The Dallas Mavericks had a fantastic trade deadline. Acquiring Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington for a few 1st round picks and a disgruntled Grant Williams has already looked incredible. Gafford is the perfect center for Luka Doncic as an athletic center that can pick-and-roll and catch alley-oops. P.J. Washington is simply a straight upgrade from Grant Williams, as he provides a little bit of everything on the court, with moments of greatness sprinkled in. If this team can tweak a few more things, a championship run could be in their future this season, especially with Kyrie Irving on the roster.
Improving Since Last Season
To look back on the Kyrie Irving trade, the assets the Dallas Mavericks traded ended up looking worse. Dorian-Finney Smith has not improved since his trade to Brooklyn and is turning 31 in a few months. Spencer Dinwiddie is bottom-10 in shooting percentage this season, was bought out by the Nets, and recently signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. That leaves two second-round picks and an unprotected 2029 first-round pick. At the end of the day, it looks as though the Dallas Mavericks came out on top, as their bet to keep Kyrie during the offseason paid off.
With Kyrie last season, the team did not make the playoffs or play in. Going into the offseason, no big moves were made by the Dallas Mavericks, and it looked to be another mediocre or worse NBA season. But the team has risen from the past season, with players such as Dante Exum providing valuable minutes during Kyrie’s multiple missed games due to injuries. The acquisition of Grant Williams, however, did not work out.
Grant Williams was supposed to be the big move for the Dallas Mavericks during the off-season, but his regression hit the team hard. He ended up falling out of the rotation during the season, with reports of his constant “yapping” rubbing the team the wrong way. The final nail in the coffin? His transition from wearing Luka’s signature shoes to Jayson Tatum‘s shows he misses his time in Boston.
Luka Magic Needs Help
Luka’s usage rate of 35.5 for his career is simply insane. For comparison, Stephen Curry‘s usage rate for his career is 28.9, significantly lower than Luka’s. Without Luka, the Dallas Mavericks have no direction and no primary ball handler who can set others up. Even with Kyrie Irving, the rest of the team provides very little without Luka’s passing ability.
A few players have provided valuable minutes to take a bit of the weight off of Luka, however. Tim Hardaway Jr. has had multiple 30+ point games and has been a huge spark plug off the bench when needed. Alongside him, rookie Derek Lively II has been a perfect pick-and-roll partner for Luka, producing athletic finishes at the rim. Not to mention the greatness of Kyrie Irving.
However, this has not been enough, with the team stuck in the 8–9th seed range. Hardaway Jr. has been very inconsistent, with many games lower than 10 points. Alongside that, Irving and Lively have been in and out of the lineup with injuries. Also, the wins the Dallas Mavericks have gotten are mostly due to the ridiculous numbers Luka tends to put up to win. To make a push for a championship, Luka needs less on his shoulders. The trades for P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford help immensely.
Dallas Mavericks Trade Deadline Acquisitions
P.J. Washington has been rotting away in Charlotte until now. Over the past 5 seasons, Washington has looked great for Charlotte at times; granted, he is a shining light in a cave of darkness on the Hornets. He has exploded multiple times for 30+ points, along with providing great defense at 6’7. Since acquiring him, even though his shooting splits have been under par, he has been a +51 for Dallas. This proves how valuable a player he is, even without scoring the ball.
Even though Daniel Gafford has spent his time on the Washington Wizards, he has always been a respectable center. At the age of 25, he is very athletic, a great rebounder, and has averaged 2.2 blocks per game. He greatly fits the Dallas Mavericks as a defensively-minded athletic center. Resorting to starting Dwight Powell when Lively is out has been awful. With Gafford on the team, Lively’s load significantly lessens with another reliable center. Alongside them, Maxi Kleber provides valuable minutes by spreading the floor in the center position.
Discovering the Perfect Lineups
Jason Kidd’s coaching is as inconsistent as that of Tim Hardaway Jr., especially after the collapse of the team last season. This directly affects the lineups, with players like Josh Green going from being a valuable starter to getting DNPs. There is also a major lack of offensive plays. Most of the offense revolves around Luka or Kyrie making something happen. If the Dallas Mavericks want any chance of winning it all, Kidd has to step up as an offensive coach.
Even though the Dallas Mavericks’ defensive rating is 19th this season, Kidd’s defensive coaching is great. At the beginning of the season, they were one of the best defenses in the league. After the all-star break, the defense should be as good as they were at the start.
For the Dallas Mavericks to make a push to the Finals, Luka cannot be relied on solely for the offense. At times, the lack of offensive plays with other players is running him into the ground. With Kyrie and the acquisitions of P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford, hopefully, some plays can be drawn up to not involve Luka as much. And with the small sample size of 3 games since the trade deadline, Luka’s usage rate has gone down considerably.
The Mavericks need to make just a few changes for them to make a deep playoff run. And, with players like Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, anything is possible.
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