The Dallas Mavericks are currently making their presence felt in the 2019-20 NBA season, thanks to Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. However, the team is unlikely to be contented just being an average playoff contender in the deep Western Conference. Though they failed in their attempts to bring big pieces to Dallas before the February 6 trade deadline, rumors are currently circulating that the Mavericks are once again expected to be active in the trade market in the 2020 offseason.
According to Tyler Watts of Fansided‘s The Smoking Cuban, the “ideal scenario” for the Mavericks in the summer of 2020 is to turn their picks in the 2020 NBA Draft into a “third star.”
“The Dallas Mavericks are projected to pick 20th and 31st according to Tankathon. Their ideal scenario may be packaging those two selections plus other pieces and trading for a third star. It would eliminate the Mavs from the 2021 free agent sweepstakes which could feature Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and a host of other All-Stars. The Mavericks would already have their third piece, though. Finding the right trade partner would be key. They do not want to sacrifice too much of their depth to grab another top tier talent.”
Watts didn’t mention any players that the Mavericks could target this summer, but some of the big names that have been heavily linked to Dallas before the 2020 February NBA trade deadline include Andre Drummond and Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers may have just acquired him from the Detroit Pistons but rumors are still swirling around Drummond and his future in Cleveland. Drummond would be an incredible addition to the Mavericks. Aside from being a good fit with the timeline of their rising superstars, the 26-year-old would also give the Mavericks an All-Star caliber center that would enable Porzingis to see more playing time as his power forward position.
Meanwhile, though he’s already in his 30s, Love would also likely make the Mavericks a more competitive team in the 2020-21 season. Like Porzingis, Love could both play as a center and a power forward. He is also one of the few superstars in the league who can excel in an off-ball capacity. With the three years he spent with Kyrie Irving and LeBron James in Cleveland, Love probably won’t mind serving as the third scoring option behind Doncic and Porzingis on the Mavericks.
Aside from Drummond and Love, other potential targets for the Mavericks in the coming offseason include Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards and Chris Paul of the Oklahoma City Thunder,