[The following submission is from the Dallas Mavericks, run by students in the mock deadline practicum at the SBC Las Vegas Immersive.]

Assignment: Dallas Mavericks

Team Members: Hovo Keseyan, Orlando Johnson, Colleen Finney, Tega Paul, Hubert Radke

The initial step to improving the Dallas Mavericks was firmly establishing our immediate goal. The Mavericks intend to win at least one championship within the next three seasons. The team has needs, but last year’s deep playoff run was not a fluke. We must improve rebounding to mitigate cold shooting streaks. Our roster struggled to contain post threats. Any fixes would also need to maintain the team’s existing depth on the perimeter. We also had to respond to the loss of Jalen Brunson, though not necessarily through direct replacement.

Before engaging with other teams, we assessed our current roster. We weren’t comfortable with  Christian Wood as our primary rim protector and defender against elite post threats. We felt similarly about Dwight Powell and Maxi Kleber. While JaVale McGee can perform in that role, the goal would be to limit him to roughly 18 minutes a game as a high-energy reserve. We decided to slot Wood at power forward.

Our staff was confident in the perimeter defense of Dorian Finney-Smith, Reggie Bullock, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Kleber. Each provides spot-up shooting, a perfect fit for Dončić.

It became clear that Myles Turner fit our plan perfectly, turning our post defense and rim protection weaknesses into strengths. He would improve our rebounding without sacrificing our goal of four spot-up shooters around Dončić.

We initially reached a stalemate with the Indiana Pacers, the team demanding two unprotected first-round picks for Turner. The goal was to protect both selections since they would convey after Dončić’s contract expires.

The alternative was to focus on replacing Brunson with another ball-handling, shot-creating guard like Terry Rozier, Jordan Clarkson, Mike Conley Jr., Collin Sexton, or Eric Gordon. None would improve our rebounding and rim protection, so we also explored deals for Jakob Poeltl, Richaun Holmes and Jonathan Isaac. The asking price for an expiring Poeltl was also two unprotected firsts, but Poeltl wouldn’t stretch the floor as well as Turner. We felt similarly about Richaun Holmes, who might have to sit in crucial playoff moments.

Eventually, we negotiated to protect one of the two picks (2027 unprotected, 2029 with top-10 protection) for Turner. If Dončić plays through his contract, the 2027 protection wouldn’t be as necessary as the 2029 protection. We understood the risk, should we feel compelled to trade the All-Star before his contract expires, in fear that he may leave in free agency.

Immediately after acquiring Turner, we agreed to an extension, ensuring we have him for a three-year window. This took the pressure off of extending Wood, who we weren’t as confident in committing to long-term just yet.

We kept Jaden Hardy, who could become a viable sixth-man scorer. We opened a roster spot and will look for players off waivers or buyouts for guard depth or as an injury replacement. We even added two second-round picks for Frank Ntilikina from the Los Angeles Lakers.

We’ve built a team around an improved defensive philosophy/Brunson’s success led many to believe his playstyle was a perfect fit, but our analysis shows that his high level of play led to success in spite of fit. Driving offense through Wood should open more scoring options in a two-man game with Dončić through the pick-and-pop, pick-and-roll, lobs, or feeding a post-up mismatch.

Brunson took advantage of guards like Donovan Mitchell, Chris Paul, and Jordan Poole, whom Dončić and Spencer Dinwiddie could already take advantage of. Wood and Turner now allow us to take advantage of mismatches elsewhere.

We envision a playoff rotation with eight core players that can play in any matchup, with the flexibility to substitute McGee or Davis Bertans as specialists. We addressed last year’s shortcomings and provided Dončić the support to lead us to glory.

Trade 1

  • Dallas received: Wenyen Gabriel, 2023 second-rounder, 2025 second-rounder
  • Los Angeles Lakers received: Frank Ntilikina.

Trade 2

  • Dallas received: Myles Turner.
  • Indiana received: Dwight Powell, Wenyen Gabriel ($142,000 guaranteed), Josh Green, a 2027 unprotected first-round pick, a 2029 top-10 protected (else converts to a second-rounder) first-round pick.

Other

  • Extended Myles Turner to a $38 million extension, adding two additional seasons.
  • Signed Tristan Thompson to a one-year veteran minimum deal.

Final Roster

PG: Luka Dončić, Spencer Dinwiddie, Jaden Hardy
SG: Tim Hardaway Jr, Reggie Bullock, Theo Pinson
SF: Dorian Finney-Smith, Davis Bertans
PF: Christian Wood, Maxi Kleber, Moses Wright (two-way)
C: Myles Turner, JaVale McGee, Tristan Thompson

— Hovo Keseyan