The Dallas Mavericks were one of the the more inactive teams of the 2020 NBA offseason.

Dallas had initially stated its intentions to add toughness and defense to the roster. Ultimately, however, the Mavs merely re-upped with Willie Cauley-Stein and traded Seth Curry for Josh Richardson.

Why were Donnie Nelson and Co. so cautious? As was the case with other teams, the Mavs were hoping to preserve cap space to make a possible run at Giannis Antetokounmpo in the summer of 2021. Only, that is no longer a possibility.

The “Greek Freak” announced Tuesday he was signing a supermax extension with the Milwaukee Bucks, dashing the hopes of front offices around the NBA.

Dallas in particular has reason to feel frustrated, considering—as an upstart contender—it mostly rested on its laurels while other Western Conference teams got better.

In any case, the Mavs will have to pivot. Luka Doncic will be eligible for his rookie extension after the 2020-21 season, and Dallas will be looking to build around their superstar in an effort to assemble a championship team. How might that be accomplished, now that Antetokounmpo is out of the picture?

Here is a look at a couple big moves the Mavs could look to make as they hope to join the top tier of Western Conference contenders.

Bulls, Zach LaVine, Mavs

The win-now move: Go after a two-guard

Dallas reportedly had interest in a number of secondary ball-handlers and playmakers in the offseason, including Victor Oladipo, Spencer Dinwiddie and Zach LaVine.

It might still make sense to keep tabs on their individual markets, especially considering Dinwiddie and Oladipo will be free agents at the end of the year.

The Indiana Pacers pulled back on their willingness to trade Oladipo, and will hope new head coach Nate Bjorkgren can help the former All-Star recapture his old form. Still, Indiana could be motivated to move him if the Pacers are struggling to gain traction in the Eastern Conference.

Dinwiddie might also be moved due to the depth in Brooklyn's backcourt, though he is less of a fit for Dallas than Oladipo given some of his deficiencies on the defensive end.

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LaVine would be the most seamless fit for the Mavs' offense given his ability to shoot the ball and create for himself. But he is under contract through the 2021-22 season, and it remains to be seen whether Chicago's front office will move him or try to build around him.

Regardless, trading for one of these three players would likely indicate the Mavs see some kind of opportunity to actually contend for a championship this year.

Wait it out: Sign Rudy Gobert in the offseason

Of course, Dallas could just as easily wait for Dinwiddie and Oladipo to hit the open market and sign them shortly thereafter.

But the Mavs still need more of a defensive presence, and signing Gobert would give the team one of the most imposing defensive frontcourts in the NBA.

Gobert is a four-time All-Defensive team member and two-time Defensive Player of the Year. He is not only a shot-blocker, but a deterrent who can rotate from the weak side to alter shots and facilitate mistakes from ball-handlers. Gobert is also incredibly agile for his size and can stay in front of even more athletic and offensively gifted bigs.

The Frenchman is also showing an increasing level of feel for filling space and finishing at the rim. He would be a devastating diver in pick-and-roll actions with Doncic, given Luka's own ability to get to the rim and finish through contact.

Plus, Gobert would give the Mavs an inside presence, which would allow Kristaps Porzingis to mix it up on the perimeter and improve the team's spacing. Not to mention, the two would swat at just about anything in sight on the other end.

Dallas might feel it would be more important to upgrade with a two-way wing player. This would make Kawhi Leonard an obvious fit in the event “The Claw” opts out of his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers next year. But the wing market is fairly shallow outside of Leonard, who might not even opt out.

The Mavs could certainly do worse than Gobert, who would give Dallas' frontcourt a nice blend of traditional, low-post guys and stretch bigs.