Dallas Mavericks: Which free agent should be the team’s top target?
The Dallas Mavericks are expected to pursue a few big-name free agents, but which one should be the team’s top target this summer?
The Dallas Mavericks may not have qualified for the NBA Playoffs this season, but there’s no question that this team was one of the winners of the 2018-19 campaign.
Led by the probable NBA Rookie of the Year Luka Doncic, the Mavs now have at least one prominent piece to build around over the next few years. Doncic, who averaged 21 points, eight rebounds, and six assists this season, has the look of a future superstar and is everything, from size to talent, that you want in a franchise player.
But that was only the beginning of what the Mavs should be excited about heading into the offseason. On top of the development of Doncic, Dallas made arguably the biggest in-season trade of the year when they acquired Kristaps Porzingis from the New York Knicks.
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Just ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline, the team made the move for Kristaps who was surprisingly on the trade block. Even though he didn’t contribute at all this season, the move for Kristaps was a long-term move that could eventually pay off 100 fold.
Dallas, even after Dirk Nowitzki‘s retirement, now have a dynamic duo between Doncic and Kristaps. However, perhaps the most interesting part of it all for the Mavs heading into the summer is the fact that they will have money to spend. Like, enough money to pursue the big-name free agents.
Which begs the question, which top free agent(s) should be the team’s top target(s) heading into the offseason?
First thing’s first, it should be noted that, according to New York Times scribe Marc Stein, the Mavs believe that they will have a good shot at Khris Middleton or Kemba Walker this summer. Both free agents aren’t exactly at the top of this year’s class, but both are players that will likely garner max – or extremely close to max – contracts this summer.
Both are also players that could definitely help take the next step for this franchise.
"[via New York Times]But league sources say that the Mavericks intend to fling themselves into the chase for Khris Middleton and/or Kemba Walker with gusto in hopes that they have a shot at one of them."
Short of the Mavericks, somehow, jumping into the top 5 of the NBA Draft in the lottery, the team will likely convey its first round pick to the Atlanta Hawks. Assuming they don’t land one of the big-name rookies, the biggest need on the team’s roster falls at point guard or center.
And in today’s game, which is largely dependent on elite perimeter players, you’d have to have the need at point guard slotted at the top of the Mavs’ wishlist. Which means that landing a player like Kemba would do wonders for this team moving forward.
Kemba would give the Mavs the veteran presence that it’s losing with the retirement of Dirk, and also the scoring punch that this team, at times, desperately needed this past season. Coming off arguably the best season of his career, a big three of Kemba, Doncic, and Kristaps would be one of the most well-balanced cores in the league.
While Kemba would certainly be costly and would have to be lured away from the Charlotte Hornets and potentially other suitors, he’s potentially the best fit for the Mavs of the realistic free agent targets. Kemba is in that second tier of free agents, which is a more feasible group for the Mavs to focus on.
Sure, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Jimmy Butler or Kyrie Irving would certainly be nice, but the likelihood of any of those free agents considering Dallas as a potential landing spot is extremely small.
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Landing Kemba Walker in free agency would be a huge win for the Dallas Mavericks, a team who over the last few months has been doing nothing but collecting W’s for the future.