Although the Dallas “Mavericks”, weakened by injuries in last season’s playoffs, failed to show their optimal game, there is no doubt that the “foals” belong to the conference’s top eight in the near future. In three games that health gave our Unicorn, with 23.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and an average of 1.0 blocks in the game, he demonstrated why he will receive a nine-figure reward. Luka Dončič, meanwhile, entered the legendary Mike Brin’s “double BANG!” in the club. But as unquestionable as the capabilities of the Mavericks stars, especially Donchic, is, it is undeniable that the fight for the title will require additional forces in the near future. The Mavericks must not delay waiting for Dončič to gain the necessary experience, as long as he pulls the Mavericks’ wheels to the title in a duet with Porziņģis, as Lebron James and Anthony Davis did last season. Because of the fast-changing and player-centric times that currently dominate the NBA, it may happen that after a few years of experience, Dončič leads a team from another city to the trophy.
Fortunately, the statements of Daver Nelson, President and General Manager of the Mavericks, show that the management understands the seriousness of the situation and wants to bring the team closer to the highest honor in the NBA in the near future. In order to get the third star, the Mavericks are ready to part with absolutely any player whose last name is not Dončičs or Porziņģis, as well as, if necessary, “eat” some unwanted contract, from which the other team involved in the shift would like to get rid of. True, these very strong statements must be diluted with a speck of reality.
First, the Mavericks need to be careful not to ruin their financial position with swaps this year in the mid-season of 2021, when a number of top-caliber players will be available in the free agent market, including last season’s most valuable player Jannis Adetokunbo, unless he renews his contract with Milwaukee. “Bucks.”
Second, the expression of a desire to digest another bad contract with a coveted star has more emotional than practical value. The “bad contracts” that Nelson talks about are the long-term contracts that swelled in 2016 and were signed as a result of a sharp rise in the wage ceiling. A number of mediocre players received very good offers, which they certainly would not receive under normal circumstances. However, although Mavericks offers to exempt team accounting from these contracts, the reality is that most of these contracts expire this off-season, but there are relatively few contracts left on the market that teams would be so reluctant to get paid for. with your best player. Most of the “bad contracts” today belong directly to the players who were once signed as the team’s main stars, such as Russell Westbrook and John Wall. These are certainly not surnames that the Dallas should focus on because of their long-term commitment. For a one-season rental (until the 2021 mid-season), however, there are a couple of relatively good players whose big contracts expire after the upcoming season, without creating a burden in the 2021 accounting, when the battle for the brightest stars of the league will take place.
In view of all the circumstances described above, the following paragraphs will be devoted to evaluating potential Mavericks reinforcements to move from a stable knockout team to a solid contender for the title.
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