The Dallas Mavericks are kicking the tires of a new era. Masai Ujiri and Dusty May will team up to try to lead the team back to the mountaintop, and while that will be easier said than done, they may not be that far behind.
It'll all depend on what route they decide to take. They can take the long road by trading Kyrie Irving and other veterans and get back to the drawing board, building around Cooper Flagg for years to come.
However, they could also look to speed things up by revamping their already solid starting lineup. If that's the case, then making a run at Jaylen Brown would probably be the wisest thing they could do right now. Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report seems to think a splash for Brown isn't as extreme as some Mavs fans may think.
"If Brown is going to be dealt, the Mavs would be remiss in not taking a crack at him. Though adding a pricey vet would cut against Dallas' youth-driven reorientation around Cooper Flagg and former Michigan head coach Dusty May, the potential of Flagg, Brown and Kyrie Irving together is hard to dismiss."
The Mavs can jump start their rebuild by starting with Jaylen Brown
The Mavericks already have Irving, Dereck Lively II, Flagg, and Morez Johnson Jr. Adding Brown to that lineup would immediately raise their floor and ceiling, giving them one of the most stacked starting fives in the game.
Brown already knows what it's like to team up with Kyrie, and while his tenure with the Celtics didn't end well, they always seemed to have a good relationship on and off the court. Also, it's been years, and plenty has transpired since then.
While some may argue that Brown isn't a true 1A, he doesn't need to be that in Boston. Instead, he'd bring his well-documented defensive expertise while also dropping 20+ points a night, just like he did to earn Finals MVP honors years ago, coincidentally against the Mavericks.
Of course, the Celtics will most likely ask for a true king's ransom, and the Mavericks may not want to put themselves in that position. They may lean toward a younger team and preserve draft capital for Flagg's supporting cast.
Still, it's hard to believe they'd keep Irving if that's the path they're choosing. Irving is an aging guy who may not want to be a part of a rebuilding process, so, if they want to keep him around -- and happy -- they might have no choice but to go all-in and try to see this group's true ceiling right away.
The best thing about their position is that the Mavs have options. There are multiple ways to build a championship contender, and they have the assets and the wiggle room to figure out which avenue works best for them.
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