'You get paid to win': Where do the Mavericks go from here?
Heading into game seven of the Dallas Mavericks’ first-round series with the Los Angeles Clippers, momentum wasn’t clearly on either side of the matchup. Dallas — after jumping out to a 2-0 lead — had allowed the star power of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to claw Los Angeles back into the series and eventually force a win-or-go-home finale.
What ensued Sunday afternoon inside the Staples Center is a textbook example of what it takes to sustain success in today’s NBA. Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, despite scoring a whopping 46 points, simply wasn’t enough to overcome the one-two combo that is Leonard and George.
The problem, however, isn’t strictly the fact that Dallas lost a series they were seemingly running away with after two games. Instead, it’s the daunting question that faces the organization after (yet again) failing to advance in the playoffs for the first time since its magical championship run in 2011: where do we go from here?
Heading into the 2020-2021 season, there was optimism in a potential playoff run for the Mavericks after a devastating — but yet competitive — first-round series loss to a Clippers team that was a heavy championship favorite in the Orlando bubble. With a fully healthy Kristaps Porzingis to compliment a rising megastar in Doncic, Dallas finally had a lethal duo of their own that could compete with the Lakers, Nets, and Clippers of the world.
And for a majority of the regular season, the formula worked. The Mavericks competed with the league’s best on a relatively consistent basis. In a top-heavy Western Conference in a shortened season, they landed the fifth seed and matched up with a familiar foe. This time around, there was an elevated sense of confidence that filled fans of the blue and green.
For the first two games, it was almost easy for Dallas. Doncic scored 31 and 39 in the meetings respectively, while the team went on to win by margins of ten and six. Pundits began to believe this series had the potential to end quick — and the exact opposite happened.
In games three through seven, fans saw the Mavericks team turn into a single player. Doncic was increasingly being forced to carry the load, while Porzingis practically disappeared on the stat sheet. Tim Hardaway Jr. was the lone consistent bright spot until game seven, where he shot an abysmal 36% from the field. Jalen Brunson provided the occasional sparkplug, but it was moot in effecting the outcome of games. Boban Marjanovic was serviceable in collecting rebounds — a trait Porzingis proved he doesn’t possess — but was a liability in the scoring department.
No matter how you look at it, Dallas’ roster needs a change. What this series showed more than anything else is the need for two high-caliber players to compete in the postseason. As long as the team has Luka under contract, they’ll always be competitive in the regular season. But if winning championships is the goal, one superstar won’t cut it in today’s NBA — whether it’s the Mavericks or any other team.
That’s what makes the underwhelming playoff performance that much more bitter for Dallas: they weren’t supposed to have this problem. When the team acquired Porzingis a few offseasons back, they fully believed they could compete for a title.
And as viewers saw with flying colors in game seven, that is far from the case.
Now, the Mavericks’ front office has reached a crossroads: do you make a move to trade Porzingis — who was compensated more than Giannis Antetokounmpo this season — in hopes for another big name? Or do you stick with him and look to build a stronger supporting cast?
The answer (as most would agree) is the former. It’s time for the team to move on from Porzingis in an attempt to create room for a player who knows, appreciates, and thrives in their role. If Dallas fails to make that happen, they could find themselves wasting Doncic’s career — and he knows the clock is ticking: "We made the playoffs twice since I've been here. We lost both times. At the end, you get paid to win. We didn't do it.”
Obviously, the supporting cast would still need to be just as strong as (if not stronger than) it was this season. Hardaway Jr. proved to be a reliable third option, with the ceiling of being a true number two every so often. Unfortunately for the Mavericks, his contract is up — and he’ll likely have bidders from around the league.
Balancing the monetary tie-ups and talent on the court will be tricky for the front office. But if Dallas wishes to compete, their roster will have to look considerably different come opening day of next season. Doncic can do many things… but he can’t do everything.