NY Knicks trade center Tyson Chandler to Mavericks in six-player deal

In a move the Dallas Mavericks hope will duplicate their past success, the team acquired former Maverick and 2011 NBA Champion Tyson Chandler, as well as guard Raymond Felton from the New York Knicks, in exchange for center Samuel Dalembert, guards Jose Calderon, Wayne Ellington, and Shane Larkin, and two 2014 second round draft choices (picks 34 and 51).

The deal appears to make sense for both sides.

For Dallas, Chandler (7-1, 240) was the starting center and defensive anchor on the Mavericks 2011 NBA Championship team who helped bring a toughness and defensive mindset to a franchise that had long been viewed as soft in previous seasons.  That season, he averaged 10.1 points and a team-high 9.4 rebounds, and also earned NBA All-Defensive Second Team honors while shooting .654 from field goal range.

By bringing back Chandler, the 2012 Defensive Player of the Year, Dallas hopes to not only upgrade its frontcourt defensively, but also to attract a potential free agent star to the team, such as Carmelo Anthony or LeBron James.

Chandler will team up once again with Dirk Nowitzki, although both players are now older, and presumably less effective.  Still, should the move flop, Chandler is only on the books for next season at $14.5 million, and thus, Dallas will have financial flexibility moving forward.

Considering how close Dallas came to beating the current NBA champion San Antonio Spurs in the playoffs, the trade might be just the right move to put the Mavs back in the title hunt.

Of course, in order to get Chandler, Dallas had to take on some baggage, specifically in the form of inconsistent point guard Ray Felton.  Felton's career has had its up-and-down stretches, and now is further burdened by off-the-court legal troubles.

As for the Knicks and their new executive Phil Jackson, it is clear that a new way of doing business is happening in Gotham. 

Jackson's cerebral approach and unorthodox perspective, so often seen during his coaching days, has again been on full display in the Knicks front office, as he has already hired a coach with no prior experience, and now is aggressively moving around parts to shed salary and retool the roster.

Switching out Felton for Calderon is essentially a swap of flawed point guards, although the defensively-challenged Calderon is an excellent three-point shooter with significantly less baggage.

Dalembert is not as good as Chandler defensively, but still is a decent shotblocker who brings size to the roster now that Chandler is gone.

Ellington is a good outside shooter, who will complement and space the floor for Anthony, should he stay.

More importantly, the team got younger, getting two picks in a deep draft, and adding Dallas' first round pick from last year in Larkin.  Larkin had little impact last season, but he was injured and has some upside, so the book is still out on him.

At the very least, this will mean more of a role for the high-priced Amar'e Stoudemire, who has never jelled with 'Melo, but will get more playing time now that Chandler is gone.

By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com and news services