Dallas Mavericks off-season Wish List

The Dallas Mavericks are in an interesting position going into the off-season.  They finished 8th in the brutal Western Conference, but won 49 games and took the top-seeded Spurs to seven games in the fist round of the playoffs.  The team has a solid core, but with no first round draft pick this year the only way to get dramatically better will be through free-agency.  Here are three players the Mavericks have a realistic chance of signing who can help the team going forward.

1. Luol Deng SF (2014 Season: 16.0 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 2.9 APG)

Deng fell out of the national spotlight after being traded from the Chicago Bulls to the Cleveland Cavaliers halfway through the season.  However, the veteran small forward went on to have another solid season.  A versatile defender Deng's length and quickness allows him to guard multiple positions.  Deng creates most of his scoring opportunities off the dribble, and is a decent 3 point shooter who can spread the floor.  The Mavericks have two small forwards in Shawn Marion and Vince Carter who they will look to re-sign, but if Deng signs with the Mavs he would be the starter at small forward.  A playoff tested veteran Deng would fit in perfectly with the culture in Dallas.

2. Marcin Gortat C (2014 Season: 13.2 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 1.7 APG)

The price tag went up for the Polish center after an impressive playoff run with the Washington Wizards.  Gortat is a solid individual defender and a skilled shot blocker averaging 1.6 BPG last year.  On the offensive end of the floor he is a good finisher around the rim and can hit the 15 foot jump shot with consistency.  For the Mavericks, a team that is already very good on offense, adding a Center who can get 12 to 15 points a night would create matchup problems for any team. Gortat is at his best working off the pick-and-roll. With a backcourt of Monta Ellis and Jose Calderon Gortat would get plenty of easy opportunities at the rim.  Plus Gortat is the top pick as the NBA player most likely to be an Eastern European villain in an action movie category.

3. Kyle Lowry PG (2014 Season: 17.9 PPG,  4.7 RPG 7.4 APG)

The biggest long shot of the three as re-singing Lowry will be Toronto's top off-season priority.  The point guard really came into his own this year getting the most playing time of his career by a significant margin. Lowry is a playmaker who can set teammates up and create his own shot. Putting Lowry on the same team as Monta Ellis and Dirk Nowitzki would be deadly. Lowry isn't a great defender, but is not the defensive liability starting point guard Jose Calderon was this season. The price tag will be high, but Lowry would make the Mavericks a force in the Western Conference. No word on if he and Drake are a package deal.
Dallas has holes to fill and a franchise player in Dirk Nowitzki who is not getting any younger. This off-season will be critical for the team going forward.

Stephen Simcox
@SimcoxStephen