Stop me if you've heard this familiar refrain before: The Dallas Mavericks finished second in landing their top free agent target. Over the years, Dallas has often always been the bridesmaid but never the bride when it comes to free agency. On one instance, they had a verbal agreement from DeAndre Jordan only for him to change his mind after a contingent of Los Angeles Clippers players drove to his house and convinced him to stay in Los Angeles. Each summer, Mark Cuban and the rest of the Mavs' brass say they're going fishing for a big fish, only to end up catching a sardine rather than a bluefin tuna (look it up, those fish are huge).
This time around, the player that slipped through their fingers was Kyle Lowry, who ended up with the Miami Heat in a sign-and-trade with the Toronto Raptors that sent Goran Dragic and Precious Achiuwa north of the border to pair Lowry alongside longtime friend Jimmy Butler in South Beach. Apparently, though, Lowry's second option was the Mavericks, according to the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson:
"We're told Dallas finished second behind the Heat for Lowry; he was intrigued by the Mavericks, who were willing to meet his price tag, but he preferred playing with Butler in Miami. New Orleans was willing to go to $90 million over three years or more, according to a source, but Lowry never leaned toward going there, according to the source. Lowry took three years and $85 million from Miami."
Bummer. The Mavericks have been trying for the past few summers to land a secondary ballhandler to pair alongside franchise superstar Luka Doncic, and Lowry would've been the perfect fit. His veteran leadership and championship experience would've brought a real level of respect within the locker room, his defense and craftiness on that end of the floor would've ignited Dallas to play better than a 21st-ranked defense in the league. Lowry would've also taken some of the pressure and responsibility off Doncic's shoulders, something that he's severely needed in each of the Mavs' back-to-back first-round exits in the postseason.
But it sounds like this came down to friendship, and that'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's suiting up in blue next season as the money was right for him to head to Dallas. However, it takes more than money in this league, as we've seen countless times with friends teaming up all over the NBA in recent years.
It's the latest in a long line of Dallas finishing second to getting the player they put all their chips on, and at some point you have to wonder what is it going to take for the Mavericks to finally land one of their sought-after players. For now, they'll just have to rely on the moves they've made so far in the offseason to move the needle next season, including signing 3-and-D player Reggie Bullock and Sterling Brown, who is equally as skilled at shooting it from deep. If Doncic's star continues to rise, and the Olympics showed quite literally that he's capable of being the best player on the planet, then maybe guys will naturally want to come play with him in the coming years. But that isn't happening yet, and finishing second in free agency isn't winning the Mavericks any awards.
