Free agent guard Kyrie Irving is reportedly trying to recruit LeBron James to play with him and Luka Doncic with the Dallas Mavericks. Mavs fans are probably salivating at the thought of having a big three of Doncic, James, and Irving making magic together in Dallas. Of course the news sent NBA Twitter into a frenzy.
A blockbuster trade between the Mavs and Lakers is the only way The King can make his way to the Big D. That is obviously going to be easier said than done because of the assets the Mavericks have… or realistically speaking, don't have. Dallas doesn't really have much to offer LA. From the Lakers' standpoint, if James were to demand a trade and become available, they can probably get a lot more than what Dallas can put on the table.
There is a 99 percent chance this Dallas-LA deal involving James is not going to go through. With that said, the Mavs can still look at other stars they can target to play with Doncic and Irving to still form a Big Three in Dallas. Here are a couple of them.
2. Pascal Siakam
The Toronto Raptors still don't know the direction they are going to take. Heck, they don't even have a head coach yet. With that, the Mavs should help them out by getting their franchise star Pascal Siakam out of their hands. In return, Dallas can send the 10th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft to Toronto to kickstart the rebuild for Raptors GM Masai Ujiri.
Toronto fans obviously wouldn't like the idea of seeing their beloved Cameroonian leave the city. But this is honestly for the best of the franchise moving forward. This iteration of the Raptors has maxed out and it was proven when they lost their play-in game at home to the Chicago Bulls. Trading Siakam would open the door for Toronto to tear down the roster and build for the future around 2021 Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes and whoever they get at No. 10 in the upcoming 2023 NBA Draft.
As for Dallas, Siakam makes sense because he gives the Mavs a solid third star who knows how to win a title as the second or third best player on a championship contender. Over the years, he has evolved as a solid three-level scorer and a capable playmaker from the forward position. He has always had sound fundamentals defensively with his length and motor. Having a reduced role on offense could also unlock him further on the other end of the floor.
The 29-year-old has made the All-Star team twice (2020, 2023) and received an All-NBA nod two times (2020, 2022) as well. Last season, he averaged a career-best 24.2 points on 48.0 percent shooting from the field.
1. Lauri Markkanen
Like the Raptors, the Utah Jazz may finally look to embrace a tank. And what better way to do so than to trade their best player Lauri Markkanen. Should the 26-year-old become available, the Mavs should swoop in and try to land the 2022-23 NBA Most Improved Player.
Markkanen had a career year with the Jazz this past season. He averaged 25.6 points and 8.6 rebounds and shot nearly 50 percent from the field.
Markkanen is no LeBron James, but he has evolved to be a capable three-level scorer in the NBA as he showed this past season. He is a knock down shooter from beyond the arc — he shot 39.1 percent from three on significant volume (7.7 attempts per game). He has also learned how to get to the foul line, averaging six attempts per game during the MIP campaign.
Doncic, Irving, and Markkanen are all capable of scoring from anywhere on the floor. The three of them would become one of the most potent offensive trios in the NBA.
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