Why Mavericks meeting Spurs asking price for Jakob Poeltl would be massive mistake

Jakob Poeltl improves Dallas Mavericks but not enough to be serious title contenders

Poeltl would be a massive upgrade at the five. The Mavs are currently the worst rebounding team in the NBA, and they struggle mightily to protect the rim. Poeltl would fix those problems along with being an outstanding pick-and-roll partner for Luka Doncic. Last season, Poeltl had the ninth-most possession per game as a roll man, and his 1.16 points per possession were in the top 40 percent league-wide.

The 27-year-old’s numbers are slightly down this season, but they lost Dejounte Murray and are just beginning a total rebuild. He is still averaging 12.2 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.2 blocks in 26.3 minutes per game. Poeltl’s passing ability would be massive in Dallas and could prevent some teams from doubling Luka Doncic.

Jakob Poeltl makes the Dallas Mavericks better, but he does not change their trajectory. They are still projected to make the playoffs with or without Poeltl. The 7’1 big man might make the Mavs favored to win in the first round, but they would be underdogs from there on out.

Dallas would also be in a sticky cap situation moving forward if they pay Poeltl $20 million per season. Even if they can dump Davis Bertans, Dallas would have $147 million committed in salaries for next season before re-signing Christian Wood. That leaves little wiggle room for a team that needs more talent to compete for a championship.