Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks were one of the biggest surprises in the Western Conference playoffs last season when they made it to the conference finals (which included beating the Phoenix Suns during the second round of the playoffs).
However, losing Jalen Brunson will hurt. The loss of Brunson will only add to the offensive pressure that is already on Luka Doncic’s shoulders. But that comes with the territory of being a great player. Luka is being paid to overcome those situations. And it’ll be what he’s asked to do.
That said, I’m not sure the Mavs have done enough this offseason to compensate for the loss of Brunson. The addition of Christian Wood should help but it’s not clear he’ll make as big as an impact that the Mavs will need him to make.
Luka is great but unless there’s another move yet to be made by the Mavs, they’re likely going to take a step back.