NBA Rumors: Mavericks Could Become ‘True Title Contender’ Without Adding Giannis Antetokounmpo Or Bradley Beal
The Dallas Mavericks are among the teams that have managed to surpass expectations in the 2019-20 NBA season, thanks to the young superstar duo of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. However, in order to have a realistic chance of fully dominating the loaded Western Conference and winning the NBA championship title, most people believe that the Mavericks should strongly consider adding a legitimate superstar that complements Doncic and Porzingis. In the past few months, the Mavericks have been linked to several superstars expected to be available on the trade and free agency market, including reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and All-Star shooting guard Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards.
However, though Antetokounmpo and Beal would undeniably be incredible additions to their roster, bringing either of them to Dallas may just be a pipe dream for the Mavericks. Still, even without acquiring Antetokounmpo, Beal, or other superstars, Dalton Trigg of Sports Illustrated believes that the Mavericks are capable of becoming a “true title contender” in the league.
“Although they might be ‘cut out’ to add another star to the mix this summer or next, the Mavs could still become a true title contender now with minor roster tweaks going forward, especially if Doncic and Porzingis continue on their upward trajectory. Instead of pipe-dreaming for guys like Antetokounmpo and Beal, we could have more reasonable summer dreams for talented role players like Denver’s Jerami Grant or former-Maverick Jae Crowder, who is a much better player now than when he was traded to the Boston Celtics in 2014. Or, maybe the Mavs could go after another Miami Heat forward, who is set to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason: Derrick Jones Jr. “
Trigg definitely has a point. Right now, the Mavericks’ fate doesn’t rely on any superstar who is not on their roster but on the players who are leading the team at present. Instead of targeting big names like Antetokounmpo and Beal, Trigg suggested that the Mavericks should focus on acquiring players who could actually make things easier for Doncic and Porzingis. Some of the role players that the Mavericks could target include Jerami Grant (Denver Nuggets), Jae Crowder (Miami Heat), and Derrick Jones Jr. (Miami Heat.)
It is a popular belief around the league that the more superstars on a team’s roster mean a better chance of winning an NBA championship title. However, there are also some major consequences in adding a legitimate superstar, especially for a young team like the Mavericks. Instead of helping them improve their title odds, adding another big name could end up doing more harm than good for the Mavericks as it could slow down Doncic and Porzingis’ development into legitimate superstars in the NBA.
