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Stop me if you’ve heard that familiar refrain before: The Dallas Mavericks finished second with their best free agent target. Over the years, Dallas has often always been the bridesmaid, but never the bride when it comes to agency. In one case, they had a verbal agreement from DeAndre Jordan only to change his mind after a contingent of Los Angeles Clippers players visited his home and convinced him to stay in Los Angeles. Every summer, Mark Cuban and the rest of the Mavs team say they go catch a big fish, only to end up catching a sardine rather than a bluefin tuna (look, those fish are huge).
This time around, the player who eluded them was Kyle Lowry, who ended up with the Miami Heat in a signing-and-trade deal with the Toronto Raptors that sent Goran Dragic and Precious Achiuwa north of the border to pair Lowry with a longtime friend. Jimmy Butler in South Beach. Apparently, however, Lowry’s second option was the Mavericks, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald:
“We’re told Dallas finished second behind the Heat for Lowry; he was intrigued by the Mavericks, who were willing to pay his price, but he preferred to play with Butler in Miami. New Orleans was willing to go to $ 90 million. of dollars over three years or more, according to a source, but Lowry never bent over to go, according to the source. Lowry took three years and $ 85 million in Miami. “
Pity. The Mavericks have tried over the past few summers to land a second ball player to pair alongside franchise superstar Luka Doncic, and Lowry would have been the perfect fit. His veteran leadership and championship experience would have brought a real level of respect in the locker room, his defense and cunning at this end of the field would have ignited Dallas to play better than a defense ranked 21st in the league. Lowry also reportedly took some of the pressure and responsibility off Doncic’s shoulders, which he badly needs in each of the Mavs’ first round playoff outings in a row.
But it seems like it comes down to friendship, and it’s hard to beat if you’re Dallas. If the Heat didn’t have one of Lowry’s best friends on their team, there’s a chance he’ll dress in blue next season because the money was just to get him to Dallas. However, it takes more than money in this league, as we have seen countless times with friends teaming up across the NBA in recent years.
This is the latest in a long line of Dallas finishing second to get the player they put all their chips on, and at some point you have to be wondering what it will take for the Mavericks to finally land the one of their wanted players. For now, they’ll just have to build on the moves they’ve made so far in the offseason to move the needle next season, including the signing of the 3-and-player. D Reggie Bullock and Sterling Brown, who is equally adept at shooting. that of depth. If the Doncic star continues to rise and the Olympics have literally shown that he is capable of being the best player on the planet, then maybe the guys will naturally want to come and play with him for years to come. But that’s not happening yet, and finishing second in free agency doesn’t win any awards for the Mavericks.
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