Dallas Mavericks: Paul Pierce tried to join the Mavs in 2007

The Dallas Mavericks were one of the best teams in the league in 2007. They were one year removed from making it to the NBA Finals and had a prime Dirk Nowitzki. Yes, the Mavs were upset in the first round of the playoffs in 2007 by the Golden State Warriors, but they had the best regular-season record in the NBA. Dallas needed just one more piece to win the championship.

Paul Pierce believed he was that missing component. The then five-time All-Star was in midst of his prime, but the Celtics had missed the playoffs for two straight years. Pierce wanted to team up with Dirk and win a title in Dallas.

According to a Sports Illustrated piece for Pierce’s Hall of Fame induction, he told Mavs owner Mark Cuban, “I’m your missing piece” during a Las Vegas meeting. How close was Pierce to coming to Dallas in 2007?

Paul Pierce attempted to join the Dallas Mavericks in 2007

This was not the first time the Hall of Famer talked about his desire to join the Mavericks. He was on the All the Smoke podcast where he went into detail about the topic.

Pierce was pushing his agent to make the trade happen, but the Celtics were not interested. That offseason they traded for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen and went on to win the championship in 2008.

It is incredible to think that Pierce could have been in Dallas forming arguably the best one-two punch in the league with Dirk Nowitzki back then. Here is an in-depth look at how Pierce would have changed the Mavericks' history if the trade happened.

Add Paul Pierce failing to join the Dallas Mavericks in 2007 to the many interesting what-ifs in franchise history. The Mavs not drafting Giannis Antetokounmpo is perhaps the biggest, but the franchise is no stranger to the interesting debates. Stay tuned for all the latest at The Smoking Cuban.