Which Former Mavericks Player Will Join Dirk Nowitzki in the Hall of Fame Next?

Dirk Nowitzki is officially the newest Dallas Mavericks player in the NBA Hall of Fame.

Dirk became the sixth former Mavericks player to make the Hall of Fame, and probably only the third that people make any strong associations to the Mavericks for.

Let's take a closer look at all of the former Mavs in the Hall of Fame, as well as a prediction on who the next one will be.

List of Former Dallas Mavericks in the Hall of Fame

Former Mavericks head coach and GM Don Nelson is also in the Hall of Fame as a coach. Nelson coached from 1976 to 2009, and was the Mavs HC from 1997 to 2004.

Next Mavericks Player in the Hall of Fame Prediction

With Dirk having been such an obvious first-ballot choice, we're now pretty much set on the Hall of Fame status of most of the best players in Mavs history. It's clear at this point Mark Aguirre and Ronaldo Blackman aren't getting the nod, so that leaves a pretty wide-open question about who the next former Mav to make the Hall of Fame will be, and there are only a couple of options that really stand out right now, so I'll walk through all three possibilities.

Amar'e Stoudemire (Maverick during 2014 season)

Even some Mavericks fans may have forgotten that STAT was a Mav (and fair enough, those were not a memorable 23 games), and he's also probably the least likely to make the HoF among the guys I'm looking at.

Ultimately Stoudemire has been eligible since 2020, and it's hard to see him making it at this point despite Basketball-Reference giving him a 72.9% chance.

Stoudemire stuck around in the NBA long after his peak, which overshadowed some of the great work he did early in his career, but it’s really worth highlighting his accomplishments.

He was a key part of the Suns’ “seven seconds or less” offense, and playing in that system really hurt his chance at racking up the kind of dominant rebound numbers that other top big men of the time were able to. 

The six-time All-Star still averaged a strong 23.2 point and 8.8 boards with 1.5 blocks per game through his prime, shooting a .543 field goal percentage.

With just one first-team All-NBA selection and no NBA Championship rings, however, his lack of longevity and counting stats make it hard to make a serious case for him.

Shawn Marion (Maverick from 2009 through 2013 season)

The Matrix is one of those players who doesn't seem like an obvious Hall of Fame choice, but there's a real case to be made, especially because the NBA is a little more lenient with the definition of HoF-worthy than other sports.

Like Stoudemire, Marion doesn't have a ton of individual accolades (one championship, no first-team All-NBA selections), but his longevity, career numbers and well-rounded contributions could give him a better chance

Marion's all-time ranks in NBA history include:

• 85th in points (17,700)
• 41st in rebounds (10,101)
• 21st in steals (1,759)
• 59th in blocks (1,233)

Obviously that doesn't have him stand out as truly elite in any one category, but that kind of well-rounded portfolio on the wing really encapsulates the kind of versatile value he brought to the table.

Slightly ahead of STAT on their projections, Basketball-Reference gives Marion a 75.6% chance of making the Hall.

Vince Carter (Maverick from 2011 to 2014)

Vince Carter will be eligible for the first time on the upcoming 2024 Hall of Fame ballot, and it's not a particularly good year for first-timers.

Carter is up over 90% on Basketball-Reference's Hall of Fame probability chart, and it's not hard to see why.

His peak wasn't anything crazy, but he did make All-NBA second team once and third team once, and he's a 6-time All-Star. His longevity was also truly incredible, and his 1,541 games played are the third-most for any player in NBA history, trailing only Robert Parish and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

That helped him quietly reach No. 25 on the NBA's all-time scoring list (25,728 points).

And of course, his 2000 Slam Dunk contest performance remains one of the most iconic performances in NBA history.

I'm not going to go as far as to call Carter a lock to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but I'd be absolutely shocked if he's not.

Luka Doncic (Maverick from 2018 to present)

Obviously not a "former Maverick" yet, it's certainly premature to name Doncic a surefire Hall of Famer or anything. But when we look at the other options on this list, it's well worth considering the potential that Luka could have the best shot.

Doncic is already a four-time NBA All-First team selection, won Rookie of the Year the only season he wasn't All-NBA, and while he's yet to win MVP, he has certainly been in the conversation and is expected to remain in the conversation for the foreseeable future.

To date, the only NBA MVPs not in the Hall of Fame are currently active players who just aren't eligible yet. In fact, there are only 15 former All-NBA first teamers eligible for the Hall that haven't made it.

So it's early to call Luka a lock, fine, but it would take a seriously shocking career blow-up to keep him out.

Mavericks Next Hall-of-Famer Prediction

The question of who will be the Mavericks next Hall of Famer then can be reduced down a little bit to "will Shawn Marion or Vince Carter make the Hall of Fame?" If either of them does it will be before Luka, and if they don't Luka is the obvious answer.

Marion and Vince benefit from the upcoming classes of first-time eligible players not being especially stacked. Joining them on the ballot in 2024 are guys like Joakim Noah, Tyson Chandler and Jamal Crawford.

We've had some packed first-time classes lately, but thing cool off a bit this year with Vince being the only really intriguing first-year option. Marion should become one of the favorites of the next couple classes. Ultimately I think he gets in within the next couple years.

So who comes first, Vince or Marion? I think it ends up happening at the same time, and I have Vince and Marion both making it in 2024 .

So while Luka will be a Hall of Famer when all is said and done, Carter and Marion will be the next Mavs inducted.

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