Dallas Mavericks
The No. 1 priority for the Dallas Mavericks should be finding a sidekick for Luka Doncic. Kristaps Porzingis was supposed to be that, but he has failed to live up to expectations and provide that production consistently. If they are legitimately considering moving on from him, Paul George makes for a logical target.
George would bring a lot to the table that the Mavericks are lacking. For starters, he is an above-average defender. The Mavericks do not have many of those, as their defensive rating worsened for the sixth consecutive season.
The Mavericks’ inability to get stops is as big a reason as any that George and the Clippers have eliminated them in two consecutive first-round matchups.
Offensively, George would give the Mavericks a consistent second option alongside Doncic. His playmaking would take pressure off of him as well, as Doncic is too often the sole creator of offense, whether it is scoring by himself or setting up his teammates.
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Building a trade package around Porzingis for George is the easiest way to get the numbers to match up. If the Clippers have no interest in the Latvian big man, a sign-and-trade built around Tim Hardaway Jr. signing a big contract extension could be used as the centerpiece.