NBA Rumors: The trade that Mavericks and Pelicans could make to fix a disastrous start to the 2025/26 season

The start of the 2025-26 season has left fascinating stories in the NBA: Victor Wembanyama reinforcing his status as a generational phenomenon, Giannis Antetokounmpo dominating as usual, and a league that seems to have become obsessed with full-court defensive pressure. But behind the spotlight, another trend catches the eye: completely unbalanced rosters. Charlotte and New Orleans started without a traditional center. Sacramento has missed small forward profiles. Dallas, on the other hand, entered the new season with scarce guards to organize attacks regularly. The general feeling is that many teams prioritized accumulating talent over logic in roster construction, resulting in lineups as creative as they are unnatural in their fit. To address two of the most obvious cases, a proposal emerges that would allow the Pelicans to finally find an interior anchor and the Mavericks to incorporate the ball-handling they currently lack. The proposed move would send José Alvarado, Saddiq Bey, and a 2028 first-round pick (owned by New Orleans) to the Dallas Mavericks, while the Pelicans would receive Daniel Gafford. In exchange, Dallas would strengthen its backcourt by adding Alvarado and adding a shooting forward like Bey, as well as acquiring that future pick exchange option. **Why Dallas would accept the move** The talent of Daniel Gafford is undeniable, but the competitive reality of the Mavericks places him as their third center, behind Anthony Davis and the long-term project that Dereck Lively II represents. Dallas would operate from abundance in the frontcourt to cover an evident deficiency: perimeter creation. The decision to experiment with Cooper Flagg as the point guard has been brave and perhaps beneficial to accelerate his development as a primary playmaker, but it has exposed the Mavericks to a clear disadvantage in the present. There is a lack of ball-handling, offensive direction, and, above all, reliable shooting and the ability to generate secondary advantages. In that context, Alvarado would fit in as an immediate reinforcement. Despite never being a starter in New Orleans, he has shown the ability to organize and contribute both in playmaking and outside shooting, averaging 6.8 assists per 36 minutes last season and performing above average from beyond the arc in the last two seasons. His defensive energy would complement the team's aggressive identity. Bey would provide outside shooting and versatility, joining the equation as a useful piece in the rotation and facilitating the salary adjustment, while the exchange of picks in 2028 would act as an additional incentive.

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