The Dallas Mavericks wrapped up their 2021-22 campaign by reaching the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2011. After failing to topple the star-studded Golden State Warriors, the Mavericks fans have been thinking and imagining possible players to bolster their roster. One name that has been circulating as a trade rumor destination for Rudy Gobert is the upstart Dallas Mavericks franchise, 

The lack of size, rebounding, and interior presence was ironically exposed by an undersized team in the Warriors. With coach Jason Kidd deciding to utilize just one legitimate center in Dwight Powell, the paint was wide open for guys like Stephen Curry, Jordan Poole, and Andrew Wiggins to continuously attack the rim. Even if the Utah Jazz decides to retool or rebuild their roster, it would not be advisable for Dallas to pursue Rudy Gobert and build their core around the dynamic duo of Gobert and Luka Doncic.

Rudy Gobert is not the All-Star sidekick Mavs need for Luka Doncic

Rudy Gobert cannot guard small-ball centers

For a center that was given the max extension worth over $200 million, it would be difficult for the Mavericks front office to trade for a center that would be paid at that amount. In this era of the NBA, there are only a few big men who are worth over $30 million a year and Gobert is not one of them. The track record has proven that Gobert is only highly effective in certain matchups. 

There are more agile and versatile bigs who force Rudy Gobert to play in the perimeter and eradicate his strengths as a rim protector. Even if Gobert states certain analytical numbers that he could switch on guards in pick-and-rolls, the Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers have proven that he could be exposed in drive-and-kick situations and repetitive corner threes. Thus, it would be ideal for the Mavericks to invest in a cheaper center and another forward to supplement Luka Doncic.

Gobert's style of play does not fit with Doncic

Watching the games of the Utah Jazz, Donovan Mitchell or Mike Conley are the ones that create shots for Rudy Gobert at the rim through lobs and drop passes. That is a far contrast from the five-out style of Dallas that fits perfectly into the strengths of Luka Doncic. By reaching the West Finals in the first year of Kidd, they will unlikely consider changing their schemes just to mitigate the weaknesses of Gobert.

There will likely be games in the playoffs when Rudy Gobert will need to be replaced by Maxi Kleber or Dorian Finney-Smith to play at the five because they need to match up with the speed and athleticism of their opponent. Gobert could address some issues they have in matching up with the likes of Nikola Jokic or Anthony Davis, but Dallas must scour the market and search for big men who fit more into the system and culture that Kidd has continually imparted to his players.

Adding Rudy Gobert lessens their depth and flexibility

Just with the current construction of the Mavericks roster, it is improbable for them to execute a deal for a player with an enormous salary like Gobert. They will need to execute sign-and-trade a deal involving Jalen Brunson and a plethora of other pieces. Dallas will need to include either Tim Hardaway Jr. or Spencer Dinwiddie as another player included in this massive trade between the Jazz and Mavericks.

If that is the case, the depth and bench of the Mavericks will be severely depleted entering next season. It is not even a guarantee that Utah would agree with this swap but if they pull the trigger, this move would drastically affect the depth and flexibility of Dallas. It is already a persisting issue for Luka Doncic to have legitimate help and removing Jalen Brunson and Spencer Dinwiddie is not a path toward future success for the Dallas organization.

Some fans of every eliminated team cannot help but check players from other teams who could bolster their lineup. For the Dallas Mavericks fans, it would be automatic to compare big men as the partner of Luka Doncic, but Rudy Gobert is not an ideal fit with Dallas. Having a center like Deandre Ayton or Myles Turner could be a better fit because of their versatility and the slew of skill sets they will bring to the franchise.