You have to credit owner Mark Cuban, Dallas’ scouting department, and a good bit of luck for where the Dallas Mavericks are right now.
Since the 2015-16 season, Dallas has had to spend only three campaigns under the .500 win percentage mark, and Luka Doncic is already a year-to-year MVP candidate in just his third campaign in the NBA. That’s where the Mavs’ scouting department and Cuban himself come in, for trusting the European leagues as a legitimate training ground for prospects. Luck meant that none of the teams picking ahead of them saw Doncic’s ascendance coming.
Dallas will be a constant threat, at least on offense, now that Doncic has matured. But goodness, does he need help. This year, at 22-19 a day before the deadline, Dallas would be just fine if they were in the Eastern Conference, but in the West, they are battling for their lives to keep the 8th seed. The Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies are breathing down their necks, and who knows if/when the New Orleans Pelicans might wake up from hibernation.
To be fair, Doncic will often be the best or second-best player on either team on any given night. That gives the Mavs a shot to win every single one of its games. But with teams able to plan for each other in the playoffs, Dallas can’t afford to sit idle as Thursday’s trade deadline approaches.
Kristaps Porzingis was a great gamble when they got him from the Knicks, and while this season is sort of a downer for him, Dallas is still enjoying great two-way playmaking from the Latvian when he’s available.
Nonetheless, therein lies the problem. Outside of Doncic and Porzingis, Dallas doesn’t have a lot of reliable shot or playmaking on their roster. So as the trade deadline looms, Dallas will definitely be forced to make a move.
One name that immediately comes to mind for Dallas is Orlando’s Aaron Gordon. A super-sized trio of Luka at the point, Gordon at the four and Porzingis at the five would be a nightmare for most teams. Gordon is one of the rare players that has both the strength and quickness to defend all five positions on the court. Even better, he has already publicly requested a trade from the Orlando Magic, so they could be persuaded to sell low on him.
Dallas can make the money work, and James Johnson’s expiring contract would be very attractive to Orlando, as they can immediately use that cap space to pursue a running mate for two-time All-Star Nikola Vucevic. The Mavericks can also throw in either Jalen Brunson for youth or Dorian Finney-Smith as a cheap and wildly effective role player.
In a similar, but not identical vein, Dallas could opt to go for some mid-tier playmaking as they gear up for the playoffs by trying to acquire Goran Dragic. The Dragon, while 34, still has buckets of savvy and touch, which his game is centered around. More importantly, he is essentially Doncic’s best friend, something that will undoubtedly make Luka happy if he’s brought onboard. The money works with Johnson’s expiring contract as well, coupled with those useful pieces. If Miami is willing to throw in Precious Achiuwa or KZ Okpala, Dallas would definitely be wiling to play ball as well.
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The more interesting option for the Mavs, however, is what they might do if they are willing to pivot off of Porzingis. At 25, Porzingis is still a singularly unique talent in the NBA and still has plenty of room to grow into his athletic prime.
With rumors swirling around the entire Indiana Pacers roster over the past few days, first-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis makes for an interesting replacement for Porzingis. He comes with a similar sort of killer attitude, and with just as much footwork in the paint. The shooting touch is clearly there, as are the ball skills as well.
If Indiana is looking to host a fire sale and is looking to build around a central hub, they can do a lot worse than Porzingis, who is surprisingly young. Packaging Sabonis with either Myles Turner or Malcolm Brogdon would free Indiana of a lot of cap space that they apparently want, and either package gives Dallas a huge leg up in playmaking.
But, if you are Dallas, and are willing to give up Porzingis, why not just shoot for the moon? If Doncic needs some support on the offensive end of the floor, Bradley Beal would be an incredible partner on the wing. He is an efficient, low-maintenance scoring savant who would get along well with Doncic’s vision and playstyle and obviously acts well enough on his own as a primary option.
Washington might not want to give him up, and he might not want to leave either; however, Washington would definitely be intrigued by a return Porzingis and Finney-Smith. If Dallas is able to ask for Hachimura in return, they immediately become one of the West’s most well-balanced and explosive rosters on offense.
Dallas, for all the flash lent to them by Luka Doncic’s presence, is in an awkward middle spot as a contender. They can beat any team in the league, but also lose to them. If they are to keep improving along their trajectory, the Mavericks project to be one of the big movers this week, if not this offseason.
Because if they don’t, it’s only a matter of time before their next generational European superstar slips through their fingers.
