The Dallas Mavericks need Goran Dragic. The Mavs have had a respectable offseason but little more. Is it terrible? It is not. Is it phenomenal? It is not.
Here's what new general manager Nico Harrison has pulled off thus far this summer:
- Traded Josh Richardson to the Boston Celtics for Moses Brown
- Picked up team option on Willie Cauley-Stein ($4.1 million)
- Re-signed Tim Hardaway Jr. (four-year, $72 million deal)
- Re-signed Boban Marjanovic (two-year, $7 million deal)
- Signed Reggie Bullock (three-year, $30.5 million deal)
- Signed Sterling Brown (two-year, $3.2 million deal)
- Extended Luka Doncic (five-year, $207 million deal)
The Doncic extension was more of a formality than anything else, as it was only a matter of time before he signed a max deal with Dallas. Nonetheless, they're officially committed to building around Doncic. The moves the Mavericks have made this offseason improve new head coach Jason Kidd's rotation, but they don't add a new dimension to it. Goran Dragic would be the new dimension.
The veteran guard was recently moved to the Toronto Raptors in a sign-and-trade that sent Kyle Lowry to the Miami Heat. A team now in a retooling phase, it's feasible to expect Dragic, who has never won an NBA championship, to ask the Raptors for a trade. He'd be perfect on the Mavericks.
Yes, he's 35. With that said, Dragic is still a smooth offensive player. He's a steady ball-handler who gets the ducks in a row. From a scoring standpoint, he gets to the rim off the dribble with ease, is quick and is a proven shooter from both midrange and beyond the arc. He's an NBA starting point guard and someone who's a year removed from a postseason run with the Heat.
Last summer Dragic was an indispensable part of the Heat winning the Eastern Conference and taking the Los Angeles Lakers to six games in the NBA Finals. Dragic finished the postseason averaging 19.1 points per game and found success as both a starter and sixth man. Across 26.7 minutes per contest this past regular season, he put forth 13.4 points, 4.4 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game.
The Mavs need players who can create their own shot and handle the rock. Goran Dragic can do both. Bigger than that, he would make the team's offseason pickups/re-signed players more effective and therefore better signings.
With Goran Dragic assisting Doncic with ball-handling duties, it gives the Mavericks someone to take attention off the team's wings, creating more open looks. Bullock is a reliable “three-and-d” player coming off a season with the New York Knicks where he shot 41.0 percent from beyond the arc. Brown shot a career-best 42.3 percent from beyond the arc with the Houston Rockets last season.
Furthermore, Hardaway is a steady, shooting scorer who continues to become a more efficient shooter. The Mavs have relied too much on their shooting ability over the last two seasons. Every contender needs shooters to kick the ball out to on the perimeter, but without a floor general and players who can create their own shot in isolation, the former skill sets aren't as effective.
As for the rest of the depth chart, the Mavs have a surplus of big men and power forwards with Kristaps Porzingis, Marjanovic, Brown, Maxi Kleber, Dorian Finney-Smith, Dwight Powell and Cauley-Stein present. Goran Dragic is also on an expiring contract, meaning he has minimal trade value after the sign-and-trade.
Perhaps one of the aforementioned frontcourt players are sent to Toronto for Goran Dragic — if he isn't bought out or released before training camp. In the scenario that such a trade takes place, the Mavericks have a well-balanced roster.
Goran Dragic is backed up by Jalen Brunson and Trey Burke with Bullock out on the perimeter, Doncic playing to his strengths and Porzingis running the baseline. Meanwhile, Hardaway and Brown provide a scoring jolt off the bench with capable rim defenders by their side.
So much happens in a postseason that it can slip one's mind that the Mavericks led the Los Angeles Clippers 2-0 and 3-2 in the first round of the playoffs while Doncic played with an injured neck. The Clippers went on to beat the Utah Jazz without Kawhi Leonard in the final two games of the second round and took the Phoenix Suns to six games in the ensuing round. They came one game short of beating a great Clippers team in the Western Conference.
The Mavericks have a superstar, a wealth of shooting and interior depth and they've strengthened their strengths. This is a should-be powerhouse in the Western Conference. The Mavericks are still yet to fill a glaring vacancy, though, while the Los Angeles Lakers have added Russell Westbrook and the Golden State Warriors are getting healthier and deeper.
Dragic is arguably the best and most attainable guard available on both the trade and free agent market and has the precise skill set that the Mavericks need. His fit in their rotation could make the move better than what superficially meets the eye to the point where Dragic actually makes a close-to-star impact on their team.
Goran Dragic helps the Dallas Mavericks make a jump, which they need to do next season.
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