The Dallas Mavericks will have a lot of money to throw at
free agents this summer, too bad there won’t be much to choose from. They may
still be able to acquire some decent talent though with two players looking to
reunite with their Dallas roots.
Deron Williams hasn’t been shy about his affinity for his
home state of Texas. Williams was a star athlete at The Colony High School
which is in the Dallas area and would be a major upgrade over the aging Jason
Kidd.
Kidd turned 39 in March and it shows when he’s on the floor.
The Mavericks have to match him up defensively with shooting guards and small
forwards since he no longer has the speed and quickness to chase some of the
leagues speedier point guards on a nightly basis. He will be a free agent this
summer so if the Mavericks decide to bring him back it will probably be as a reserve.
Jason Terry will also be a free agent this summer. He will
turn 35 before the 2012-2013 season starts but he already comes off the bench
so the Mavericks will probably bring him back if they can get him at a
reasonable price.
The Mavericks lost out on the Dwight Howard sweepstakes when
Howard decided to stay with the Orlando Magic through the duration of his
contract. It’s possible the Mavericks could sign some players to one-year
contracts and try to sign Howard again in 2013 but most likely they will explore
other options.
One option that may become available to them could be
Dallas-native Chris Bosh. Regardless of whether the Miami Heat win the
championship this year or not, chances are they will be looking to move Bosh
who has been an ill fit with stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
The Mavericks will be far enough under the cap to take Bosh’s
salary without involving another team or sending players back in return. While
bringing in Bosh may not sound like a very attractive option for Mavericks’
fans, Bosh could easily revive his career in Dallas.
Dallas is more of a shooting team than the Heat are. Bosh
would have a lot more room to operate in the paint since teams have to respect
Dirk Nowitzki’s outside shooting and Rick Carlisle would make sure Bosh was
better involved in the offense than he has been with the Heat.
Miami doesn’t run a lot of its offense through the post with
two wing players like James and Wade on the roster but the Mavericks like to
work the ball inside to create open shots for their dangerous outside shooters.
And if Williams is there it will also benefit Bosh since he
will have a true point guard to work with. Williams loves to work the pick and
roll which would help Bosh get easier baskets. Williams will also look for Bosh
on lobs to the basket and in transition.
So despite the slim pickings available in this summer’s free
agent market the Mavericks could still come out winners this offseason. And if
they can add more youth and talent to this team then they may be able to keep
their championship window open long enough for Nowitzki to snag another ring.
Roosevelt Hall is an NFL Blogger for The Sport Mentalist and an NBA Blogger for The Sport Mentalist 2. He is also a Sports Reporter for Pro Sports Lives. He can be contacted at RHall_TPFB@Yahoo.com and be sure to follow him on Twitter @sportmentalist.
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