Dallas Mavericks: Is Kemba Walker the best target this offseason?

The Dallas Mavericks are focused in on finding a great player to put next to Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis for next season. If the rumors about Kemba Walker being ready to move on are true, is he the right player for the Mavs to pursue?

What at one time looked like a long term rebuild for the Dallas Mavericks now looks like a bright future for the team boasting the best rookie from the 2019 draft class and a former All-Star ready to come back from injury. These two guys, along with a bench that is in the works, will make the Mavs an intriguing team next year.

Aside from the two cornerstones already in place, the Mavs have a lot of cap space available this summer. Without having to make any changes, the team already has enough to sign most available players in this free agency period. For those that don’t fit the cap, it would only take a fairly simple move to get there.

There have been a handful of names connected to the Mavericks in rumors surrounding some big name free agents. Perhaps the biggest name mentioned is Charlotte point guard, Kemba Walker. Walker had the best season of his career this year for the Hornets, earning his third straight All-Star berth.

The Mavs would love to add a little more firepower to the starting lineup and Kemba would give them that in spades. Walker is an excellent offensive player and a pretty decent defender as well and could really make the Mavs a serious contender immediately.

On the other hand, Kemba is 6’1″ and has played exclusively point guard throughout his entire NBA career. Luka Doncic is intended to be the Mavs point guard of the future thanks to his scoring and passing abilities. How would these two players be able to work in unison when Luka and Dennis Smith Jr. were never able to get the ball rolling?

I have two points to make about this question in particular. The first is that Kemba Walker is nothing like Dennis Smith Jr. Dennis was a young, still growing guard who made plays by being more explosive than the guy in front of him. He was never a great shooter and never a good passer, but he got away with his skillset by being more athletic than anyone who crossed his path.

Kemba has become an excellent spot-up shooter and a great passer being the primary option for the Hornets. As long as he would be able to continue that play in Dallas, things would work out for both parties and the Mavs would undoubtedly be better for it.

The second point is that there are better fitting players on the market for the Mavs, although maybe none as good at what they do. Dallas would benefit more from either a big man who can rebound and score in the post or a 3-and-D wing like Klay Thompson, but that does not change the fact that Kemba Walker is potentially the best overall basketball player on the Mavs radar.

Kemba Walker may not be a perfect fit, but he is an incredible player and the Mavericks would be foolish not to pursue him if the interest is mutual. If he is not the top option for Dallas going into the summer, he should at least be option two or three.