Giannis Antetokounmpo’s decision to sign the supermax extension will have the Dallas Mavericks looking elsewhere for free agent targets in 2021.
The future is beyond bright for the Dallas Mavericks following their seventh seed finish in the Western Conference last season.
Entering his third season, Mavericks star Luka Doncic is already the odds on betting favorite for many sportsbooks to win league 2020-21 league MVP. The franchise has surrounded the Slovenian phenom with a plethora of talented pieces that could help them make a jump in the standings this season.
Dallas has also kept the bigger picture in mind as they have reportedly been planning to make a splash in 2021 free agency for months now with a large sum of cap space. However, they will have to cross off the biggest target on their list. Of course, that was Giannis Antetokounmpo, who elected to sign the lucrative five-year supermax extension worth $228 with the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday.
There were rumblings that Dallas had been preparing to make a strong run at the two-time MVP had he entered free agency next offseason, but now, that is out of the question. Still, Mavericks fans should not lose hope of landing a star player in the foreseeable future just yet.
Although Antetokounmpo was previously listed as the most desirable target, the 2021 free agent class is still shaping up to be historically great, and Dallas could still make a run at some household stars.
Set to have a handful of spending money, the Mavericks are in the market to pair MVP favorite Luka Doncic and co-star Kristaps Porzingis with another high-caliber player, and they stand an excellent chance of doing just that. With that, here are three free agents that the Dallas Mavericks should target in 2021 free agency with Giannis Antetokounmpo no longer an option.