February 21st, 2002 found the Dallas Mavericks swinging a trade deadline deal with the Denver Nuggets. In the move, the Mavericks shipped off Juwan Howard, Tim Hardaway (Sr.), Donnell Harvey, a first round draft pick in 2002 and cash. That netted Dallas Raef LaFrentz, Avery Johnson, Tariq Abdul-Wahad and Nick Van Exel. The centerpiece of the deal at the time was actually Raef LaFrentz, a 25-year-old 6’11” center who was the well-established starter for the Nuggets at the five.
To that point, Dallas had two true centers on their roster – Shawn Bradley and Evan Eschmeyer – neither of whom were three-point threats. Head coach Don Nelson loved unconventional lineups (that would look much more like the league norm years later) with a stretch big who was a legitimate deep threat. LaFrentz fit the bill and upon his arrival, he slotted in as the go-to starter (starting 25 of 27 games for the remainder of the regular season). The outbound Juwan Howard played some minutes at center for the Mavericks, but didn’t bring the size or shooting range they were after, so the deal was generally a win/win for both sides in that respect. Little did anyone know at the time, but the trade brought in future head coach Avery Johnson, and the player who would meaningfully change the identity of the Mavericks as he shifted to a sixth man role – Nick Van Exel.
Who was Van Exel before the trade?
As much as the trade was framed about LaFrentz, Van Exel was certainly no slouch. Spending his first five seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers where he earned a single All-Star selection, Van Exel was a staple in the starting lineup throughout his career to that point. Up until his final season in LA, he started every game he played except one, which came in his rookie season. He then started all but two games he played during his time with the Nuggets. The season he was traded to Dallas, he was averaging 21.4 points and 8.1 assists per game across 45 contests with Denver.
Of course, everyone knew the trade meant Van Exel would be shifting roles from a sure-fire starter, to a backup behind Steve Nash. That may have been part of why he wasn’t the featured name of the transaction, but coming off the bench proved to be a role he thrived in. So much so, in fact, that he averaged more points per game as sixth man than LaFrentz did as the starter!
Uncrowning the Kings
In Van Exel’s first Postseason with the Mavericks, he was part of the 3-0 first-round sweep of the Minnesota Timberwolves. That series has since become a talking point about the careers of Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Garnett, with some deeming it to be the tie-breaker as to why Nowitzki is the better power forward of the two. In the next round, Dallas got walloped by the Sacramento Kings, 4-1.
That Kings team was relatively stacked with players such as Mike Bibby, Peja Stojakovic, Chris Webber, Vlade Divac and others. Dallas meanwhile had Steve Nash, Michael Finley, Dirk Nowitzki and LaFrentz leading the way as something of a well-matched mirror for the Kings. The similarities between the teams and the frequency of high intensity regular season games between them supercharged a rivalry that was only added to by the Kings’ young hotshot owners from the Maloof family, who were perfect rivals for Mavericks’ then-owner Mark Cuban.
The following season, the Mavericks met the Kings in the Playoffs in the second round once again. Following a game seven win over the Portland Trailblazers in the first round, Dallas dropped game one of the second round series against the Kings, at home. That loss prompted Van Exel to ask Nelson if he could speak to the team. With permission granted, Van Exel told Nash, Finley and Nowitzki that they needed to stop deferring to the Kings and stop believing them to be a better team. Van Exel backed up his words with stellar play of his own. In game two, the Mavericks ran the Kings out of the gym after dropping 83 first-half points on them. Van Exel scored 36 points in that one, then hung 40 points in game three’s double-overtime victory back in Sacramento. For the series, he connected on over 50% of his total field goals and just north of 45% from downtown.
Van Exel’s legacy with the Mavs
Van Exel’s stay in Dallas was relatively short, clocking in at a season-and-a-half overall. He was largely electric in his time with the Mavs, and certainly brought a much-needed grit and attitude to the team. His only full season in Dallas was the first time the franchise won 60 games. His motivational speech in the Playoffs against the Kings was the only series win Dallas had against Sacramento across three-straight seasons in which the two teams met in the postseason. Van Exel then returned to the fold as the head coach of the Mavericks G League team, the Legends, for the 2015-2016 season.
Van Exel’s unconventional free-throw shooting from about two feet behind the line, his post-up game (yes, the 6’1″ point guard had a nice back-to-the-basket game) and his quirky spinning hook/push shot were all memorable. His unwillingness to back down and his ability to turn it on when needed should be unforgettable, despite a relatively short tenure in Dallas.
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