DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) - Mavericks owner Mark Cuban provided some interesting insight on the relationship between the team's two stars, Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, when he joined the K&C Masterpiece Thursday afternoon on 105.3 The Fan.
Cuban also gave the guys and the fans some clarity on his thoughts regarding the future of the organization, in particular, the players that surround Luka and KP.
While referencing comments other prominent NBA personalities such as Charles Barkley and Shaq have made about how the Mavs championship aspirations aren't realistic because they put too much pressure on Doncic by relying on him to make a play on most of their trips down the floor, Cuban was asked if he bought into that critic of his team or if that's just the nature of the NBA today?
"If you look at the way we're built right now, we're really dependent on our role players to step up and do those things because Luka does have the ball a lot. Which is why when you see him come out, JB (Brunson) goes in and JB's usage rate is through the roof. And when Luka and JB are playing together you see JB have a high usage rate, and then you see KP have a high usage rate as well. KP can get a shot off pretty much anytime he wants, particularly from three. So, yeah, we want to get somebody who could reduce some of that pressure on Luka, particularly at the end of the game. But we got guys who are stepping into that role right now."
But what kind of a player could fill the role Cuban is speaking of? 105.3 The Fan has speculated on a number of candidates who are set to become free agents this coming offseason. Those names included John Collins, Victor Oladipo and Lonzo Ball. But might there be a player we should be paying more attention to? How about San Antonio Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan?
What do we know about DeRozan? We know that his midrange game and his driving abilities are among the best in the NBA. He also has the ability to make a clutch shot at the end of the game, which Mavericks fans know all too well.
We also know that the biggest knock on the 31-year-old is his inability to knock down three-pointers consistently (career 28% shooter), which is something the Mavericks value with Doncic controlling the ball and looking to find open shooters when he attacks the rim.
However, according to Cuban, the Mavs just might be open to such a player if it's the right fit.
"I mean, it just depends on what they're good at," Cuban said when asked if they would consider adding a player who wasn't a good three-point shooter. "If you have a specific, unique skill that adds value to our team then there's a chance we're going to be interested in you. Now, you may not play 30 minutes a game. You might be situational like Boban (Marjanović). ... If there's a superstar that may not be a great three-point shooter that's not gonna stop us because there's a variety of ways we can make it fit."
Sounds familiar...
And with a player pool that has shrunken considerably after several of the top names re-upped with their current teams this season, the Mavs would be wise to get their hands on DeRozan to help alleviate some of the pressure on Doncic for the next few years.
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