This Mavericks-Pelicans sign-and-trade features Lonzo Ball

Dallas Mavericks, Lonzo Ball, New Orleans Pelicans, NBA Trade Rumors
NBA Analysis Network

Luka Doncic at just 22-years-old is a face of the NBA and he is only going to get better! The Dallas Mavericks have their star of the present and future in Doncic, but finding more talent to surround him with will be vital over the next few years. 

At some point in his career, Luka Doncic is going to win the league’s MVP award and be considered one of the best players in the entire league, but in order for the Mavericks to win a title, he is going to need some more help. Kristaps Porzingis has been just okay since coming to Dallas, but overall, he really is not the answer for them. 

The Mavericks could look to trade Porzingis this offseason, but with him being owed $101.5M over the next three years, it is almost impossible to believe that any team in the league will want to trade for the Latvian big man. As a result the Mavs are stuck with him, which is a good and bad thing. 

Knee injuries have limited Porzingis’ production, but overall, he can still be one of the main contributors for Dallas moving forward, he just cannot take on all the burden of being the #2 options next to Doncic. Finding someone else that can take a lot of pressure off of the Mavs’ young star is going to be a key for them this offseason, which is why Lonzo Ball could be a realistic target for them. 

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Ball is a restricted free agent this offseason and the Pelicans do have the ability to match any offer sheet he signs, which is why he is a prime sign-and-trade candidate for a handful of teams around the league, the Mavericks included. He will surely be a name to watch in rumors as the NBA offseason gets rolling.

Entering the 2020-21 season, many people believed Lonzo Ball was nothing more than a ball-dominant point guard, but he proved to everybody that he is more than capable of playing off-the-ball as well, as he shot a career-high 37.8% from beyond-the-arc this season. 

Dallas needs shooters, they need scorers and they need a guy who can take a lot of pressure off of Luka Doncic, which is why Lonzo Ball could be their guy. Let’s take a look at a possible sign-and-trade deal this offseason between the Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans involving the young combo-guard. 

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