The Mavericks have found a cornerstone for the future in Luka Doncic. How do they take the next step in aligning their timeline with his?
The Dallas Mavericks’ future is Luka Doncic. Not only did the Mavericks take him — and trade a future pick to the Hawks in order to get him — but he’s really, really good at age 19. Maybe this isn’t a surprise considering how good he was for Real Madrid. But he’s doing it in the NBA now and there’s no denying that he’s a franchise-defining talent.
With that established, it also means that every move Dallas makes in the years to come has to be about giving itself the best chance to win with Doncic. This season has a fun B-plot of Dirk Nowitizki’s last ride, but Doncic is the heir apparent to Nowitizki for the Mavericks. The goal for the franchise now is to win more than the one title it won with Dirk.
This will not be a one-year (or one trade deadline) process, but it could start before and on Feb. 7, this year’s trade deadline. With that in mind, here are five trades the Mavericks could make to aid their Doncic-led future.