Mavs willing to take on contracts in exchange for picks
If willing partners need a team to take on a contract or two in order to facilitate a trade before Thursday's deadline, Mark Cuban's Dallas Mavericks will welcome them with open arms - provided there's something in it for the Mavs, of course.
Cuban told ESPN's Marc Stein the Mavs are willing to take on contracts if Dallas also receives draft picks in said transactions. That might be worth remembering if a third team is required in a potential pre-deadline deal.
The proposition makes sense from Cuban's standpoint. While Dallas only trails the West's eighth and final playoff spot by three games, the Mavs are an aging, 22-34 team creeping closer to a rebuild without the bevy of young assets and draft picks necessary to properly execute one (Dallas doesn't owe any first-round picks, but doesn't own any extra first-rounders, either).
Between Andrew Bogut and Deron Williams, the Mavs also have a couple of veterans on expiring contracts - worth more than $20 million combined - that could intrigue contenders looking for a rim protector or ball-handler.
The Mavericks would have to win 19 of their final 26 games in order to avoid the franchise's first losing season in 17 years.