NBA Trade Deadline Fails To Spare Former Top Pick Kidd-Gilchrist

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was not among the players who were sent off at the NBA trade deadline but got waived anyway. The 26-year-old was cut by the Charlotte Hornets recently and will be another curious free agent soon.

Gilchrist, the second overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft was one of the promising players in the league. In fact, his best years were from the 2014 to 2016 NBA seasons. But he has been on the decline since then, something reflected in his production. Kidd-Gilchrist holds career averages of 8.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists per Basketball-Reference.com.

Waiving Kidd-Gilchrist came at the heels of another buyout by the Hornets. Charlotte completed a buyout with Marvin Williams who is expected to head to the Milwaukee Bucks, NBA.com reported. As far as the status of Kidd-Gilchrist, the Dallas Mavericks are reportedly interested in getting the 6-foot-6 wing defender.

The Mavericks are currently 32-21 in the NBA Western Conference and are trying to fill in gaps in their roster. They recently acquired Willie-Cauley-Stein to a deal to fill up the void left by Dwight Powell who is out for the season. Should they get a deal done, Kidd-Gilchrist is expected to provide help on the defensive end, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported.

However, the durability of MKG remains in question. He has played only in 12 games this season, averaging just 4 points and 2.9 rebounds in 13 minutes of play with the Hornets. The reason for this is that the former Kentucky Wildcat underwent surgical procedure for a chronic groin strain. He picked up his player $13 million player option for the season and was one of the players expected to be moved by the NBA trade deadline.

MKG was actually one of the suggested players the Mavs would be targeting. Other NBA players who were suggested include Andre Iguodala, Danilo Gallinari, and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Of those names, only Iguodala secure a team in the Miami Heat. Gallinari was another prospect of Miami but a deal failed to materialize.

If the Mavs officially sign him, his defensive prowess is the only thing most expect Dallas to get from him. He does not exactly have the sweetest of jump shots, meaning he will likely be a role player head coach Rick Carlisle will field on occasion.