The LA Lakers acquired three players from the Dallas Mavericks as part of the blockbuster trade earlier this month.
The Dallas Mavericks‘ decision to trade away Luka Doncic was met with surprise by LA Lakers GM Rob Pelinka. Impressively he was able to whittle down the trade package and hold onto some of the Lakers assets, while sending Anthony Davis and Mark Christie to Dallas.
The Lakers received two additional players. One was veteran Markieff Morris, who was stunned to be traded, and ready to retire if he had been sent anywhere else if not the Lakers.
The other was Maxi Kleber, who is currently out with a broken foot. Yet he could still make his presence felt in 2024-25.
The rescinded trade for Mark Williams limits the Lakers options, with Jaxson Hayes starting at center against the Jazz.
The Lakers signed veteran Alex Len to round out their options. Power forward Maxi Kleber has the skillset to contribute, and could yet make an impact this season.
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon broke down how, speaking to The Hoop Collective, explaining that the German should be more than an after-thought, when healthy.
He said: “Maxi Kleber was supposed to be salary-filler in this deal for the most part. But I’m just telling you, obviously it’s going to be a while, he’s got a broken foot.
“Maxi Kleber has been a very useful player for the Mavericks over the years, particularly in playoffs because, and you look at his numbers and ‘what are you talking about this guy’s got 3 points and 3 rebounds’, but he can space the floor, and he can play the five, and switch everything.
“You can play a five-out style and switch everything with Maxi Kleber playing the five, and this is a team that could really use that sort of guy, their options are so limited.”
Former NBA star Jeff Teague also voiced his approval for the Lakers acquiring Kleber as part of the deal for Luka Doncic, who made his debut against the Jazz earlier this week.
Maxi Kleber suffered an injury in the third quarter of the Mavericks’ loss at the Boston Celtics on January 25.
He suffered a fracture in his right foot and was ruled out for an ‘extended period’.
MacMahon added: “We heard a few months when he broke it, back in January, maybe he can get back by end of the regular season.”
Kleber has played 44 career playoff games, including 13 last season for the Mavericks. This is experience that could be valuable to the Lakers, who are determined for a strong off-season run.
One analyst even confidently claimed they can defeat OKC in the Western Conference Finals. Getting there would be an achievement in itself.
