The Dallas Mavericks have missed the postseason the past two years and have not won a playoff series since they were crowned NBA champions in 2011, and it sounds like they are ready to get back to winning.
While there has been talk that the Mavericks could target Texas big man Mo Bamba with the No. 5 overall pick in the NBA Draft, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer reports that Dallas could look to address its frontcourt need in free agency. The Mavs have the ability to create space for a max contract, so they may make a run at a player like DeMarcus Cousins, DeAndre Jordan or restricted free agent Julius Randle.
More from O’Connor:
Ever since word spread in league circles in March that Dirk Nowitzki would return to the Mavericks for his 21st season, there have also been rumblings that the Dallas front office will look to make additions this summer that can put the team back on a winning track. The Mavericks can create space to sign a max free agent, and multiple league sources expect them to pursue a trio of big men: DeAndre Jordan, DeMarcus Cousins, and restricted free agent Julius Randle. If the Mavericks do indeed plan to pursue expensive bigs in free agency, then it’d make sense to target a primary scorer, like Porter, rather than Bamba.
Randle and Jordan are both Texas natives. Randle fits the timeline of Dallas’s young roster, while Jordan could finally get a glimpse at what he missed out on after backing out of a deal with the Mavs in the summer of 2015. Jordan has a $24.1 million player option for 2018-19, so he may not hit the market, but the Mavs would be a great fit considering, as Bamba said, (Dennis Smith Jr.’s) game is best suited with a center who can roll and flush lobs.
Some hard feelings may need to be brushed aside if Dallas is interested in Jordan, as we all remember how embarrassing things got when they tried to sign the Clippers big man three offseasons ago.
The Mavs didn’t get as high of a pick as they had hoped for, but Cuban is only going to accept tanking for so long. If they can get a good player at No. 5 and make a big splash in free agency, fans would feel a lot better about their team.
