The Dallas Mavericks are headed for an interesting NBA offseason. After trading away Kristaps Porzingis in a deal that brought back Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans, the Mavs actually improved despite their suddenly glaring lack of size and surplus of ball-dominant guards.
With their new core in tow, the Mavericks were able to shock the world with their surprising run to the Western Conference Finals that included a seven-game upset over the league-leading Phoenix Suns. They made that push behind the inspired play of perennial All-NBA candidate Luka Doncic who’s defying the odds by continuing to get better despite having been already historically dominant in his early career.
It wasn’t Doncic alone that got the Mavericks into the conference finals, though. He also had the stellar play of breakout star Jalen Brunson to lean on. The Villanova product drastically improved as a player from his third season to his fourth, and then doubled-down by elevating his play again in the postseason.
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He went from averages of 12.6 points and 3.5 assists in 2020-2021 to 16.3 and 4.8 respectively. He did so while still maintaining his efficiency to a respectable degree despite the increase in responsibility, freedom, and defensive attention. In their recent playoff run, Brunson looked like a bona fide star and possible second option for Doncic for years to come by putting up 21.6 points and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 47 percent from the field, 35 percent from deep, and 80 percent from the stripe.
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Now, he’ll be looking for a new deal this summer. The New York Knicks are preparing to offer the young guard upwards of $25 million per year and betting that the Mavericks will either fail to match or that Brunson elects to play in the brighter lights of the Big Apple, with an even larger offensive load, and for his newly hired father.
The Mavericks need to have a contingency plan in place in case Brunson does flee in free agency, and it should go beyond just hoping that Spencer Dinwiddie can step up. FanNation’s DW Schabbing suggested that the Dallas Mavericks try to trade for the Indiana Pacers’ Malcolm Brogdon as a backup plan:
“To pull a trade like this off, it would more than likely mean the Mavericks would have to include Tim Hardaway Jr. Hardaway and Brogdon’s salaries are virtually similar. The Mavericks proved last season that they can win without Hardaway Jr, as he recovered from a broken foot. Brogdon could bring the consistency that the Mavericks had from Brunson last season, and he could also probably use a change of scenery.”
It’ll be interesting to see how Dallas handles this situation with Brunson and what kind of failsafe they’ll have in place if he does depart from the team. Acquiring Malcolm Brogdon from the Pacers could be a perfect addition.
