The Mavericks thought they had found their starting center when they agreed to terms with DeAndre Jordan. Then "The DeCommitment" happened. Now Dallas has a huge hole in its starting lineup with limited options to fix it. Most of the quality free agents have agreed to contracts elsewhere, so Dallas has ample cap room but no one to sign who could come close to providing what they were expecting from Jordan.
4 ways the Mavericks can replace DeAndre Jordan with a trade or in free agency
The Mavericks need a starting center and will have to get creative to land one. Here are some of the more realistic options.
Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
With only Dirk Nowitzki, Jeremy Evans, Dwight Powell and rookie Satnam Singh under contract at the big men spots, the Mavericks will have to be resourceful and figure out a way to fill out their rotation with enough quality players to avoid fading from the playoff picture. Here are some of their options.
Free agency
Enes Kanter (restricted)
Kanter has the best combination of production and upside of all remaining free agent big men. After being traded from the Jazz to the Thunder, the Turkish center averaged 19 points and 11 rebounds, proving to be a weapon both in the post and on pick-and-rolls. He's only 23 years old and at 6'11 and 245 pounds, he's more than capable of providing a physical presence inside.
The problem with Kanter is his atrocious defense. He doesn’t have the lateral quickness or the fundamentals to defend on the perimeter and was one of the worst rim protectors in the league among players his size. With Dirk Nowitzki really showing his age on the defensive end, Kanter is not a great fit. The Mavericks would also have to max him out and hope the Thunder don’t match, since he is a restricted free agent.
If they are looking for talent alone, Kanter is their best option but it doesn’t look like that’s a direction the Mavericks plan on going.
The former Wizards' center is not a flashy name but could be a cost-effective signing. The Mavericks have been linked to him already and he could be had for only a portion of their remaining cap space. Seraphin is not really starter material at this point but could be a nice piece to have if Dallas decides to go with depth over raw talent.
Serpahin is an above-average rim protector and post defender who scores efficiently. He won’t get to the line much and he doesn’t have the tools to really anchor a defense, but he could give the Mavericks solid production for 20 minutes a game. Also, he’s only 25 years old. The key will be for him to buy into his role and not to try to do too much since he can be a bit of a black hole on offense sometimes.
If the idea is to go with a platoon approach, signing Seraphin is not a bad place to start.
Other options: Jordan Hill, JaVale McGee, Kendrick Perkins.
Trade
The Timberwolves just drafted Karl-Anthony Towns and have Gorgui Dieng, Kevin Garnett, Nemanja Bjelica, Adreian Payne and Anthony Bennett under contract. They would likely be happy to unload Pekovic's $12 million a year contract for a marginal asset and go forth with their youth movement.
Pekovic can score in the post and on pick-and-rolls and is an excellent offensive rebounder. He’s slow-footed but puts energy into his defense. Unfortunately, he’s neither long nor athletic enough to provide the rim protection that is asked of modern centers. He’s also had recurring ankle injuries, which might never go away.
Pekovic is a more polished version of Kanter and his contract won’t be prohibitively high under the new cap, but Dallas would need to find a defensive-minded backup as insurance.
The Bulls are about to have a serious logjam in their big man rotation. Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol, Taj Gibson and Nikola Mirotic all deserve minutes and rookie Bobby Portis could use some playing time to develop. Noah is the spiritual leader of the team while Pau Gasol is the offensive star. Mirotic is on a fantastic value contract. That leaves Gibson as the odd man out.
The Bulls are close to the luxury tax and need a backup point guard, which means they might be amenable to unload the contracts of Gibson and Kirk Hinrich for the cheaper package of Devin Harris, Powell and a protected first round pick.
Gibson would give the Mavericks the versatile defender they need on a very affordable contract, allowing them to use their remaining cap space to bring in depth. On offense, Gibson is a serious downgrade over Tyson Chandler as a pick-and-roll finisher but can score in the post in a pinch. Losing Harris would mean having no starting point guard but those are easier to find than quality big men.
Other options: Chris Andersen, Chris Kaman, Zaza Pachulia.
★★★
There is no one available that can replace the production Dallas was hoping to get from Jordan but there are a few players -- both in free agency and likely available via trade -- who can man the center position for a season and keep the Mavericks relevant. Their front office is one of the most creative in the league and has $20 million in cap space to play with. If they make the right decisions, the season won’t be a lost one.
★★★
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