By: Turner Barnes
@Turnerbarnes5
Young Superstars Luka Doncic and Kirstaps Porzingis are looking to be the next great Mavericks duo. Photo Courtesy: Getty Images
As the clock struck 3:00 pm ET on Thursday, Feb. 7, 30 NBA fanbases cried out to the basketball gods. Some in relief, others in content, and for a few (*cough* Lakers fans) despair. The final hour before the NBA trade deadline was filled with deals announced via Twitter by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski including big moves like Toronto trading for Marc Gasol, East-frontrunner Bucks acquiring Nikola Mirotic, and former first-overall pick Markelle Fultz being shipped to Orlando. However, the most impactful moves came days and weeks before the deadline, and their impacts will only be seen years down the road.
The Dallas Mavericks were 23-27 after a 24 point beatdown of the New York Knicks. Dallas wasn’t going to make the playoffs, but there was a small light of hope in the future personified by 19-year-old Luka Doncic. Doncic, a shoo-in for Rookie of the Year, has electrified Dallas and the league with his late-game heroics and step-back threes. Doncic was a critical piece for the Mavericks’ future but obviously couldn’t do it by himself. Mark Cuban realized the potential his young superstar gave his franchise and started making calls.
On Thursday, January 31, the Mavericks agreed to trade Dennis Smith Jr., Deandre Jordan, Wesley Matthews, and 2 future first-round picks for Courtney Lee, Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Kristaps Porzingis. To make this trade work, Dallas bit the bullet on Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee’s massive contracts ($19M and $12M respectively this year) erasing any and all cap space they planned on having this offseason. Regardless, Dallas had its Euro Duo and Mark Cuban was fully intent on keeping them together. When asked at the introductory press conference if Porzingis was planning on signing a long-term deal, Cuban said, “Our goal is to keep them together for the next 20 years." Porzingis also claimed the two were on the same page. While Porzingis will not play for the remainder of the 2018/19 season due to an ACL tear last February, the 23-year-old has MVP-caliber talent when healthy. This trade gave Dallas fans even more to be excited about in the future, but Cuban wasn’t done yet.
Six days later, during a 99-93 win over the Charlotte Hornets, news broke that Dallas was sending starting forward Harrison Barnes to the Sacramento Kings for Justin Jackson and Zach Randolph. The move got $30M dollars back into the Mavericks’ pocket to sign a big-time free agent over the summer. Harrison Barnes was a good player for Dallas, averaging 18.7 PPG while wearing the Royal and Navy, but the move puts the Mavericks in prime position as they look toward a new era. Typically a team that trades four of their five starters in a six-day span would be called “sellers” and would start the rebuilding process, however, the Dallas Mavericks are in better position now than they have been in a very long time and are the winners of this year’s trade deadline extravaganza.
Historically, Dallas has missed out on superstar free agents time and time again, but with Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis anchoring the team and plenty of cap space to sign a star, Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks are armed and ready to make a run at the Larry O’Brien trophy for years to come.