5 Christian Wood replacements for Mavericks after recent roster news

2. Brook Lopez

This is more of a pipe dream than a real target, but if the Dallas Mavericks could pick any center to add to the roster this summer, it should be Brook Lopez.

He finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting this past year and is a great three-point shooter, making him an elite option on both sides of the ball.

Lopez protects the rim as well as any player in the NBA, giving the Mavericks an opportunity to transform their defense into one of the best in the league, which is where they need to be if they wish to compete for a championship.

At 35 years old, Lopez is definitely on the older side, and handing him a new contract could be seen as a risk, but his game is the type that should translate well into the latter years of his career.

That being said, Dallas would almost certainly have to pull off a sign-and-trade with the Milwaukee Bucks in order to land Lopez, and that would hard cap them heading into the season.

Again, Lopez is less of a realistic target and more of a dream, but it’s still something the Mavericks should consider looking into, as bringing him on board would take them to the next level.