With the Phoenix Suns officially out of the NBA playoffs, news surrounding the future of superstar Kevin Durant is starting to heat up. Another team that made huge waves in the NBA and has stuck around in the news cycle, rightfully so, is the team just above them in the standings, the Dallas Mavericks.
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The Mavericks inexplicably sent young superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in a blockbuster trade that brought them back Anthony Davis, which angered fans. The Mavs and Lakers faced off Wednesday night, which consisted of the fans cheering for Doncic when he touched the ball and chanting for general manager Nico Harrison to be fired.
Overall, the trade created an awkward situation for the Mavericks, but according to one NBA insider, one trade could right the ship.
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With Kevin Durant likely on the trade block this offseason, the Mavericks could at least attempt to make things right and form a new big three of Davis, Durant, and Kyrie Irving, according to Kendrick Perkins and Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
On paper, at least that would make a lot of sense, and could make the Mavericks potential title contenders once again. However, Durant and Kyrie have been together in a big three before, and it didn’t work out too well.
The trade would be an interesting one from both perspectives, as the Mavericks could potentially put together a lineup of Irving, Klay Thompson, Durant, Davis, and Dereck Lively II. That seems like a potentially successful starting lineup, but it is older and would need bench help that may not exist after a trade of this magnitude.
The Suns would need to acquire picks mostly, as the Mavericks lack the young, enticing pieces to make a trade like this happen.
Essentially, the Mavericks would probably be happy to acquire the 36-year-old Durant since apparently they don’t want young superstars, but the Suns would probably prefer other teams to reach out to them for Durant, such as the Thunder or Rockets, who have way better assets.
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This would also likely not remove the negative stigma of trading away Doncic. Part of the appeal of Doncic was that the team drafted him, and he seemed happy there and willing to stay for a long time. After having Dirk Nowitzki, a foreign superstar who stuck with the team for his entire career, the team was looking forward to another player following suit.
While a Kevin Durant trade may help ease the fans a little, it is hard to imagine anything helping them recover from the trade of Luka Doncic.
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