Mavericks will regret flat-out ignoring this sneaky signing to replace Kyrie Irving

With Kyrie Irving's timetable to return next season being relatively unknown, the Dallas Mavericks' No. 1 goal this offseason was to sign a stopgap guard to help replicate some of the production Irving is leaving behind. Dallas committed to D'Angelo Russell with the Taxpayer's MLE to fill this void, and while Russell was largely the best option out of the guards on the free agent market that would've signed for that dollar amount, another better option in Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal could be hitting the free agency pool as well soon.

According to NBA insiders Jake Fischer and Marc Stein, Beal is expected to reach a contract buyout (subscription required) with the Suns soon and will be courted by the likes of the Milwaukee Bucks, LA Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Los Angeles Lakers. All of these teams can only offer either a veteran's minimum or bi-annual exception to Beal, which he'd likely be more than willing to sign for after a massive contract buyout with the Suns is to be expected.

Had the Mavericks not signed Russell and waited to this point in the free agency cycle, they probably would've been prime suitors for Beal with the TPMLE or even on a minimum deal, but it seems Dallas isn't one of Beal's prospective suitors and it would be extremely unlikely for them to change course on the Dante Exum signing to make a run at Beal, even though that's still technically possible.

Dallas is overlooking Bradley Beal as a Kyrie Irving replacement

All in all, Beal would've been a more popular stopgap guard to fill the Irving void amongst Mavericks fans compared to signing Russell, but it certainly wouldn't be by a wide margin. Beal may be a slightly better defender than Russell and he was far more efficient as a three-level scorer last season, but he's not the same level facilitator Russell is and plays best next to at least one other shot creator in the lineup.

Russell is definitely more of a run-the-show type of guard compared to Beal, and while Beal would've been a safer pick from a pure efficiency standpoint, Russell has the potential to be a far better fit compared to Beal for the Mavericks next season and is three years younger. However, it can't be denied Beal would've been an intriguing play in Dallas considering the development of young guard Brandon Williams, as Williams' ascension as a playmaker last season could've mitigated the need for more of a traditional point guard like Russell, and Beal would certainly do a better job than Russell at replicating Irving's scoring production at face value.

It's understandable why Dallas opted to sign Russell early in free agency so they wouldn't get behind the curb on resolving their stopgap guard void this summer, but certain sectors of the fanbase may be irritated Dallas didn't try to wait for Beal or trade for a higher level guard, as Irving could miss even more time than expected next season.

Ultimately, Beal may have been a slightly better fit in Dallas compared to Russell, but this would be taking into account that Williams has a great season next year and Irving returns with enough time to ramp up for the playoffs and get chemistry alongside a shooting guard like Beal, which are factors that are far from guaranteed for the Mavericks, and Russell fits the mold of the type of guard Dallas will need if Irving is out for a long time.