Who Should The Mavericks Go After Next?

Now that Marcin Gortat is back with the Orlando Magic, the Dallas Mavericks have a glaring hole at the center position. Erick Dampier is finally in the final year of his contract, and cannot be relied on as a starting center, and Ryan Hollins is a restricted free agent. It would probably be wise for the Mavericks to re-sign Hollins just to provide depth behind Dampier, but in order to compete, Dallas needs to find a more suitable player. Kris Humphries, acquired in a deal with Shawn Marion, is an intriguing player, but he is better served to play power forward. Here is a look at some of the players remaining in free agency and others that the Mavericks might take a look at to fill their void at center.

David Lee (26 years old), New York Knicks

Lee is currently a restricted free agent with the Knicks. He might be seen as a bit undersized to play center, standing at 6'9", but he can rebound with the best of them. Last season he averaged nearly 12 rebounds/game with the Knicks, all while shooting 55 percent from the field. Lee would be a defensive liability when going against bigger, stronger centers, but the opposing teams would not be getting any cheap rebounds.

Ike Diogu (25 years old), Golden State Warriors

Diogu is a young player who has never averaged more than 15 minutes/game in any season. He was drafted ninth overall in 2005 which means he has some potential, but he has never gotten enough playing time to show what he's got. He, too, might be a bit undersized to play center, but at this point the Mavericks just need bodies to bang down low.

Drew Gooden (27 years old), San Antonio Spurs

Gooden has never been a flashy player in the NBA, but teams know what they are going to get with him. He has career averages of 12 points/8 rebounds which would be an upgrade over Dampier in both categories at 1/5 of the price. Gooden is not much of a shot blocker, which is one of the things the Mavs need in their center, but they might be willing to sacrifice shot blocking to get better on the ball defense in the paint.

Chris Wilcox (26 years old), New York Knicks

Wilcox is another player where you know what you are going to get. He has never gotten much playing time, but in the 2006-07 season when he averaged 31 minutes/game, he put up solid numbers of 14 points and 8 rebounds per game. Last year he made nearly $7 million, but he would surely have to take less money to join on with a team.

Shelden Williams (25 years old), Minnesota Timberwolves

Williams is another young player that still has some potential. He has never gotten much playing time on any team he has been on. He was drafted 5th overall in 2006, and has quickly fallen out of favor with every team he has been on. Maybe a transition to a winning, veteran team is exactly what Williams needs to be successful. If he joins the Mavericks, the expectations put on him will be minimal which may allow him to play freely like he did during his time at Duke.

Sean May (25 years old), Charlotte Bobcats

May has only played 82 games in his four years in the NBA, missing some games because of a knee injury and others because of his weight. He has career averages of 8.5 points and 5 rebounds in just 18 minutes/game. May should be looking to prove to his doubters that he has healed from his knee injury and that he is in the best shape of his life.

Glen Davis (23 years old), Boston Celtics

Davis showed at the end of last season that he is a very capable player in the NBA. He hit the game winning shot in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Orlando Magic, proving that he is a very capable mid-range jumpshooter that would spread the floor well. But at his size (he is listed at 6'9" but is probably shorter), he would probably be better suited as a power forward instead of as a center.

Tyson Chandler (26 years old), New Orleans Hornets

Chandler is the long, quick athlete in the paint the Mavs have craved for years. He is an above-average shot blocker and would be a major upgrade over Erick Dampier. One of the major concerns with Chandler is the toe injury that caused the Oklahoma City Thunder to rescind a trade because of a failed physical. New Orleans is looking for cap relief and may be willing to give up Chandler for nothing more than expiring contracts.

Marcus Camby (35 years old), Los Angeles Clippers

Camby is an older, less explosive version of Chandler that has been through a lot in his 13 years in the NBA. He may not be a great low post scorer that many think the Mavericks need, but he is one of the best defensive centers in the league. He averaged over 2 blocks/game last year, as well as 11 rebounds/game. His contract expires after this year and he may be willing to resign for half the price after this contract is up.

JaVale McGee/Andray Blatche, Washington Wizards

The Wizards have a plethora of young, athletic big men and may be willing to part with one of them now that Brendan Haywood is back. McGee is only 21 years old and has a lot of room to grow. He averaged 6.5 points, 4 rebounds and 1 block in only 15 minutes/game. Blatche is only 22 years old but is more established than McGee. He averaged 10 points/game last year and showed lots of potential.

All of these big men would at least equal the production of Erick Dampier at a much smaller cost. The Mavericks still have their mid-level exception to use, and they will probably use it on a big man. They also have Greg Buckner's contract, which is very comparable to what they traded away with Jerry Stackhouse's, and could be packaged with other players for teams that need salary cap relief, like New Orleans. And one final piece is Erick Dampier's contract, which is set to expire after this year, but the Mavs might just hang on to this one in order to have a better chance at one of the prized free agents in 2010.