With the Dallas Mavericks improving to fifth place in the Western Conference at the season's midway point, it seems like the time for Mark Cuban and the front office to finally make numerous moves before the trade deadline. Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis are already on the third year of their terrific partnership, but they still have not been able to advance past the first round of the playoffs. Thus, Dallas must pounce on the opportunity to acquire a legitimate big man in Myles Turner or John Collins to supplement Porzingis up front.
Both players have been rumored to be frustrated with their current roles, but Turner is the better fit for the system and culture built by Jason Kidd. Here are three other reasons why Dallas must prioritize Turner over Collins on the trade market.
Remarkable shot blocking
Porzingis is still forced to play center sometimes this season, but any NBA fan knows that he is more comfortable playing at the four. His strengths are focused on his in-between game, long-range marksmanship and occasional swats at the rim. Adding Turner to the fold would give the Mavericks one of the best pairs of shot-blockers in the league.
Turner's timing and awareness has been impeccable, which forces defenses to think twice before slashing through the lane. Staggering the minutes with Porzingis at the five is also a viable option for Kidd as this would guarantee at least one rim-protector on the floor at all times. Moreover, the impact of Porzingis' guarding the perimeter would be mitigated with another intimidating seven-footer there to clean up messes behind him.
Reliable floor spacing
Starting center Dwight Powell rarely attempts long-range shots, so replacing him with Turner would allow Dallas to space the floor with four shooters around Doncic. The Mavericks' offensive scheme seeks to maximize Doncic's biggest strengths, vision and basketball IQ. Individuals like Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dorian Finney-Smith flourish under the leadership of Doncic because of his willingness to continually feed his shooters all throughout the game.
Turner is shooting over four threes per game this season for the Indiana Pacers, but at just a 33.3% clip. In Dallas, it is almost a guarantee that Doncic and Jalen Brunson will find him for more wide open looks because of their tremendous passing ability. Turner's rainbow shots will continually swish through the rim as both he and Porzingis could blossom through their incredible shooting.
Respectable value
Collins is another big man linked to the Mavericks, but his contract is enormous because the Atlanta Hawks just recently signed him to a long-term extension. Turner wouldn't just be easier to trade for given his smaller salary, but also because the Pacers seem more invested in Domantas Sabonis both now and going forward. Rick Carlisle has not been deploying the tandem of Turner and Sabonis for extended periods; Indiana has clearly realized its future will be best realized splitting up its talented big men.
With Turner being an unrestricted free agent in 2023, Dallas' commitment to him would be around one-and-a-half seasons. Collins is under contract for the next four seasons on a roughly $25 million salary. Even if the Turner acquisition suddenly becomes a catastrophe or failure, it would not drastically affect the future flexibility of the franchise. Additionally, Cuban and the Mavericks would not need to sacrifice their young assets in trying to convince Pacers president Kevin Pritchard to pull the trigger.
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