NBA Rumors: Mavericks Plan To Add Patrick Beverley To Toughen Up Doncic, Backcourt Defense

The Dallas Mavericks look more like a European-powered team with Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis at the helm, but there are still some familiar faces in the fold. The 2011 NBA champions are expected to hit the free agent market hard with plenty of big-name players expected to be available.

As mentioned in a previous post, among the possible targets include Nikola Vucevic and Kemba Walker. Both are among the top names being discussed as of this writing. However, the Mavs are also targeting less-heralded players - one of which is Patrick Beverley.

According to Marc Stein's interview, Dallas has already had internal discussions with the 30-year-old guard, although there is no update on the results of that. Apparently, the Mavs were impressed with the former NBA Defensive Team member's performance for the Los Angeles Clippers in the first-round playoffs made quite an impression resulting in several teams to consider adding him to their fold.

Looking at his numbers with the Clips, Beverley is not actually the kind of player who lights up the statistics board. He averaged 7.6 points on 40.7-percent shooting (39.7-percent from the three-point region) 3.8 assists, 5.0 rebounds, and 0.9 steals.

However, interest in him goes beyond the numbers. The 42nd overall pick of the 2009 NBA Draft also mentored some of the young guys in Los Angeles such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jerome Robinson and Landry Shamet, Fansided reported. If he does end up in Dallas, his first protege would be Luka Doncic.

With Doncic making a name for himself on the offensive end, having Beverley show him a thing or two in defense would benefit Dallas. Not only that, his physical and defensive talent could be of good use to the Mavericks as well, bolstering their chances next NBA season.

However, it all depends on what may interest Beverley. With his recent performance, the Clippers are likely to sit down and talk him into staying. But keeping him may boil down to the money offered. The Clippers have been linked to high profile players like Kawhi Leonard so taking in that kind of talent will dilapidate the team's budget.

Likely to be offered something reasonable, it would come as no surprise if Beverley opts to play for a team where he will not only get more money but exposure on the basketball court as well.