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Falling out of the playoffs in the first round is becoming an unwanted occurrence for Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. The Slovenian did all that he could to avenge their 2020 NBA Playoffs bubble defeat to the LA Clippers, but it ultimately wasn't enough. At the end of the day, he needs help and the Mavs have the ability to bring it in.
They have multiple players who are free agents or who could be used in trade deals for other stars. If Tim Hardaway Jr. were to leave as an unrestricted free agent and Josh Richardson opts out of his contract, the Mavs would be left with $32m of cap space. Then there is Kristaps Porzingis, whose fit with the franchise is clearly not working out due to his injury history and postseason nightmares.
In order to reshape the squad around Doncic, the Dallas Mavericks front office is going to have to make some bittersweet decisions if they want to compete again in a stacked Western Conference. In this article, we will outline five such players they can target.
5 Players the Dallas Mavericks should pursue in the offseason
#1 Lonzo Ball
The first area to address for the Dallas Mavericks this offseason is support for Luka Doncic in the backcourt. Beyond the Slovenian, they lacked creativity on offense and ranked 26th in assists per game during the regular season. They then ranked 12th out of the 16 teams who took part in the playoffs.
Jalen Brunson was a solid Sixth Man of the Year contender but was asked to do more than he is capable of. Therefore, the Mavs need to seriously consider bringing in a creator who can also knock down his own shot, such as Lonzo Ball. The New Orleans Pelicans guard becomes a free agent this summer and will have a slew of teams lining up to pry him on the market.
In order to compete in the powerhouse Western Conference, the Dallas Mavericks need to bring in a floor general such as Ball. He has averaged over seven assists in two of the four seasons he has spent in the league and had a career-high shooting year this season.
At only 23, the Mavs would have a young backcourt pairing in the long-term and a player who has shown he can continue to improve his game. Ball does not need to dominate the ball, which works well alongside Doncic, but he can also be a reliable creator when defenses double-team the Slovenian.
#2 Buddy Hield
Although the Dallas Mavericks' biggest need heading into the offseason is getting a secondary ball-handler, they also need another reliable knockdown shooter in the backcourt. Buddy Hield of the Sacramento Kings could become available this summer after a disappointing couple of campaigns have brought his contract extension with the franchise into question.
With Tim Hardaway Jr. possibly departing the Dallas Mavericks with a major pay increase coming his way, Hield could fit in nicely alongside Doncic as a wing option off the pick-and-roll. Should Hardaway stay, the Mavs would have to get creative in order to bring in another ball handler such as DeMar DeRozan via sign-and-trade or a smaller name to fulfill the need.
Nevertheless, bringing in Hield could be very intriguing for Dallas Mavericks fans. He has become an excellent catch-and-shoot scorer and has connected with over 40% of his field-goal efforts in the last three seasons and at least 39% of threes. Moreover, he is an extremely reliable free-throw shooter although his abilities have not been tested in the playoffs yet.
To bring Hield in, the Mavericks could offer the Kings a trade package that includes Josh Richardson and Maxi Kleber, which would help Sacramento with salary flexibility in the future.
#3 Myles Turner
Would coach Rick Carlisle want to continue working with Kristaps Porzingis? That is the predominant question that comes to mind when hearing rumors linking Indiana Pacers big man Myles Turner with a move to the Dallas Mavericks. Of course, there are other ways for the Mavs to acquire the NBA's leading shot-blocker from last season, but trading out the Latvian seems like the obvious choice at the moment.
Dallas need a more traditional presence in the paint and Turner could be the ideal partner for Doncic. While he does not possess the offensive output Porzingis does, he is an elite rim protector and is a more consistent defensive presence than the unicorn. Turner's season ended prematurely due to a foot injury, but up until then he was averaging 12.6 points per game, 3.4 blocks and 6.5 rebounds.
#4 CJ McCollum
Continuing along the lines of bringing in a secondary scorer on the perimeter, the Dallas Mavericks could pursue Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum. The Trail Blazers are in a similar position to the Mavs this summer in terms of their restructuring following a first-round exit in the playoffs and while most of the rumors have involved Damian Lillard, McCollum is a consistent scorer and a more viable option to attain in a trade.
It's difficult to think of better players to pair with Luka Doncic who could be brought in. McCollum has proven himself to be a top-tier scorer for six straight years, averaging over 20 points a season. His career accuracy from the field has been 45% while he connects with almost 40% of threes. Akin to Hield, he would be a reliable outlet for Doncic out of a defensive blitz and brings with him a lot of playoff experience.
The only difficulty for Dallas in acquiring him would be what they can offer to Portland. Understandably, Kristaps Porzingis would be the likely tradeable asset in this deal, but is he worth more to the Trail Blazers than McCollum? Perhaps not, but if Lillard were to force his way out, so too may the 29-year-old.
#5 T.J. Warren
Another intriguing trade idea the Dallas Mavericks could pursue is to bring in T.J. Warren from the Indiana Pacers. The two-way forward is exactly the kind of wing productivity the Mavs are looking for while also possessing the size to play at the four spot. He was only able to play in four games this season due to undergoing surgery on his foot, but had averaged 15.5 points on 53% shooting.
In the ten games Warren played in the bubble for the Pacers, his numbers were electric, grabbing 26 points and six rebounds. With his contract expiring next year, Indiana could well be looking to move him which works out perfectly for the Dallas Mavericks. His contract is team-friendly (just over $12.5m) and gives them salary flexibility in the future should they then decide to let Warren go as a free agent.
Guess the Lakers players!
