Did the Mavericks make the right move with Jalen Brunson at the trade deadline?

What is next for Jalen Brunson and the Dallas Mavericks?

Brunson is going to keep working on his game, and the Mavs believe they can go on a playoff run this season. Tim Hardaway’s foot injury leaves Dallas a bit light on the wing, and they will be attempting to to find roles for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans, but they have enough around Luka Doncic to be a scary matchup in the playoffs. The Utah Jazz currently sit fourth in the West, but they have struggled recently. The Mavericks could catch them in the standings and/or pull the first-round upset.

Following the team’s postseason run, all eyes will shift to Brunson’s free agency. The Mavs can only offer a four-year deal worth $55 million during the season, and JB has outplayed that contract. He will become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and Dallas must act quickly to re-sign him at the market rate.

The Dallas Mavericks are hoping to keep Jalen Brunson long-term and make him a key piece of their roster around superstar Luka Doncic. They just re-signed Dorian Finney-Smith, and they appear to be the team’s three building blocks moving forward.

The Mavs will be searching for a second star to pair with Luka, and that could cost them Brunson and/or Finney-Smith. Short of that trade, Dallas wants JB growing next to Doncic as their backcourt of the present and future.