- The
Dallas Mavericks have a unique opportunity to build aroundLuka Doncic while the 21-year-old superstar is still on his rookie contract. - The Mavs could build their team like NFL teams that go all-in around young quarterbacks.
- With Doncic making just $18 million combined over the next two years, the Mavs could clear their books this offseason or next to upgrade their roster through free agency.
Kristaps Porzingis could become a trade piece for the Mavs to upgrade their roster if the big man can't stay on the floor.
After a first-round playoff loss to the LA Clippers, the Dallas Mavericks may look to NFL teams for how to build a championship contender.
The Mavs' hard-fought six-game series showed that Luka Doncic is capable of leading a playoff team now. At just 21 years old, Doncic gives the Mavs an incredible opportunity: building around a superstar who gets paid relatively little.
In the NFL, teams have increasingly gone all-in around starting quarterbacks still on their team-friendly rookie contracts. The relatively small cap hits allow teams to build up the pieces around those quarterbacks on both sides of the ball while they have the cap space. The Seattle Seahawks did it successfully around Russell Wilson; the Los Angeles Rams built a star-studded team around Jared Goff that made the Super Bowl.
Once those quarterbacks are ready for a new, richer deal, teams have to make tougher decisions about cutting costs. But for two or three years, teams can dip their toes into free agency to sign star players and build a contender.
The Mavs are in a similar position with Doncic. Doncic is set to make just over $18 million over the next two seasons. He has a qualifying offer worth $13.3 million for 2022-23, but he may sign a huge extension with the Mavs by then.
That gives Dallas two seasons to go all-in around Doncic.
Navigating it will be tricky. Below is a look at the Mavericks salary table through 2022, via Spotrac:
Upgrading the roster this year
The Mavs currently have $110.8 million in salary for 2020-21. The salary cap is expected to be $115 million in 2020-21, but that number could go down after the
Either way, to be true players in free agency this year, the Mavs will have to move some salary. Assuming Tim Hardaway Jr. opts into his $18.9 million player option, the Mavs would have to look to trade players like Delon Wright, Dwight Powell, Maxi Kleber, and Seth Curry to open meaningful cap space.
Hardaway Jr. could also be a valuable trade piece for his expiring contract.
Though the 2020 free-agent class is weak compared to the superstar-laden class of 2019 and the monster class awaiting in 2021 (more on that later), the Mavs could still find considerable upgrades to their roster.
Imagine Joe Harris, a career 42% three-point shooter who's made over 150 threes for three straight seasons, filling out the wings next to Doncic. Or Montrezl Harrell or Tristan Thompson grabbing rebounds, then running the lane for fastbreak dunks.
What if the Mavs cleared enough cap space to lure Danilo Gallinari to be the third scorer they're desperately missing?
Moving those aforementioned deals might be tough. The Mavs might have to attach future draft picks to entice a team to take those salaries. The Mavs are out two first-round picks from the trade for Kristaps Porzingis, but they can trade a pick this summer, according to ESPN's Zach Lowe and Bobby Marks (or draft a player with the pick, then trade that player).
They could also trade two or three of those players to a team with cap space and roles to fill. What about the Los Angeles Lakers, who could lose half their roster this offseason if players decline their player options? If the Lakers re-sign Anthony Davis to stay with LeBron James, taking back decent, reasonably priced role players like Delon Wright and Maxi Kleber could be a good way to fill out their roster.
Gear up for the class of 2021
The Mavs could also return most of their roster next season, then save their big moves for 2021.
The free-agent class of 2021 includes monster names like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Oladipo, plus players like LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Jrue Holiday, Chris Paul, and Rudy Gobert who all have player options.How many of those players are realistic options (or even good fits with Doncic)? It's unclear right now, but the Mavs would have an easier time clearing the necessary cap space with Hardaway Jr. off the books, and players like Wright, Kleber, Curry, and Powell all closer to free agency.
For prospective free agents, the possibility of teaming up with Doncic and Porzingis — who will be 22 and 25, respectively, in the summer of 2021 — could be appealing, especially with the Western Conference set to be in flux.
Porzingis shouldn't be off the table
The Mavs traded two picks for Porzingis, then signed him to a five-year, $150 million contract last summer. He is presumably part of their future, as he represents a complementary piece to Doncic on both offense and defense.But that shouldn't preclude the Mavs from moving Porzingis if a better offer comes along.
Porzingis' potential is tantalizing: at times, he looks like an elite rim protector combined with a floor-stretcher who can also get his own shot in the midrange.
He is also a 7-foot-3 big man with two major knee injuries who hasn't played over 70 games in a season since his rookie year. His defensive intensity and ability comes and goes — the Mavs surely noticed Damian Lillard repeatedly getting to the basket in pick-and-rolls against Porzingis in the seeding games — and his shooting efficiency is iffy at best (a career 49.2% eFG).
Few players in the NBA offer the ceiling of Porzingis but his availability and ability to maximize his talent will be huge questions going forward.
It's all hypothetical for now. But if, say, an elite wing play became available for the cost of Porzingis, it could be worth exploring for Dallas.
The Warriors became "The Warriors," in part, because Stephen Curry was signed to a team-friendly extension when he blossomed into an MVP candidate. It allowed them to lock up Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, then have enough cap space to sign Kevin Durant.
The Mavs could realize a similar path with a younger, more versatile Doncic making less than the mid-level exception the next two seasons.
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