As the news of the Dallas Mavericks’ trade deadline deal continues to sink in, elation that the team did something—anything—begins to fade. What’s left is wonderment. For many, JJ Redick is a known asset. He’s been a very visible basketball player since his days at Duke University. Nicolo Melli, on the other hand, is a relative unknown.
Since entering the league in 2019 at age 28, he hasn’t seen much playing time. In total, Melli has played 1,283 minutes over the course of 82 games. But this season, Melli has only logged 241 total minutes. That’s Josh Green territory.