Mavericks' former perfect free-agency fix to their defense is far too risky

The Dallas Mavericks desperately need perimeter defense this offseason, and for a time, Luguentz Dort looked like the perfect solution. However, after a disappointing postseason and growing uncertainty about his offensive value, Dallas may need to reconsider whether he's worth pursuing in free agency if the Oklahoma City Thunder decline his team option.

Lu Dort's defense can only take him so far

Dort is coming off another strong defensive campaign, ranking in the top third of the NBA in CraftedNBA's catch-all defensive metric, CraftedDBPM. He also held opponents to a minus-1.9 field-goal percentage differential while routinely drawing assignments against the league's best guards and wings.

For instance, the 6-foot-4 wing's most common matchups this season included Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards, Jamal Murray, Brandon Ingram, and Deni Avdija. It's no surprise, then, that Dort ranked first in CraftedNBA's matchup difficulty metric among 371 players who logged at least 500 minutes.

Few defenders are asked to take on tougher assignments on a nightly basis, making him an appealing fit for a Mavericks team in need of perimeter defense.

Dort's offense is holding him back

Yet on the flip side, Dort was one of the least valuable offensive players in the league this past season, and his struggles carried into the playoffs. In the regular season, he averaged 8.3 points and 1.9 three-pointers per game while shooting 38.5 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from three. Those numbers dipped further in the postseason, where he posted 5.5 points per game, 1.3 threes, and shot 36.6 percent overall and 30.8 percent from deep across 15 appearances.

While offense has never been Dort’s calling card (he is a career 40.5 percent shooter from the field), it should still give Dallas pause, even given his elite, All-Defensive-caliber impact on the other end of the floor.

The Mavericks were one of the NBA’s worst three-point shooting teams a season ago, ranking 26th in 3-point percentage, 29th in 3-pointers made per game, and last in wide-open 3-point percentage. Adding an up-and-down shooter like Dort to the mix would complicate things even more, and he's an extremely risky player to throw $15 million annually at in free agency.

This is around the value of the mid-level exception, which Dallas has access to, and paying Dort this figure despite him not having a strong offensive game could be a dangerous game for a Mavericks team that struggled tremendously from downtown.

Oklahoma City, meanwhile, finished 13th in 3-point makes, ninth in 3-point percentage, and 23rd in wide-open 3-point percentage. However, the Thunder also generated the fifth-most wide-open triples per game, while Dallas ranked last in the league.

Although Oklahoma City wasn’t an elite three-point shooting team, it still generated plenty of wide-open looks, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and other playmakers consistently drawing defensive attention.

Why Dort isn’t the right fit for the Dallas Mavericks

Dallas has strong playmakers in Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving, but remains a poor shooting team overall, which would only magnify Dort’s limitations as a floor spacer. Without the offensive gravity of players like Gilgeous-Alexander, defenses would be even more inclined to ignore him on the perimeter. For that reason, the Mavericks may be better off avoiding the risk that comes with pursuing Dort, even with their clear need for elite perimeter defense.

Instead, the Mavericks must place a greater emphasis on shooting. Four of their five most frequently used starters shot below 33.0 percent from three, leaving little margin to add another low-volume or inefficient shooter. Rather than Dort, Dallas should target players who can knock down open threes at a higher clip while still providing defensive value, even if they aren’t on par with Dort’s elite perimeter defense.

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