Losing Tyson Chandler to the Phoenix Suns wasn’t so much of a big deal to the Dallas Mavericks since DeAndre Jordan became such a strong possibility for them in free agency. Now that they don’t have either, the Mavs are left to assemble the most reasonable roster they can based on who’s available to them.
Marc Stein of ESPN reports that Dallas is close to bringing in Milwaukee Bucks big man Zaza Pachulia:
ESPN sources say Mavericks are closing in on acquisition of Zaza Pachulia from Milwaukee via trade and take him into their cap space
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 10, 2015
Yahoo Sports’ Marc Spears reports the terms of Pachulia’s acquisition for Dallas:
Bucks are getting a second round pick from the Mavericks for forward-center Zaza Pachulia, a source told Yahoo. @ESPNSteinLine broke talks.
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) July 10, 2015
Pachulia, 31, has a $5.25-million expiring contract, and as a moderately skilled veteran with consistent effort and toughness, that could be considered a bargain for Dallas. There’s no possible way to compensate for what they could have had in an impact talent like DeAndre Jordan. Moving on means adding as many more assets or role players as possible, like Pachulia.
With the Bucks last season, Pachulia averaged 8.3 points and 6.8 rebounds in 73 games.
