Dallas Mavericks: 3 reasons to build a contender now

1. Cap space and mix of small and large contracts to get a player

Dennis Smith Jr. seems like he might want out. Overall that’s a bad thing because he’s a young, talented player, but there is a silver lining. If the Dallas Mavericks decided to trade for one or more available players, Smith is a pretty good dangling carrot.

Should any deals be made this season, those DeAndre Jordan and Wes Matthews contracts are nice and expiring, but big enough to make salaries even. Dallas should be wary of throwing future first round picks into any deal just in case, but some of those young, non-Luka players might turn a general manager’s head just enough.

The problem here is the availability. With so many teams near the playoffs in the Western Conference there are more buyers than sellers. The Mavs could certainly take a run at a free-agent-to-be like Kemba or Middleton, but their teams are trying to stay relevant or stay on top, respectively. That leaves some of the talent known to be available.

Starting with the New York Knicks, Tim Hardaway Jr. is a good scorer and a player that would likely fit well with Doncic and benefit from not being the No. 1 guy. Unfortunately Hardaway is making $18.2 million next season and has a player option (that will definitely be picked up) for $19 million in 2020-21. That wouldn’t preclude Dallas from signing another star, but it would really have to hope Hardaway becomes really good as he enters his age-27 and 28 seasons. Oh, and Courtney Lee is available too. Would you look at that.

On to Memphis, where Marc Gasol is just not a good fit. A great player, but on the wrong side of the hill and it seems inconceivable that the Grizzlies would take Jordan back, and what’s the point of having both?

Mike Conley, on the other hand, is very intriguing. He’s a very good player that can defend guards, shoot and help Luka grow. Yes, he is 31 and yes, he is making $32.5 million in 2019-20 (with an early termination option for the following season), but it would be a great short-term move. It likely couldn’t be the only move, but Conley would certainly help.

There are other players that could help in the short term like Kevin Love (if Cleveland decides to bail on that money it just gave him) and the long-term like Josh Richardson from Miami. The point is that the Dallas Mavericks have more flexibility right now than it might seem and they need to move on that. Waiting to draft another Luka-level superstar is a fool’s game, as is wasting the years that he is a relative bargain.

There are few players in the NBA like Luka Doncic, and whether he’s ready to contend for a title or not, the Mavericks have to be ready when he is.