The summer of 2023 can create some shockwaves throughout the league, given the uncertainty atop a lot of teams that failed to advance to the NBA Finals this year. The Los Angeles Clippers are one of them, as another season ended early due to their stars not being healthy enough to be on the court. They have a bloated roster without enough top-end talent, something they need to address.
The Clippers lost in the first round, but the Dallas Mavericks didn’t even make the playoffs. They were the fourth seed in the West before they traded for Kyrie Irving, with the team falling off a cliff after they lost their only wing defender, Dorian Finney-Smith, in that deal. Luka Doncic and Kyrie are amazing players, but this roster needed an elite wing before it needed to give Luka a backcourt partner with high usage. Maybe the Clippers and the Mavericks can address each other’s needs in a straightforward deal that sees both teams take alternate steps to reshape their current cores.
Trade Details
Dallas Mavericks Receive: Paul George
Los Angeles Clippers Receive: Kyrie Irving
The Mavericks will need to sign and trade Kyrie to the Clippers in a move that gives Steve Ballmer and his front office one final chance at salvaging their current era with Kawhi Leonard as the main star. Given the Lakers’ interest in Kyrie, it’ll also be a nice way for the Clippers to poach a target from their main rivals. But what other reasons should both teams be considering ahead of such a seismic trade?
Luka Doncic Finally Gets The Wing Star He Never Had
Since 2018, the best wing that Luka Doncic has played with is Harrison Barnes. If not Barnes, it’s likely Dorian Finney-Smith, who the team traded away to get Kyrie. The Mavs tried to recreate the magic of the Luka Doncic-Jalen Brunson offense they developed over four seasons together by haphazardly trading for Kyrie after they let Brunson walk for nothing. Irving was stellar on the court for Dallas and averaged 27.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in 20 games, but it made the Mavs objectively worse on the court without a single elite wing or big to surround them.
Bigs are easier to find in the NBA, but high-level wings are rare and often expensive. Acquiring Paul George, even with his injury concerns, would be a massive step for the Mavs, that shouldn’t rush to re-sign Kyrie just because they have no other options. The Mavs have said they will not engage in sign-and-trade deals involving Kyrie, but maybe they should look at the league beyond the Lakers. If the Mavs can get someone with PG’s skill set next to Luka, it might be one of the most dangerous two-man games in the league, given PG’s skill and finesse with the ball, coupled with his ability to be the primary defender on the other end of the floor.
The Mavs desperately need a player with George’s skill set. With the smaller length of his contract compared to whatever the Mavs end up offering to Kyrie, it gives the team some additional flexibility down the road. Even if it is win-now in Dallas, they can’t rush to unload their assets on the pieces they need. A one-for-one swap with the Clippers for George would be a measured move that’ll give the Mavs an opportunity to re-tool around a dynamic duo that covers various facets of the game. With Kyrie and Luka, their offensive ceiling may be much higher, but the challenges of building a roster with a competent wing and a center around them are challenging. George’s stock is as low as it has been in years, and this would be a great way to capitalize on the same.
Clippers Evolve Their Offense With Kyrie Irving’s Dynamic Skills
It’s hard to call Paul George and Kawhi Leonard’s partnership with the Clippers a failure due to the outside factors that have affected every season they’ve had since 2020. But the team has the highest salary bill in the league and hasn’t even come close to accomplishing their goal of a championship. The Clips can try and run it back with Kawhi and PG, but it seems to have gotten to a point of diminishing returns. They are similar in archetype and need a lot of firepower around them to be a true contending team, which is why Ballmer has overspent on the roster to have quality players that can not only step in when either player is injured but also be capable of performing at a high level when the pair are playing.
The Clippers have needed an offensive guard since they put this team together. Their best examples of the same have been Lou Williams and Reggie Jackson before the arrival of Russell Westbrook this season, which brought good value. But Russ’ offense is still inconsistent and harder to work into a system with his lack of shooting ability. Kyrie would plug wonderfully into this system. He can be coached by his former championship-winning coach Tyronn Lue, the only coach to have brought the absolute best out of Irving come playoff time. George averaged 23.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 5.1 assists this season. Kyrie could provide an improvement on those numbers if he’s made the No. 1 option with his scoring skill set.
Paul George has done everything he can for the Clippers in his four seasons with the squad, but it is time for him to move onto a new challenge, as Irving shepherds in a new era with a hopefully healthy Kawhi Leonard next to him. This could be the best two-man punch in the NBA if the pair stays available on the court.
Both Teams Successfully Course-Correct And Give Themselves Another Chance At Contention
The Clippers are overloaded on having 3-and-D wing players that can be used as plug-and-play options against all the injuries that the stars on this team end up having. They’ve neglected arguably the most important position on the court, which is the point guard. PG and Kawhi have achieved great things together, but the Clippers need to play with realism here and go for the better-fitting Kyrie to supercharge their offense. The Clippers already have a defensive identity and principle around the roster, so Irving’s offense will shine even brighter. This is the kind of move that takes the Clippers right back into the conversation as contenders in the West, as the PG-Kawhi duo has lost a lot of legitimacy after another season of injuries ruining their year.
The Mavericks have an incredible backcourt right now, but they are a roster filled to the brim with guard play. Even though they try to play Tim Hardaway Jr., Josh Green, and Reggie Bullock as wings or forwards, all three of those players are better fits as the two-guard next to Luka. Getting a bonafide wing for Irving and building a guard rotation out of Doncic, Jaden Hardy, Green, and THJ could actually work. Bullock could be the backup wing behind George as the team uses its No. 10 draft pick in 2023 to add another frontcourt player to either be their power forward or center. The Mavs have been boxing themselves into having elite guards that can score at will, but this season showed how badly they were getting punished because of their lack of size on the wing or on the inside. Acquiring George addresses arguably the more important position of the two by virtue of being their only perimeter defender. Centers can be brought in for cheap, wings cannot.
Both teams have the opportunity of getting exactly what they need but at the big cost of losing something they thought was going to be integral to their roster. This would be a challenging trade for either side to bite the bullet on, but it may be exactly what both teams need ahead of the next season.
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