When the Dallas Mavericks had Luka Doncic, they traded for Kyrie Irving, but the supporting cast just wasn’t quite good enough to get over the hump. Fast forward to now, and the Los Angeles Lakers are in a very similar position. They have Doncic. They have Austin Reaves. They just need to avoid the same mistake the Mavs made: Not having a good enough supporting cast.
This summer will be a crucial one for the Lakers as they look to build around Doncic’s future with the team. But Dallas knows better than anyone how important the supporting cast can be when building around Doncic. They weren’t able to do it. They got to the Finals, then lost.
The Lakers need to be better than that.
Lakers need to do what the Mavericks couldn't when building around LUka Doncic this summer
At the time they made it, the Mavericks were criticized for trading for Irving. But by the time Doncic and Irving got into the swing of things, the deal seemingly paid off.
Doncic and Irving made a Finals appearance together but ultimately lost to the Boston Celtics. The two star guards just weren’t enough for the Mavs to get the job done on the league’s biggest stage.
PJ Washington was solid for that team. Derrick Jones Jr. was decent. Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford were quality big men. But in the end, the Mavericks’ depth wasn’t enough.
Now, heading into this summer with potential cap space and plenty of trade chances, the Lakers have the opportunity to build around Doncic in a similar way to how Dallas did.
Luckily for LA, they don’t have to trade for a secondary star to play next to Doncic. All they have to do is re-sign Reaves this summer, and from there, they can figure out the depth.
But that could be the hard part for the Lakers. They need to add a perfect blend of big-man talent, defense, and three-point shooting. All while also considering extra shot creation.
LA has trade assets to get there, and if LeBron James leaves in free agency, they could have some decent cap space to help them achieve those goals, too.
Doncic is an elite talent. He’s capable of winning a championship as the best player on a team. But he needs the right roster around him in order to get there.
The Mavericks were unable to give him that perfect roster. The Lakers have a chance to do it this summer, though it won’t be easy.
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