The Dallas Mavericks already won free agency in January

By the end of the first month of last season, the Dallas Mavericks knew they had something special with Luka Doncic. The team goal immediately went to pairing him with other stars. They did just that.

When the Dallas Mavericks came into the 2018-19 season, they were unsure how the team would compete against the rest of the NBA. With a starting lineup made up of Dennis Smith Jr., Wesley Matthews, Luka Doncic, Harrison Barnes and DeAndre Jordan, things looked pretty good on paper but we needed to see what it was capable of.

Although the Mavs started the season off well, it was clear that this team was not going to be in real competition for anything major. For that reason, Mark Cuban, Donnie Nelson and the rest of the Mavs brain trust decided to go on a fire sale and got rid of four of the five starters in order to move forward and build around Luka.

Part of the reason the Mavs went on this barrage of trades was because a guy named Kristaps Porzingis became available. Porzingis is 23 years old and already has an All-Star game appearance under his belt. Luka was just a few thousand votes shy of his own All-Star appearance.

KP and Luka could become one of the more impressive pairings in the league this year if everything goes according to plan. Had Porzingis been a part of this free agency class, he would easily be viewed as a top 10 free agent in one of the deepest groups in recent history. That means the Mavs got one of the best players before he could even explore the market.

The hope this summer was always to pair Luka and KP with another star, but people overlook the fact that we already paired Luka with a star this year. If for some reason everything else collapses this summer the Mavs can still hang their hat on that fact no matter what.

The rumors about Kemba Walker, Khris Middleton and other big name guys the Mavs may have interest in are disconcerting, but things could be a lot worse than they are right now.

The Mavericks are going to be a fun team next year and will likely be competing for a playoff spot as long as the core of the team stays healthy. Mavs fans should be ready for a great year, because that is exactly what is in store.