There's Luka And Porzingis In Dallas, But Do The Mavs Have Enough?

Twenty-nine different opposing NBA teams will walk through the doors of Target Center to play the Wolves this season, and we want you to know as much as you can about all of them. What’s the order of the teams we’re previewing? It’s actually completely random! Now, a team that is all in on a pair of potential superstars.

Notable Players Acquired: Seth Curry, Delon Wright, Boban Marjanovic

Notable Players Lost: Trey Burke, Salah Mejiri, Kostas Antetoukounmpo

Quite a bit! The Mavs became the Luka Doncic show before essentially starting their 2019 offseason early when they completed a blockbuster trade with the Knicks to add Kristaps Porzingis, who is still recovering from an ACL tear. In the deal, the Mavs sent DeAndre Jordan and former first-rounder Dennis Smith Jr. to New York. The Mavs were never going to compete for a playoff spot in 2018-19 but it’s obvious they want to contend going forward. They see Doncic as a centerpiece for a championship team. Doncic is clearly a star but there wasn’t much support for him on Dallas’ roster in 2018-19.

Uneventful. The Mavs made their big moves during the regular season and didn’t go into the offseason with much room to operate. They added Seth Curry and completed a sign-and-trade for Delon Wright, both of whom make sense to shore up a thin guard rotation, but the Mavs weren’t in many headlines. The Hawks had the Mavericks’ pick in the first round this year (taking Cam Reddish) as a result of last year’s Doncic trade. The Mavs got two potential superstars in Porzingis and Doncic in the last two years but they might feel the effects of a serious reduction in the assets at their disposal going forward. It’s hard to make a splash when you don’t come to the table with anything to bargain with. 

The Big Question

Is Porzingis fully healthy? The answer to this question will define the Mavs not just for next year but for many years to come. 

Out of the playoffs. If Porzingis is healthy and plays at the level he was at when he went down, he and Doncic would be one of the deadliest combinations in the league. However, there isn’t much talent on the Mavs’ roster outside of those two. I like the additions of Curry and Wright, but they aren’t going to save the season. There isn’t much there on the bench either. Someone there needs to have a breakout season. Right now everything depends on Doncic and Porzingis being incredible. They could crack the bottom of the playoffs in the West if things break right, but it’ll be tough. 

A potentially-deadly but extremely risk-laden and topheavy squad.