The Dallas Mavericks’ run to the conference finals may have also changed up their gameplan for the summer.
Veteran NBA writer Marc Stein reported Friday that the Mavs are unlikely to initiate an all-out trade pursuit of Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert.
Gobert, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year, was previously linked to the Mavs a few months ago. But since then, Dallas made a surprise charge to the Western Conference Finals, potentially indicating that a major offseason facelift is unnecessary.
Utah could still end up trading Gobert, especially in light of their own first-round playoff exit this year. But there seems to be little reason right now for Dallas to take on the $170 million Gobert is owed through 2026. Instead, the Mavs would be wise to focus on continuing to build around the not-yet 24-year-old Luka Doncic, re-signing free agent guard Jalen Brunson, and perhaps going after this more cost-efficient center upgrade instead.
