The NBA free agency is fast approaching and with the market being more competitive than ever, it's never too early to prepare.
The Dallas Mavericks failed to make their big splash last year when they almost nailed a big name in DeAndre Jordan. Will that development hinder Mark Cuban in his pursuit of big names?
Probably not. Cuban is wired to have a big time franchise and he wants to have the biggest names in his roster. However, he may have to temper his expectations after the Jordan fiasco last season.
The Mavs will still request meetings with the big fish, but that will probably not include Kevin Durant after the former MVP's salty comments against Cuban in their first round face off. While there was criticism for his "Westbrook is not a superstar" comment, some analysts thought that this was his strategy to drive a wedge between Durant and Westbrook with the long-term goal of having KD leave OKC. If that was indeed Cuban's plan, it backfired on him and it's best that they move on from KD at this point.
The panel of experts at NBA.com convened to talk about who the Mavs should pursue this offseason and their chances to sign their targets.
Almost all of the eight writers named Dwight Howard as a good fit. John Schuhmann mentioned that he could have more of the touches he wanted (but never got) in Houston.
"Rick Carlisle is the man for the job and the Mavs have multiple pick-and-roll ball-handlers who can get Howard the ball in position to score, as well as shooters who can space the floor around him," Schumann said.
The Mavs were building a team centered on a big man. They pursued Howard before and Jordan last year. They could still give the big man a try. Steve Aschburner noted that there aren't too many alternatives, not to mention D12 could revive his career.
"In a storybook world, Dwight Howard would move up from Houston, stir some early-career echoes and remind everyone what a force he was in Orlando," Aschburner said. "Failing that, I'd go for Joakim Noah over Hassan Whiteside because of Noah's fire inside vs. Whiteside's unknowns with big minutes and big money. Not sure Noah's a Texas type of guy, though."
This sentiment was also mentioned by Dallas Mavericks team site Mavs Moneyball who classified Kevin Durant, Al Horford and Mike Conley in the "not happening" category. For them, it is also a toss between Dwight, Noah and Whiteside. Whiteside is most likely staying in Miami if they find a way to pay him the max. If they can't, the Lakers are predicted to be his next option.
It's too bad that they are pessimistic for Conley as he would have been a good fit. Ian Thomsen mentioned in NBA.com that "the Mavs should be making a hard run at Mike Conley Jr. He is a tremendous leader who would bond instantly with Nowitzki and bridge the Mavericks to a new era."
The reality is that Conley is most likely to stay in Memphis, especially since Marc Gasol is signed for the long term. Conley did appeal for the Grizzlies to make some changes, but if he is leaving, the New York teams (Knicks, Nets) will be very aggressive, not to mention Texas rival Houston Rockets.