Getty Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors talks with Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks.
After reaching the Western Conference finals last season, things are looking up for the Dallas Mavericks. Luka Doncic continues to ascend towards superstardom, and the organization has surrounded him with a contributing cast of role players. Their only blunder came in free agency, when Jalen Brunson signed with the New York Knicks, leaving the Mavs empty-handed.
Despite losing their second-best player, many are still high on the Mavericks going forward. Ahead of this season, Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey put together a list of which NBA teams will have the most success over the next three years. Dallas was ranked sixth overall, one spot ahead of the Phoenix Suns.
The other reason, of course, is Dallas has Luka Doncic. And he’s very much the kind of singular talent that could take just about any supporting cast and make it competitive.
There’s already chemistry between him and a number of spot-up shooters, including Tim Hardaway Jr., Reggie Bullock and Maxi Kleber. Dāvis Bertāns should grow into that role, too.
Filling the void left by Brunson will be a challenge for Dallas to start the year, but the team is confident they can do so. Along with acquiring Christian Wood in the offseason, Tim Hardaway Jr. will be returning after missing most of last season due to injury.
Finding a Co-Star for Luka Doncic
If the Mavericks truly want to take the next step towards being a contender, they need to find a legitimate co-star for Luka Doncic. He’s on pace to be a generational talent but will not be able to lead the charge alone. Looking at the rest of the Western Conference, he will need another star-level player next to him if the Mavs want a fighting chance.
One player that could fill this role is Boston Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown. An Eastern Conference GM recently sat down with Heavy’s NBA insider Sean Deveney and opened up on Dallas possibly targeting him when he hits free agency in 2024.
Eastern Conference GM: At some point, they’re going to have to stop trying to hit doubles and go for the home run if they want a guy they can put with Luka. They don’t have a lot to work with for assets, they just don’t. So it is going to be very hard to trade for someone, but they can maybe do themselves some favors in free agency if they can be patient and convince Luka to be patient. There’s not a lot there in 2023, so 2024 is their best choice and Brown will be the best guy there. There are other guys—(Pascal) Siakam, (Khris) Middleton—so you have some backup plans. But at some point, you’ve got to try to get that star.
Brown, 25, averaged 23.6 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 3.5 APG in 66 games for the Celtics last season.
Mavericks Make Top Ten in Latest Power Rankings
While the Western Conference is expected to be tougher this season, the Mavericks remain near the top of the list of contenders. They cracked the top ten of ESPN’s power rankings, coming in at the eighth spot.
While the Mavericks traded for Christian Wood and signed JaVale McGee to dramatically change the look of their frontcourt, the move that will hang over Dallas heading into next season is Jalen Brunson leaving to sign with the Knicks. Now, Dallas will enter training camp with just two ball handlers on their roster — though they are two pretty good ones in superstar Luka Doncic and 2021-22 midseason trade acquisition Spencer Dinwiddie.