NBA Power Rankings: Where Do Mavs Fall After Trade Deadline?
There was no shortage of changes that took place around the NBA ahead of the trade deadline. Ben Simmons will be playing basketball again, James Harden is now paired up with Joel Embiid, and the Dallas Mavericks moved on from Kristaps Porzingis, among many other moves.
In exchange for Porzingis and a second-round pick, the Mavericks received Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans from the Wizards. Dallas is valued two smaller bad deals for players that could perhaps fill a helpful role over potentially being stuck with Porzingis if he suffers another major injury.
There are some who view the Mavericks as having taken a step back as a team after moving Porzingis to the Wizards. Others feel that when factoring in consistent injury concerns, moving Porzingis will not end up being a bad thing.
When creating an NBA Power Rankings Post-Trade Deadline Edition, Sports Illustrated's Elizabeth Swinton ranked the Mavericks 11th in the league—one spot below their previous ranking in the prior edition.
Swinton took note of the 'surprising deal' the Mavericks made to part with Porzingis, but is interested to see how the new additions fit alongside Luka Donic.
"The Mavericks officially bid adieu to the Kristaps Porzingis era after trading him to the Wizards for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans. It was a surprise deal from the Mavericks, who get rid of the oft-injured Porzingis and add guard depth in Dinwiddie," Swinton wrote.
"It will be interesting to see how the new additions will impact the team’s chemistry. Luka Doncic has been on a scoring tear, but the Mavs will welcome any offensive help they can get to take some of that load off him."
There is certainly a wide range of possibilities for the Mavericks when it comes to how Dinwiddie and Bertans will impact the team. Dinwiddie is coming off a torn ACL and is working his way back into form while Bertans' one-dimensional skill-set fell out of favor in D.C.
Regardless, the Mavericks adding greater threats on offense to a second-unit that scored four points against the LA Clippers on Saturday should at least bring a boost.
Luka Doncic has played at an MVP level since not voted in as an All-Star Starter in late January. If he can receive more support when he's off the court, the Mavericks would experience improved results.
