Mo Williams would be a solid addition for the Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks recently met with Trailblazers free agent guard Mo Williams on Tuesday. Williams, who is from Dallas, declined Portland’s player option of $2.77 million to become an unrestricted free agent.

There is definitely interest from both sides to get a deal done. However, the money, like almost every other Dallas deal this summer, will be a key issue. After signing Chandler Parsons to a 3 year $46 million offer sheet, the Mavericks have left themselves with no cap space. While the Parsons deal still might be the right move, it will be difficult for the Mavs to complete their roster with valuable assets.

The Mavericks are still confident in their ability to resign Vince Carter, who would have to take the cap room exception of a little under $3 million. Mo Williams would likely have to agree to take a minimum salary of about $1.3 million to come to Big-D.

But the Mavericks do have a couple of things going there way in this deal. In fact, Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson has stated that Williams would be a “perfect fit in a lot of respects.” Firstly, Mo Williams is actually from the Dallas area and his wife and kids live in Dallas. I know this strategy hasn’t worked in the past wit marquee players (i.e. Deron Williams and Chris Bosh), but Mo Williams isn’t a max player, and he’s been in this league for 11 years now. I believe that Mo would want to prioritize being with his family along with a winning organization now that he’s earned a good amount of money throughout his career.

Williams’ best asset as a player is also something the Mavs desperately need more of in their backcourt: three-point shooting. Throughout his career, Mo Williams has been an excellent three point shooter, shooting about 39% from beyond the arc in his career. With Jose Calderon gone, the Mavs need as much shooting as they can get and Mo Williams is a guy who can get really hot really quick.

If the Mavs end up retaining Vince Carter and signing Mo Williams, they would have five legitimate options at guard with Williams, Carter, Devin Harris, Raymond Felton and Monta Ellis. Carter would probably play some back-up small forward also, which should give sufficient playing time for the rest of those guards. The Mavs could end up being one of the deepest teams in the league if the Parsons deal ends up in Dallas’ favor. Contending in the competitive Western Conference could actually be a reality with that kind of depth.