Mark Cuban explains the Dallas Mavericks' decision to sign Kemba Walker - “We wanted to add some flexibility to our offense”
Mark Cuban & Kemba Walker
© Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports/© Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
The Dallas Mavericks were hoping that they could follow up their surprise appearance in the Western Conference Finals with another deep playoff run this season. But so far, the Mavs haven't looked all that good, as their record now sits below .500 at 9-10, leaving everyone to wonder what has gone wrong for the Mavericks in such a short period of time.
The Mavericks are hoping to get a spark from Kemba
The biggest change in the Mavericks roster is the loss of Jalen Brunson, who signed with the New York Knicks in free agency over the offseason. Dallas has struggled to find star guard Luka Doncic a true partner-in-crime like Brunson was for him last season, and while Doncic is playing at an MVP-caliber level right now, it's not resulting in wins for the Mavericks.
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In an effort to change their fortunes, the team surprisingly decided to sign Kemba Walker to shore up their backcourt rotation. Walker was traded by the Knicks to the Detroit Pistons last offseason before being waived by the Pistons prior to the start of the season, and he had been a free agent ever since. Walker hasn't looked great in his past few stints on the court, but team owner Mark Cuban explained Dallas' reasoning for bringing in Walker after their slow start to the season.
Can Kemba change the Mavericks' fortunes?
During his prime, Walker was a dynamic point guard with the Charlotte Hornets and Boston Celtics, who could score upwards of 20 points a night while conducting the offense. But Walker dealt with some troublesome knee issues at the end of his tenure with the C's, and he hasn't been the same player since.
Walker isn't ancient by any means, as he's still just 32 years old, but he looks like he's been destroyed by his knee injury when he's been on the court lately. He was a skilled scorer in his prime, but Walker isn't necessarily in his prime anymore. He likely won't have a huge role out of the game, but the hope is that Walker can eat some minutes off the bench while making some sort of offensive impact for the Mavericks.
Cuban is right in saying that the Mavs don't have much offensive versatility beyond Doncic. Getting him some help is crucial to turning their season around, as he's producing at an absurd clip right now but still not winning. Maybe Walker will be that piece, but it will take a bigger move to truly solve the Mavericks' struggles.
