The Dallas Mavericks are whimpering their way out of the NBA Playoffs after a loss at home in Game 3 to the Golden State Warriors. Despite a 40-point night from Luka Doncic, the Mavericks just didn’t have enough consistency from the role players to help the Mavs get this crucial win.
As a result, many people have started talking about how Luka needs more help on his team to help shoulder the load in games like this. Many players have been linked, but mostly role-players due to the Mavs owing a lot of money to many players in the upcoming seasons.
Despite that, Jay Williams believes that the Mavs should splash on a 2022 free agent like Deandre Ayton or Zach LaVine:
“Win an NBA championship? No. I think this team needs to make some moves, I think they’re too guard oriented at times, I would like for them to have a big they could take advantage of… I don’t know what’s happening to his situation with him, but like a Deandre Ayton potentially, like a Zach LaVine, another guard that can be dynamic. … I think they need to add different pieces and another superstar to their table.” (h/t Sportskeeda)
Even though it’d be fun to see either of the player suggested by Williams on the Mavs, neither seem to be realistic options. The Mavericks are capped out with Doncic’s new extension kicking in next season, along with the hefty contracts for Spencer Dinwiddie, Davis Bertans, and Tim Hardaway Jr. Even Dwight Powell and Maxi Kleber will make a combined $20 million next season.
The Mavericks also will have to pay Jalen Brunson this off-season, so either the LaVine deal or the Ayton deal will probably feature Brunson going the other way in a sign-and-trade. Maybe the Bulls can be negotiated into a deal, but it may deplete the Mavericks more than they need. These trades could be pulled off, but they are long-shots for Dallas.
