After making the third-most three-pointers (1,178) last season, the Dallas Mavericks sit well outside the top 10 of that category this year.
That is despite adding Klay Thompson, who has made the fifth-most triples in NBA history.
FanSided suggests that the Mavericks make a realistic trade for Kevin Huerter of the Sacramento Kings. Though his three-point shooting percentage is under 31%, the Maryland product is two seasons removed from shooting north of 40% from downtown.
It’s worth noting that 7.7% of Sacramento’s shot attempts come against “very tight” coverage, meaning a defender is within two feet of the shooter. On the contrary, 6.5% of Dallas’ shot attempts come against “very tight” coverage, meaning they generate more open looks than Sacramento.
More than 18% of Dallas’ three-point shot attempts qualify as “open,” or in other words, a defender is 4-6 feet away from the shooter. Sacramento only has 15.2% of their three-point attempts considered “open.”
Case in point, Huerter could benefit from having more space to work with on the Mavs, especially with Luka Doncic’s knack for finding the open shooter and pushing the ball on the break. Kyrie Irving’s gift of breaking defenders off the dribble would also open up opportunities for the former first-round pick.
The 6-foot-7 guard can also operate as a secondary playmaker, given his ability to read angles that shorter guards may not be able to see and keep the ball moving in a ball-movement-heavy offense.
The Mavs might need to part with one of Daniel Gafford or P.J. Washington and add an expiring contract, such as Dante Exum to make the salaries work.
Trading Gafford or Washington would deplete the Mavs’ frontcourt depth even more, so Dallas may need to get creative if they want to get Huerter without giving those two players up.
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