3 Disastrous mistakes Dallas Mavericks must avoid making this summer

Just one year after making the Western Conference Finals, the Dallas Mavericks failed to qualify for the Play-In Tournament. It was a complete failure of a season, and now, they need to focus on improvement.

On the plus side, they still have Luka Doncic on the roster. But unfortunately, the team around him needs some serious work if they hope to win a championship under his watch.

Dallas attempted to make a splash at this year’s trade deadline, adding Kyrie Irving, but the move blew up in their face. Injuries got in the way, but the constant drama that surrounds Irving lingered.

3 Disastrous mistakes Dallas Mavericks must avoid this offseason

Now, heading into the summer, the Mavericks will have some tough choices to make about their future and how they want to build around Doncic. And they need to make sure Luka is on the same page.

While it won’t occupy its own spot on this list, the number one priority for the Mavericks is, and will always be, to please Doncic. If he’s happy, then the team has a chance, and that’s what matters.

Every decision needs to go through Doncic. It’s been rumored in the past that he doesn’t care to get involved in personnel matters, but that appears to be changing.

Past that, it’s all about finding players that complement Doncic’s on-court style of play. With Luka at the helm, the Mavericks are a heliocentric basketball team.

In turn, they need to find players that can shoot, defend, or provide some other sort of niche that would highlight Doncic’s game.

With that in mind, here are three of the biggest mistakes the Mavericks need to avoid this summer.

3. Dallas Mavericks must avoid keep their top-10 draft pick

Heading into the lottery, the Dallas Mavericks are slotted in as the tenth-overall selection. Post-lottery, they could jump into the top four, but it’s most likely that they select tenth. If the selection falls outside the top ten, the Mavs owe it to the Knicks from the Kristaps Porzingis trade in 2019.

If they keep that pick and make the selection, it will be a huge mistake.

There are plenty of solid players the Mavericks could pick up with that selection. GG Jackson out of South Carolina could be available, as could players such as Villanova’s Cam Whitmore and Houston’s Jarace Walker.

But holding on to that selection would mean that Dallas would be committing to another development project, drafting a player that may or may not be NBA-ready.

With Doncic at the helm and ready to lead a team to a championship, the Mavericks need a player that can help him win right now, not in five years.

As fun and exciting as it may be to draft a player and watch him grow, that’s just not what the Mavericks should be aiming for right now. Doncic is ready to win, and Dallas should trade the selection for a player who can help him do that.

(But if the Mavericks jump up into the top four of the lottery, they should throw everything out the window and make the pick.)

2. Dallas Mavericks must avoid re-signing Kyrie Irving

This one might be the most controversial of the bunch, but it’s also the biggest decision the Dallas Mavericks have to make.

At first glance, keeping Irving around should be a no-brainer. He’s a superstar-level player and another ball-handler who could help take some of the pressure off of Doncic–similar to what Jalen Brunson did.

But the key difference is in everything Irving brings to the table away from the game, and the fact that he’s just not as good at playing off the ball as Brunson.

Away from the court, constant drama has followed Irving, whether it’s been his fault or not. Teams with Irving actively participating in the playoffs have not made it past the second round since he was teamed up with LeBron James, whether it be because of injury or otherwise.

And on the court, Irving is much more of a ball-dominant player than Brunson was. Brunson has thrived as a ball-dominant guy with the New York Knicks, but he was always okay with playing away from the ball.

While Irving has been able to play that role, as he did with James, he’s always been infinitely better with the ball in his hands. And when he and Luka Doncic shared the court, it often came down to “you go, I go” basketball.

Dallas would be better off exploring sign-and-trade options or simply using the cap space to find another star-level player that fits with Doncic even better, on and off the court.

1. Dallas Mavericks must trade for Pascal Siakam

The Toronto Raptors look like they are headed for a rebuild. Nick Nurse is out as head coach, the team missed the playoffs this season, and rumblings of their demise rang loudly throughout the entire season.

If that comes true, then the Dallas Mavericks need to trade for Pascal Siakam.

Adding Siakam to the roster, with or without Kyrie Irving in the mix, would give the Mavericks a massive boost, as he would be able to slide into a variety of roles for them.

If they find themselves an adequate center who can space the floor, he could be a great power forward for them. His defensive versatility and ball-handling skills would make him unlike anybody Luka Doncic has ever played with at that position.

If they don’t find a center upgrade, Jason Kidd could test out small-ball lineups with Siakam at the five. He played that position in Toronto, and it would allow the Mavericks to get out and run a lot more than they do now.

Regardless, Siakam’s skillset on both ends of the court would fit in seamlessly next to Doncic. He’s the perfect mix of not needing the ball yet able to handle it.

He can defend wings, forward, and big men if needed, and is talented enough to go get himself a bucket when he needs to. The extra scoring would take pressure off of Doncic while also not taking away from what he does best.

If the Raptors field offers, Dallas needs to force themselves to the front.