Dallas Mavericks trade rumors 2016: Barnes to help lift team

With all eyes on the top teams in the Western Conference, the Dallas Mavericks have the chance to be one of the teams who can slither their way through the cracks and surprise the big dogs.

Most of the eyes are on the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs, and Oklahoma City Thunder to keep the West relevant, but the Mavericks now have a complete line-up and are hoping to become a strong contender.

During the summer, the Mavericks went and picked up Andrew Bogut and Harrison Barnes from the Warriors. This gave them some added length which would also help Dirk Nowitzki with the scoring load.

Now, it is understood that much of that will be on the shoulders of Barnes and Wesley Matthews.

According to iSport Times, the team may still be Nowitzki's, but players like Barnes and Matthews will help dictate how far the team will go.

Moving to the Mavericks from the Portland Trail Blazers, Matthews had a dip in his averages as he only scored 12.5 points per game after averaging 15.4 in his career with the Blazers. He also had a drop in field goal averages as he hit lower than the 40 percent mark for the first time in his career, but it could all be due to his adjustment to the team.

Now, he has a chance to get back on track and he will have more players who can stretch the floor for him in Barnes.

As for Barnes, he acknowledges that Dirk is still the leader of the team but knows that he has so much to offer in order for the franchise to succeed.

In fact, it is also mentioned that Barnes may be playing middleman in their attempt to land Andre Iguodala in Dallas.

However, on the floor, Barnes should be able to give the numbers he gave when he was with the Warriors.

In four years with the team, Barnes averaged a decent 10.1 points per game but has shot 45 percent from the field and 38 percent from beyond the arc.

He should expect more volume of shots in Dallas as he becomes the second option behind Nowitzki.

It could all work out for the Mavericks, making them an extremely dangerous team, but it all depends on the new kids in town.