Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks front office did the right thing by adding solid shooters Reggie Bullock and Sterling Brown into the fold. This is the most commonsensical thing to do when you have an elite playmaker and scorer like Luka Doncic. Not just that, both Bullock and Brown are decent defenders too. They're not NBA All-Defensive Team type but they will get the job done if given the right instructions. New coach Jason Kidd and crew might benefit from Bullock particularly, as he was an intrinsic part of Tom Thibodeau—a known defensive savant—with the New York Knicks last season.
Mavs fans have all the reasons to be happy for these signings. But the truth is, they haven't addressed the elephant in the room.
What now, KP?
The issue that has been plaguing the team for the last two seasons is the lack of production from Kristaps Porzingis. Everyone was pumped when the Latvian was traded to Dallas in 2019. They expected Porzingis to be Doncic's co-star—the one who would carry the offensive load with him. While Porzingis did average 20.4 and 20.1 points per game in his first two seasons with the Mavs, there are still lingering questions about his consistency on offense, his lack of defense, and his overall health.
There are no signs that the Mavs are willing to ship out Porzingis amid suggestions from analysts and their legion of fans. Cuban and crew must be laying their chips on the genius of Kidd to pull out some consistent production from Porzingis on both ends of the floor. At this point, maybe it's best to trust the Mavs that they know what they're doing with KP. Maybe they're seeing things (either through advanced statistics or thru Porzingis' workouts) that make them believe that things will work out in the coming season.
Third scorer
Assuming this happens, the next question is: Will it be enough to guide the Mavs to a deeper postseason run? The fact that the team was actively chasing the likes of Kyle Lowry and Goran Dragic in the offseason (but failed) suggests that the answer is no. They know that they need a solid guard of their ilk—someone who can move to the two-guard spot, can carry some of the offensive load, and more importantly, provide the rest of the squad with much-needed veteran leadership.
Unfortunately for the Mavs, there's no one left in the market who has those traits. Patty Mills, DeMar DeRozan, and Spencer Dinwiddie seem to fit the mold but the Mavs didn't seem interested in them anyway. However, if there is one guard who can be their third option, it would be Dennis Schroder. The man is still available in the market and there are no signs he'll stay with the Los Angeles Lakers. After all, he's demanding a massive deal in the range of $100-$120 million. Sadly, the majority of NBA teams, including the Mavs, do not seem bent on giving Schroder what he wants amid all his searing talents.
From the looks of it, Mavs fans may need to suspend their hopes as Cuban isn't going to add a solid player this offseason. Other teams were quick to lure in the players they need. Unfortunately, the Mavs were left with nothing but scraps. But as always, this is not the end for them. Here's to hoping that they will be more aggressive in the trade deadline in mid-February.
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