Dallas Mavericks should monitor Memphis Grizzlies for offseason help

The Dallas Mavericks have a crucial offseason ahead of them. The Memphis Grizzlies could be of some support.

Sitting with over $30 million in cap space and several ways to create much more, the Dallas Mavericks are facing a high-stakes summer with a considerable piece of their future on the line. One of their familiar Western conference foes, the Memphis Grizzlies, could be of substantial help to the team this summer if the Mavs make a few savvy moves.

With just a week until the annual free agency splurge kicks off again, it is still relatively unclear whether or not the Mavericks have a true shot at their biggest target, Kemba Walker. Other names in the free agency foray have been floated, but the star combo guard is at the top of their list. Should the Mavs sign Walker, an interesting scenario arises.

Sitting comfortably with Kemba Walker, Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, the Mavericks should instantly consider themselves one of the premier, up-and-coming teams of the NBA. Porzingis had already cemented himself as one of the two or three best power forwards in basketball before his injury, while Luka Doncic is hands down the best young star in the NBA.

If Doncic and Porzingis simply play to the level they played at the last time they were each on the court, then the Mavericks have two potential hall of famers under the age of 25 on their roster. Now add perennial all-star Kemba Walker.

This should force the Mavericks to try to create more cap space and pursue more veteran help. This is where the Grizzlies come in. While the pipe dream involving Jonas Valanciunas appears to have died, the Mavs should target Avery Bradley in a potential trade.

The Grizzlies are years away from respectability, so their goal is not to hang on to every potential veteran starter. Bradley’s contract is up after this coming season, but his 2019-2020 salary has only two million dollars guaranteed.

Trading Courtney Lee and Justin Jackson to the Grizzlies for Bradley makes sense for both teams. The Mavs can get themselves out from under Lee’s salary worth just under 13 million dollars in 2019, and can take on Bradley’s non guaranteed deal. Not in any free agent race at all, the new money on Memphis’s payroll means nothing to them. Throwing Justin Jackson as a sweetener should make this a no-brainer for the Grizzlies.

However, should the Mavs find themselves unable to secure another free agent or Kemba Walker in the first place, there is no harm in simply keeping Avery Bradley on the roster. He still remains one of the best defensive guards in basketball and has drastically improved as a shooter since his days in Boston. Keeping him in the backcourt rotation would be an excellent addition to the backcourt without compromising any future cap room.

Should the Mavs waive Bradley, they will have created ten million dollars more in cap room, which combined with the extra room leftover after a max contract for Walker, could still leave them with enough to bring in another solid veteran on a one year “prove-it” deal. Nikola Mirotic, Julius Randle or Elfrid Payton could be had under that type of contract.

The Mavericks have a number of different avenues to explore this season, but every little bit of cap space they can acquire should be the priority. In the event that the Mavs have another big time free agent looking to come their way, Dwight Powell‘s $10 million salary needs to be offloaded as well. It all starts June 30th.