Examining the 2023 doomsday scenario for the Dallas Mavericks

Dallas Mavericks sign another big man that does not fit

The Mavs signed JaVale McGee to be their starting center last summer, and he lasted seven games in the role. The seven-footer did not just lose his starting gig but was completely out of the rotation for the majority of the season. His three-year $17.2 million contract looks laughable and unmovable, and the first year is not even finished.

With McGee out, head coach Jason Kidd turned back to Dwight Powell as the starting center. Remember, DP was a DNP-CD in three of the team’s first four games after starting throughout their run to the conference finals last season. McGee was signed to be his replacement, but the move just never worked.

The Mavericks will again be looking for an upgrade at the five this summer, but the stakes are likely higher this time around. Powell is an unrestricted free agent this summer, and he could be headed elsewhere leaving Dallas with zero backup plan. The Mavs need this signing to work.

There are no guarantees here. Dallas has signed a handful of players that seemingly fit well next to Luka Doncic only for things not to work out. They need a center, but who fits next to number 77? The Mavs need to figure it out quickly. No Dallas Mavericks doomsday scenario is complete without one final piece, though.