Although they lost the finals, the Mavericks have been successful enough to reach this position this year! No one could have imagined that they would make it to the finals after two trades in February! From the five games of the finals, the biggest surprise of the Mavericks is still the first-year rising star Lively! During the Finals, he averaged 6.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 1 steal in 22.5 minutes per game, shooting 73.3/100/42.9% from three. He's the Mavericks' best interior rim protector! The basket has a strong ability to take chances! The most important thing is that the mentality he embodies on the court is not at all like a rookie player, very mature! The team also set out to change the flaws revealed in the finals! Cuban first targeted the Warrior Klay!
Cuban is preparing to sign Klay for 3 years and 80 million
After losing the Finals, the American media broke the news that the Mavericks deeply understood that one of the biggest factors in the loss of the Finals was the lack of the team's three-point ability, so they set their sights on Klay Thompson, as the league's top scorer! Klay's 11-year career three-point shooting percentage was also 38%! He and Curry have created miracles one after another! This season, Klay is averaging 17.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game! When he comes to Eastern Europe, all he needs to do is play his duties as a 3D player! Doncic and Irving's strong containment ability will create a lot of open shooting opportunities for him! This is the easiest thing for Klay, who has seen countless big scenes, at present, Klay and the Warriors have been in trouble over the renewal of the contract, leaving is already a sure thing, and he will be reused after coming to the Mavericks, and his three-point ability is the most lacking link of the Mavericks!
Poor performance in the Finals, Horford was put on the shelf!
After Gafford came to the Finals, he completely lost his level, and even the 38-year-old Horford could beat him! It's really hard to accept! In the Western Conference finals, he can average 2.6 blocks per game against the Timberwolves, and only 0.6 in the Finals! This kind of performance of his is obviously unacceptable! According to the relevant Dallas media, the team is interested in putting Gafford on the shelf and straightening Lively! Although Irving played abnormally in the Finals, how many teams in the league have outside defensive resources like the Celtics? And White will also leave the team with a high probability! Doncic will grow further after this year's experience, and Lively's rookie bonus is still 3 years away! What the Mavericks have to do is to strengthen the team with Eastern Europe + Lively as the core framework! In the next two or three years, it will be very competitive! Gafford who was put on the shelf also attracted many teams, including the Clippers, to scramble! We all know that the interior is the weakest link of the Clippers! If Horford can really be signed, the offensive and defensive capabilities of the Clippers' interior line will be greatly improved, and coming to Harden's side will also eat cake until he vomits!
Trade Hardaway Jr. + Kolebel!
Hardaway Jr. is very embarrassed in the current Mavericks system, he must have strength, but it is really difficult for him to get a chance next to the Eastern European group, and there is a stronger impact Hardy on the team's bench, whether it is for the Mavericks or Hardaway himself, leaving is the best choice! And Kleber has proven himself to be a real embarrassment many times, as a spatial interior lineman he shot 1 of 6 three-pointers during the Finals! And most of them are absolutely empty balls! This kind of bad performance will certainly not be left behind! The defensive end is also a black hole on the court, as a comparison, you can look at Celtic's Hauser!
So here's the question, what do you think of the Clippers of Jr. + George + Harden + Powell + Gafford ! Against the Mavericks of Lively + Doncic + Irving + Jones + Klay! Which team is more competitive?