Dallas Mavericks
When you look at the Dallas Mavericks as a whole, the biggest thing that sticks out is that they do not have consistent play around Luka Doncic. While he is arguably a Top-5 player in the league right now, Doncic cannot single-handedly carry this team, which is why this front-office needs to get him help.
Kristaps Porzingis has played well when healthy this season, Tim Hardaway Jr. is a high-level catch-and-shoot threat and guys like Maxi Kleber and Dorian Finney-Smith have played their roles, but it has not been good enough for this team to excel in the Western Conference.
None of these four guys mentioned above can create for themselves, which puts a lot of the weight of this franchise on the shoulders of Luka Doncic. By going out and trading for Domantas Sabonis, the Mavericks would not only be getting another playmaker, but someone who they can pair with Kristaps Porzingis and Luka Doncic to form a new “Big 3” in the West.
By having Sabonis, Doncic can become more of a pure scoring threat with the ball instead of having to constantly create opportunities for others and as for Porzingis, he could finally relax a little more and move into a “third scoring option” type of role.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: This Pacers-Warriors Trade Lands Domantas Sabonis In San Francisco
Not only does this put less strain on his body, but it ensures that Porzingis will be more fresh and healthy late in the season since he does not have to try and score for the Mavericks every single possession when Doncic is not in the game.
Adding Domantas Sabonis just changes the complexity of the Mavericks to the point where they can start to feel comfortable on the offensive-end of the floor. Right now when they have the ball, things just seem very tense and other than Doncic, nobody on the court really looks confident with their abilities to score.
Sabonis not only provides the Mavericks with another security blanket like Luka Doncic, but he is another one of those guys who can go out and potentially get a triple-double on any given night. The best part about this too is that he is a big man, giving the Mavericks the ability to play through the post for a change since most of Porzingis’ shots come from outside the paint.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: This Pacers-Warriors Trade Lands Domantas Sabonis In San Francisco
The Mavericks need to be willing to make a big move at some point and this could very well be their chance to do so. However, their cap situation could limit their ability to acquire a player like Sabonis unless the Pacers or a third team is willing to take on the contract of Tim Hardaway Jr. and/or Dwight Powell.
Packaging Dwight Powell, Dorian Finney-Smith and Josh Green together would be enough salary-wise for the Mavericks to acquire Domantas Sabonis from the Pacers, but the question now becomes if Indiana would be interested in said assets.
