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The Dallas Mavericks lost their cornerstone big man last February when they sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans. Dwight Powell has been pretty good, but he isn't exactly the type of center that the Mavs would like to build around. As it turns out, Dallas could actually turn their attention to Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert should he be available in the offseason.
ESPN's NBA insider Tim McMahon was a guest on Zach Lowe's The Lowe Post podcast episode on Friday. One of the more intriguing subjects that were discussed was the possibility of the Mavs making a move on Gobert this summer. According to McMahon, not only would Dallas be intrigued by a potential swoop on the three-time Defensive Player of the Year winner, but also, that Gobert himself would love to form a partnership with Mavs superstar Luka Doncic:
“Listen, I'm just gonna tell you,” McMahon said. “I know — I've heard from externarnally and internally, that the Mavericks would have sigificant interest. And I know Rudy well enough to know that he would love to play with Luka. I remember when Luka was drafted, Rudy tweeted then, ‘This guy's going to be phenomenal.'”
McMahon also said that back in 2013, the Mavs were actually one of the teams that were in the mix for drafting Gobert:
“Also, there's little things like Rudy's agent, Bouna Ndiaye, lives in suburban Dallas, actually, Bouna wanted Rudy with the Mavericks going into the draft,” he said. “Rudy's first draft workout was in Dallas and it was against Steven Adams. I remember, this was Rudy raw coming out of France. It was not a workout that made the Mavericks interested in drafting Rudy Gobert.”
Things didn't exactly work out between Gobert and the Mavs nearly a decade ago. Dallas ended up drafting Kelly Olynyk as the 13th overall pick (they moved him to the Boston Celtics on Draft Day in exchange for Lucas Nogueira and a couple of future second-round draft picks), while Gobert went all the way to 27th via the Denver Nuggets. The Jazz then traded for Gobert that same day for Erick Green and cash considerations.
Fast forward nine years later and it's now becoming a real possibility that Gobert could find himself suiting up for the Mavs. McMahon and his sources believe that this is a feasible scenario. It's not going to be easy, though, and the Mavs front office will need to come up with a major package to entice the Jazz.
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“Now, different deal,” McMahon said. “I think the Mavericks would be as aggresive as any team to go get him. Now, the question is, what kind of deal could they put together? How many picks are they willing to put in there? I can get you some expiring [contracts] in that deal. What would the rest of the thing look like? Can you take [Davis] Bertans' salary to fill it in? [Tim Hardaway Jr.], I don't want to give up [Reggie] Bullock, I don't want to give up [Spencer] Dinwiddie, I don't know. But I do know that the Mavericks would be very aggresive If Gobert's in the market this summer.”
The Mavs could end up giving up some of their most valuable assets in order to land Gobert but in the end, it should all be worth it. The Mavs are already a threat in the Western Conference, but the addition of Gobert into the mix should instantly make this squad a title contender.
It is worth noting, however, that the Jazz won't be giving Gobert up that easily. He's been their defensive anchor for many years now and they have found much success with Gobert as their man in the middle. Then again, they have also failed to move past the second round in the playoffs since 2007. Another early exit this term could finally push this team to re-evaluate their current roster. Gobert has a bit of history with Donovan Mitchell as well, dating back to the early days of the pandemic. Once you factor all of these in, then a Rudy Gobert trade becomes quite realistic.
If the Jazz actually put Gobert on the trade block, then you can be sure that more than a few teams out there would be willing to break the bank to land a player of his caliber. Lowe and McMahon mentioned teams such as the Charlotte Hornets and the Atlanta Hawks as potential landing spots for the three-time All-Star. Needless to say, the Mavs will have some competition for their man. Nevertheless, McMahon remains confident that Gobert would be a perfect fit alongside Luka Doncic.
“Rudy's love language is awards and lobs. Lobs, lobs, lobs,” McMahon said. “… Dallas with Luka, are you kidding me? The Gobert Luka pick-and-roll. Plug Gobert into what the Mavericks have been able to put together defensively this year. Listen, Luka pick-and-roll with Diwght Powell is awfully effective. I'm pretty sure Rudy would be an upgrade as far as a pick-and-roll finisher.”
