in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft. He averaged 9.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game in 21.8 minutes of action a night. In the second half of the season, after gutting almost their entire starting lineup in a trade to get Kristaps Porzingis and co., Brunson's numbers climbed to 13.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game in 28.9 minutes a night.

Depending on how the Mavericks offseason plays out, Brunson could be looking at a starting role heading into the 2019-20 season. But could he be a key piece in helping you get better?

Fish reminds us that he's just spitballing here, but what if Jimmy Butler makes it known to the Philadelphia Sixers that he wants to go to the Houston Rockets? Houston is known to be chasing Butler to pair with James Harden and Chris Paul despite not having the cap flexibility to pull off such a move. And, that's where Clint Capela and Eric Gordon come into play. 

Here's Fish's idea (courtesy of DallasBasketball.com) of what a three-team trade would look like, which he brought up Friday morning on his appearance with the GBAG Nation:
Houston gets Butler to commit, but needs to ship out Capela and Gordon to make room to make a match for Butler's $32.7 mil salary.
*Philly gets something for the Butler defection by simply taking on Brunson and at the same time preserves cap room.
Dallas takes Capela and Gordon (they fit Dallas' room when you remove Brunson).
The hole this fills in Philly? Pretty perfect, as Brunson is a city-wide hero for his work there in Sixers Land as a member of the aforementioned champs at Villanova. The holes this fills in Houston? They get their man in Butler, and with James Harden and Chris Paul assemble themselves (chemistry aside) the best Big 3 in the NBA. And in Dallas? Gordon is a long-time NBA starter who scored 16 points per last year. Capela is a defensive force at center who Dallas thinks teams nicely upfront with Kristaps Porzingis.

Are there other things to consider when discussing this type of swap? Sure ... Houston has reportedly attempting to shop Capela and Gordon for first-round picks to sweeten the pot for Philadelphia. But when it all comes down to it, would Houston swap Capela and Gordon for Butler? We say yes.

You can then wonder if Philadelphia is getting enough in return to participate in such a deal. Would the Sixers not want Brunson and a possible Trade Exception (Fish is investigating this) for a player who wants to leave? We say they would. 

Should Dallas want to get Gordon, Capela and go free agent shopping on someone such as Patrick Beverley, they'd have to dump Courtney Lee's contract to do so. 

In addition to Kemba Walker and Beverley, this is another of the several options the Mavericks can explore before free agency begins this Sunday at 5 p.m.