Dallas Mavericks: 3 teams that may contend against the Mavs in 3-5 years

The Dallas Mavericks are clearly on the right path to title contention. In this current age of dynamic duos in the NBA, the Mavericks not only have one of the most talented but also one of the youngest.

The saying “Father time is undefeated“ obviously falls in the Dallas Mavericks favor in 2019. Most of the dominant duos are creeping up there in age. In the next three to five years duos like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, James Harden and Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving will all be in their mid 30s which will most likely be the end of their potential title runs.

Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis in five years will only be 25 and 29 years of age, respectively, which most consider to be the prime of an NBA players career. With the current landscape of the NBA, there are only a handful of teams who have the talent and potential in the same age range to compete with the Mavericks, leaving the Mavericks title window wide open for years to come.

Keeping in mind the importance of our timeline, I have left a few current title contenders off of my list, such as the Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors and Brooklyn Nets. These teams while undoubtedly title contenders now, will be on the wrong side of their 30’s in the year 2024.

Here are the three teams most likely to make the Mavericks path to another Larry O’Brien trophy a difficult one.

Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers may have the best starting five in basketball. Led by all stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons the 76ers are poised to be contenders for as long as these two All-NBA talents can stay healthy.

After allowing Jimmy Butler to walk in free agency, the 76ers may surprisingly be better. Key additions of Al Horford and Josh Richardson, along with bringing back Tobias Harris, give the 76ers the rare opportunity to win now and for years to come.

Milwaukee Bucks

Giannis Antetokounmpo may be the best player in the world, which is a difficult pill for Mavs fans to swallow after Mark Cuban overruled Donnie Nelson’s pleads to select the Greek Freak back in the 2013 NBA draft. While Antetokounmpo has his flaws (which were exposed in last year’s playoffs), there is no denying his greatness.

Antetokounmpo has the ability to make his teammates significantly better. Currently, he’s leading an average supporting cast headlined by first time all star Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe to deep playoff runs.  Needless to say, whatever organization Antetokounmpo is playing for will be in title contention for the next decade.

Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets have one of the most versatile big men in the game in Nikola Jokic.  If you aren’t familiar with Jokic, imagine a much slower but larger Luka Doncic. His ability to get his teammates involved while still being able to dominate a game makes him a matchup nightmare.

With a talented supporting cast full of shooters in Jamal Murray, Gary Harris and Will Barton, they give Jokic all the space he needs to control the offense. The Nuggets also have two high ceiling prospects in Michael Porter Jr. and Bol Bol. If these two young guys can live up to their hype the Nuggets will be in a great position for years to come.

The Dallas Mavericks are on their way to a great future based around several young, blossoming pieces that are getting better and better every game. However, there will always be teams ready to stand in the Mavs way.