The Brooklyn Nets and Ben Simmons previously agreed to a contract buyout, which led to Simmons signing with the Los Angeles Clippers. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, league sources said that the Dallas Mavericks were interested in pursuing Simmons before he signed with the Clippers.

Simmons is now in LA so the Mavs will look in a different direction. Dallas could have certainly used a player such as Simmons right now given all of the injuries on the roster, however.

Center has been hit the hardest by injuries lately, as Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II and Dwight Powell are all currently out. 6'7″ Kessler Edwards has been playing the center position in recent action as a result.

“They got me listed as a center on the box score, I can’t believe it… I got a lot of help from my teammates,” Edwards told reporters following the Mavericks' 118-113 victory against the Miami Heat on Thursday. “Coach is just guiding me through it every game.”

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Simmons is a point guard but he has played forward in the past. At 6'10”, he may have even played some center for the Mavs given their current injury situation.

Dallas will likely consider all of their options at the position moving forward. Davis, Lively and Gafford may all miss extended periods of time, and there is no timeline for Powell's injury return. Edwards deserves credit for embracing his role, but the Mavs need to add more size.

Kylor Kelley, a two-way player, is also an option. He is a true center at 7'0″, but he has only appeared in a total of seven NBA games. The Mavericks could use a player with more NBA experience.

Dallas heads into the All-Star break with a 30-26 overall record. The Mavs are in eighth place in the Western Conference standings.