Lion Pride Newspaper
6th Edition Friday, April 12, 2019
Sports Section Mavs In the Future The Dallas Mavericks have wrapped up their season with a 33-49 record, and 40-year-old legend Dirk Nowitzki has officially announced his retirement. This leaves a spot for a younger generation to start building the franchise next year, and drafting 20-year-old rookie sensation Luka Doncic last year is a beginning to that. The Mavs also traded three of their starters in a deal that gave the Mavericks 23-year-old all-star Kristaps Porzingis from the Knicks, and he will be a very good for Luka especially as he uses the pick-and-roll. They also have cleared a lot of cap space for free agency this summer, and a young shooter such as Milwaukee Bucks’ Khris Middleton would be a great addition. The Mavs also have a possibility of getting a lottery pick, but if they don’t get a top-5 pick, they will have to give it up to the Hawks, which looks like what will happen. Anything can happen in the lottery, though, so the Mavs will have to stay hopeful. All Mavs fans should be hopeful for the future because as well as they previous mentioned names, we have underrated defensive beast Maxi Kleber as well as the power forward that can throw it down hard, Dwight Powell. All of these players are very young, and they should not only be able to qualify for the playoffs next year and hopefully win a series or two, they might be able to win a championship in the not so distant future. These next few years are all about building about a championship team, so while Mavs fans should be hopeful, they also need to stay patient. Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis could be the duo that Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki were supposed to be before Nash left for the Suns and became an 2-time MVP. The Mavs need to add a shooter whether it’s in the draft or in free agency, and they should have a bright, bright future.