Almost a decade since they won an NBA championship title, the Dallas Mavericks are once again back to being an exciting team in the league, thanks to the young dynamic duo of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. Before the 2019-20 NBA season suspension due to the spread of coronavirus worldwide, the Mavericks were in the playoff race, sitting in the No. 7 spot in the deep Western Conference with a 40-27 record. However, in order to have a realistic chance of beating Western Conference powerhouse teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers in a best-of-seven series, the Mavericks should strongly consider surrounding Doncic and Porzingis with an established superstar .
One such player the Mavericks could target in the 2020 offseason is Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards. While he may not be on the level of LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, or Stephen Curry, Dalton Trigg of Sports Illustrated believes that pairing him with Doncic and Porzingis to create their own “Big 3” in Dallas “would thrust” the Mavericks into title contention.
“As good as Tim Hardaway Jr. has been as the starting shooting guard next to Luka Doncic this season, one can imagine the kind of impact it would have to plug Beal into that role. The dynamic duo of Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis is already potent and will always be a threat in the Western Conference if healthy, but adding Beal to that mix and creating a new ‘Big 3’ would thrust Dallas into title contention immediately and for the foreseeable future.”
With Doncic and Porzingis both capable of leading a team, what Dallas needs right now is an All-Star caliber talent who would willingly serve as the second or third fiddle. Beal isn’t only the ideal target for that role but at the age of 26, he also perfectly fits the timeline of Doncic and Porzingis. Adding him to their roster would further improve the Mavericks’ offensive efficiency that currently ranks No. 1 in the league, scoring 113.8 points per 100 possessions, per ESPN .
Bringing Beal to Dallas won’t be an easy task. Aside from the trade package that the Wizards could demand in exchange for their best player, the Mavericks are also expected to receive strong competition in securing Beal’s service this summer. However, as long as they have Donnie Nelson as their general manager, Trigg believes anything is possible for them. Though the 2019-20 season isn’t yet over, Nelson and the Mavericks’ front office must have already started making preparations for any superstar that becomes available on the trade market.
