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On Tuesday, it was reported that the Dallas Mavericks have come to terms with Kyrie Irving on a contract extension, with Irving declining his $43 million player option for next season to sign a three-year, $119 million deal. While this is shrewd business, provided, of course, that Irving returns to full strength after tearing his ACL in early March, there remains a big void in the Mavericks backcourt, as Irving, at best, may not be back until January.
At the very least, this Irving extension is structured in a way that allows the Mavericks to open up the taxpayer midlevel exception worth $5.7 million. They aim to use this newfound cap flexibility to try and find a stopgap option at the point, with names such as D'Angelo Russell, Chris Paul, Malcolm Brogdon, and Dennis Schroder emerging as potential targets for the Mavs in free agency, as per Shams Charania of ESPN.
This report tracks with the intel that ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel has; according to Siegel, the Mavs “are exploring ways to convince Chris Paul to sign with them in free agency”. Alas, Paul could very well choose to sign elsewhere, which is why Dallas is keeping their options open — hence the potential for someone like Russell, Brogdon, or Schroder to end up with the Mavericks.
Considering how the Mavericks' main strength is having a deep frontcourt, they will need a point guard to set the table and get them their touches where they're comfortable. Paul, among those four, is the best fit when taking this into account.
Assessing the Mavericks' need at point guard
Perhaps the Mavs are also looking for someone to at least be a reasonable facsimile of Irving and his playstyle; Irving is more of a scorer than a playmaker, doing his damage by being one of the best three-level scorers in the entire association.
Russell's stock has dipped, but he is the best shooter from beyond the arc among those four and his pull-up threat could be very useful in big Mavericks lineups that should dominate the glass. He also has some experience playing alongside Anthony Davis, so that should help matters as well.
Brogdon is a locker-room leader and the most efficient scorer of the bunch. Alas, he is a major injury risk; will the Mavericks want someone as injury-prone as Brogdon to cover for their already injured point guard in Irving?
Schroder provides downhill attacking and is a menace on the defensive end. He too has experience playing alongside Davis. But he is the worst shooter of the four, and the Mavericks may want a more consistent pull-up threat to at least help with the floor-spacing considering how many big men Dallas are going to have to give playing time to.
All four options for the Mavericks have their merits. It will all boil down to who's going to be available for them and who's going to be willing to sign with the team. But if they had the luxury of choice, Russell appears to be their best option if they are unable to sign Paul, if only because he's the youngest among the four and the Mavs have the defensive weapons to cover for his shortcomings on that end of the floor.
