The Dallas Mavericks made the most bizarre win-now trade in modern NBA history when they moved off perennial 25-year-old MVP candidate Luka Doncic for the 31-year-old Anthony Davis and 22-year-old Max Christie. Now that they’ve shrunk their window majorly, they need to be aggressive in surrounding Davis and Kyrie Irving with championship-winning help around them.
The Athletic’s Sam Amick, David Aldridge, and Anthony Slater revealed that the Mavericks are now targeting more win-now stars to maximize their window. These stars are Kevin Durant and potentially even LeBron James.
“League sources say the Dallas Mavericks, fresh off their Luka Doncic-for-Anthony Davis swap that sent shockwaves through the Association, have dreams of adding Durant to their Davis-Kyrie Irving-led group. While the likelihood of Dallas pulling this off now appears unlikely, the mere idea of Durant joining Dallas’ star-studded group sheds new light on the thinking of Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison after he was roundly ridiculed for the Doncic deal.”
“Whether it’s Durant (now or later), or perhaps even the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James in the summer if he were to decline his player option for next season, the 52-year-old Harrison appears to be targeting big-time stars with whom he’s very familiar from his past life as a top Nike executive. The goal, of course, is to win a championship as soon as possible.”
With Harrison specifically targeting players he’s worked with through Nike in the past, a swoop for either LeBron or Durant seems perfectly in line with that strategy.
It seems ludicrous that the Mavericks could pull this off, but last week, it felt like it was ludicrous to trade Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis, so anything is possible.
Do These Stars Fit The Mavericks?
If this does end up being the Mavs; long-term plan, then maybe Harrison deserves minor credit. However, let’s not get excited at the Mavs adding either a 40-year-old in free agency next summer or a 36-year-old via trade this season to enhance their core led by a 31-year-old Anthony Davis and 32-year-old Kyrie Irving.
The Mavericks are as win-now as possible, with the Durant addition midseason seeming like a genuinely perfect fit. He’s averaging 27.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.0 assists this season. His relationship with Kyrie wasn’t affected by their on-court issues with the Nets, and he built a strong relationship with Davis during the 2024 Olympics.
With Doncic gone, the Mavericks will be overly reliant on Kyrie to be an effective isolation scorer. Adding Durant adds a better No. 1 option while allowing Kyrie to thrive as he usually does when surrounded by superstars. With Davis locking down the paint for a solid defensive squad, this could genuinely be a move.
It isn’t likely, as the Mavericks really don’t have the disposable contracts to make this work. They’d have to trade Klay Thompson, PJ Washington, and Daniel Gafford to make this happen. It might not be feasible but is an intriguing idea.
LeBron joining the Mavericks might be too ironic and at this point, it makes no sense for him to do this. He’s playing with a top-three player in LA who’ll make his job much easier as he enters his 23rd NBA season.
He’s better off joining the Cleveland Cavaliers on a minimum contract than getting into the Dallas mess for what could be the final season of his career.
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