Dallas Mavericks: 5 potential free agency targets in 2018

The Dallas Mavericks had an excellent draft night, but can they carry that momentum into free agency? Or will they fail to land a star player once again?

After being snubbed by DeAndre Jordan in summer of 2015, the Dallas Mavericks haven’t been frontrunners to acquire recent, big-name free agents. With many stars unwilling to sign with Dallas, it makes the draft one of the team’s only avenues to add a transcendent player.

This is why trading for European prospect Luka Doncic was the best move available, and the Mavericks know they are getting the definite successor to Dirk Nowitzki.

The 19-year-old is arguably the best player in the 2018 NBA Draft. He averaged 14.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game en route to winning EuroLeague MVP and leading Real Madrid to a championship.

Apart from Doncic, the Mavericks made more moves in the second round of the draft. With the No. 33 pick, the team took Villanova’s Jalen Brunson. The junior guard averaged career-highs of 18.9 points and 4.6 assists per game on 40.8 percent 3-point shooting last year.

Apart from getting a mature young guard, the team traded its No. 54 overall pick to the Philadelphia 76ers for picks at 56 and 60. With those two picks, the team selected big men Raymond Spalding and Kostas Antetokounmpo, respectively.

Fortunately, the Mavericks have ways to create $26 million in cap space, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN. This means that Dallas can afford to bring on a max-level contract. With the cap space, they need to address the Mavs biggest positional needs or find a veteran to help the team win now. Here are five players the Dallas Mavericks should target.