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Dallas Mavericks: 3 reasons to build a contender now

By Brian McNichols

DALLAS, TX - OCTOBER 28: Head Coach Rick Carlisle talks with Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks against the Utah Jazz during a game on October 28, 2018 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - OCTOBER 28: Head Coach Rick Carlisle talks with Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks against the Utah Jazz during a game on October 28, 2018 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images
Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images /

The Dallas Mavericks are not one of the NBA’s best teams, and they may not even be heading to the playoffs, but they have a great opportunity to get very good very fast.

Extended mediocrity is the least desirable outcome of an NBA team. The Dallas Mavericks certainly have a great, young foundation in Luka Doncic, but there is still potential to make mistakes. Waiting for Luka and (maybe… possibly?) Dennis Smith Jr. to mature into stars could vault them right into the lower end of the Western Conference playoffs.

The 5-8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs would be a real achievement this season, especially since the Dallas Mavericks are likely sending their 2019 first round draft pick to the Atlanta Hawks in the totally, absolutely, forever wonderful trade that brought Doncic to Dallas.

Going forward, however, regularly losing in the first round of the playoffs and getting a late-teens draft pick is like looking for a winning lottery ticket by going through a 7-Eleven trashcan. They might get rich, but it’ll definitely be dirty.

This leaves two choices for the Dallas Mavericks: tank for the best possible draft picks, or try to build a winner as soon as possible. Tanking doesn’t make sense, mostly because Doncic might be a generational talent and wasting any of his years is a bad idea. Also, the Mavs front office might be a little touchy about the subject.

The Dallas Mavericks are going to try to build a contender, but so is much of the league. Here are three things that currently give them an edge, if they can exploit it.

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