The Dallas Mavericks have always tended to shoot for the stars, to detrimental effect. Back in 2011 and 2012, the Mavs front office refused to keep their championship core intact. Instead, they let Tyson Chandler go for nothing in the hopes of making a run for Deron Williams and Dwight Howard in future free agencies. But they swung and missed.
Meanwhile, in 2023, the Mavs, in an act of desperation, traded one of their few defensive-minded pieces in Dorian Finney-Smith, in addition to Spencer Dinwiddie and a first-round pick, for Kyrie Irving. At first glance, that trade wasn't exactly a bad idea; Luka Doncic's offensive workload was reaching untenable levels, so they grabbed Irving to give him a co-star. Moreover, acquiring Irving via trade meant that they would own his Bird rights, making him easier to retain in free agency.
Of course, acquiring Irving led to the Mavs' total collapse on defense. As a result, they missed the play-in tournament entirely.
Thus, with the presence of a megastar like Luka Doncic putting pressure on the front office to make win-now moves, major changes should be afoot for the Mavs. In fact, Kyrie Irving has reportedly been recruiting LeBron James to Dallas, and some analysts have even pitched a scenario where Draymond Green hitches his wagon to the Mavs if they manage to pull off the James heist.
That, of course, is such a far-fetched scenario. So why not go for a more realistic outcome by focusing on another member of the Banana Boat crew in Chris Paul?
Paul, as one may recall, is on the outs with the Phoenix Suns. Nothing is final as of yet, but if the seeming inevitability finally comes to fruition, the Mavs should be all over the opportunity.
Why Chris Paul is a strong fit for Mavs alongside Luka Doncic
First things first, if acquiring Chris Paul would prevent the Mavs from acquiring a player that fills the roster's biggest need — a strong rebounding and rim-protecting presence — then they should forget about it. That is the most pressing order of business for the Mavs this offseason. As no Mavs fan would soon forget, their defense by the end of the season was simply appalling, conceding easy buckets in the paint like the opposition was shooting at a Nerf hoop.
But if they get that sorted out quickly, perhaps with the 10th pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, then why not turn their attention towards adding the Hall of Fame point guard?
The Mavs, of all teams, know Chris Paul's weaknesses at this point of his career. Paul's decline in athleticism has made pinging crosscourt passes a much more difficult task, and as the Mavs displayed during the 2022 NBA playoffs, overloading the strong side slows him down considerably.
Moreover, Paul, with him being 38 years old and all, tires more easily. Attacking him in the pick-and-roll and wearing him out with full-court pressure makes life for him a living nightmare.
But with the Mavs, he won't have to take on as heavy a playmaking burden as he does with the Suns. Luka Doncic should still commandeer the offense most of the time, and Kyrie Irving, who's likely to return to the Mavs, should take on secondary playmaking duties.
Acquiring Chris Paul should give the Mavs another three-headed monster at the point of attack. During the 2021-22 season, the Mavs played their best basketball with Doncic, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Jalen Brunson all scorching the nets, taking turns initiating the offense while taking advantage of the space the others create.
At this point, Paul is not a better player than Brunson was in his last year with the Mavs. But he can still provide a reasonable facsimile. Paul remains one of the best pick-and-roll initiators in the league, and he almost always generates a good shot from midrange whenever he wants.
Moreover, Paul should be a godsend for the Mavs' bench unit; without Doncic, their offense craters (they score around 6.6 points less per 100 possessions without him, per PBP Stats). And Paul, for all his faults, can still run an offense remarkably well. He could even bring out the best in the Mavs' backup centers — if JaVale McGee stays, he should flourish alongside CP3.
Again, this should not be priority number one for the Mavs. They have Jaden Hardy anyway to fill the third guard role. But for the right price (the veteran minimum or maybe the taxpayer mid-level exception), the Mavs will find it difficult to add more quality depth than by adding Chris Paul.
Follow Us
Subscribe