Amid ongoing buzz, the Dallas Mavericks are reportedly not that interested in chasing Ben Simmons.

According to league insider Marc Stein, the Mavericks ” is not a trade suitor registering interest” for the current Brooklyn Nets swingman. Stein reiterated that the murmurs were perhaps only made to try creating a market for Simmons.

“Contrary to recent reports, league sources say Dallas is not a trade suitor registering interest in Brooklyn’s struggling Ben Simmons,” Stein said. “This might be one of those cases, I’m told, where the Mavericks have been mentioned repeatedly to try to create some sort of market for Simmons.”

It was initially revealed by Sean Deveaney of Heavy that an anonymous Western Conference executive has noted that Dallas is a team to watch for Simmons. 

“Dallas is a team to watch, Simmons would be an interesting fit next to Luka (Doncic) if the Nets were willing to take back (Tim) Hardaway and (Davis) Bertans. I am not sure how much higher the Mavs could go in terms of an offer but that would definitely be interesting for Luka.”

Logically, a trade by the Mavs for Simmons doesn’t entirely make sense. Adding the Australian star is a redundancy for franchise superstar Luka Doncic in terms of ball handling responsibility. He might be a good asset on defense, but given his shooting notoriety, Simmons can only be effective on the offensive end when he’s navigating the ball.

It would be a crime for Dallas to package their proven pieces just to land Simmons, who has been passive so far for the Nets after not playing the entirety of the 2021-22 season due to back issues and standoff with the Philadelphia 76ers. Simmons is compiling 5.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.9 assists in 27.2 minutes per game this season and hasn’t been very much impactful on both ends for Brooklyn.

To add up, given also his ongoing injury woes and contract that will go through the 2024-25 campaign, Simmons can only serve as a black hole for Dallas’ flexibility, as they are continuing to make efforts in surrounding Doncic, a championship-calibre supporting unit.

So far, the Mavs are holding a 7-5 record, good enough for the sixth spot in the West. While it’s still too early, the club can still locate much worthy targets besides Simmons, as they continue their hunt towards a title with their window still open around the Slovenian phenom.