The Dallas Mavericks head into this season with a glaring hole at the center position. The Mavs thought they had struck gold when DeAndre Jordan gave his verbal agreement to take his talents to Dallas. We all know how the DeAndre Jordan situation unfolded. In the midst of the whole thing, Tyson Chandler signed with the Phoenix Suns, (4 years, $52 million) and Amar'e Stoudemire took his talents to South Beach on a one-year, veteran's minimum deal.
The Mavericks have a gaping hole at the center position and have done very little to address it. They brought back Charlie Villanueva who is a great shooter, but lacks heavily on the defensive side. Dallas acquired Zaza Pachulia in a trade with the Milwaukee Bucks that sent a second-round pick to the Bucks. Pachulia is a great defender, but lacks an offensive skillset and has never been an amazing rebounder. The Mavericks still need another center to fill out the depth, and with some pretty good big men still on the market, there are a few players that the Mavericks should strongly consider.
JaVale McGee - The former Shaqtin’ A Fool champion could seem himself in Dallas. If you look past the boneheaded plays that put JaVale on the popular segment, McGee has been a pretty good player. He has a large frame at 7’0", 270 pounds and has amazing athleticism. He can jump out of the gym, and McGee uses that athleticism to his advantage to snag rebounds and score the basketball. He is very limited offensively to pretty much dunks/alley oops, but is a good defender. McGee had his best season in 2011 for the Washington Wizards, averaging 11.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks. McGee could work really well for the Dallas Mavericks. He would come right in and split time Zaza Pachulia at center. Rick Carlisle has had success with unexpected young role players, (Brandon Wright, Al Farouq-Aminu.) This could be another hidden gem for the Dallas Mavericks.
Kevin Seraphin - Seraphin is another pretty good option for the Mavs. The 25-year-old Frenchman had a pretty good start to his career in Washington. He is a very good offensive player, and contains a variety of moves. Seraphin works well in the post and has a deadly hook shot. The former first-round pick can also stretch it out and knock down the mid-range jumper. Seraphin is a pretty good rebounder in traffic as he knows how to position his body to snag boards. He is also a good defender, and could be a good player for the Mavericks. He is still only 25 years old and could develop into a nice power forward/center. Seraphin would immediately be thrown into the rotation of big men with Dirk Nowitzki, Jeremy Evans, Villanueva, and Pachulia and could make an immediate impact. This could turn into another hidden gem for Rick Carlisle.
Carlos Boozer - Boozer could be a good option as a one-to-two year rental player while the Mavericks try to find their next franchise big man. Carlos Boozer played pretty well off the bench for the Lakers last season and could be a good option for the Mavericks. Boozer isn’t going to give the 18 points and 10 rebounds that he was known for in his prime, but there is still some production left in the 33-year old. Boozer is still a good offensive player and rebounder as he averaged 11.8 points and 6.8 rebounds. Boozer’s days of being known for his great defense are gone and you are not going to get very much defensively. He is a little undersized at 6’9" to play the center position, but Boozer would be in the rotation and could play center when the Mavericks elect to go small ball. Carlos Boozer isn’t going to be a player teams have to game plan for any more, but he can still give at least 10 points and five rebounds a night. Boozer could be a leader for the Mavs, and be a rental player that helps Dallas transition to its next big man.
With free agency all but over, the Dallas Mavericks still have a huge hole at the center position. With no superstars left on the market, the Mavericks have to look at players who can come in for a season or two and help keep the Mavericks in the playoff hunt. The Mavericks just have to survive this season and try to land a free agent next season. 2016 is going to have a deep big-man free agent class with names like Al Jefferson, Roy Hibbert, Al Horford, and Joakim Noah headlining the class. Maybe the Mavericks can finally land a good center who will stay on the team for multiple seasons. Let us know which remaining big man you think the Mavericks should sign.