Mavs Free Agency: Can NBA Champ Bruce Brown Be Dallas’ Missing Piece?

Once NBA free agency opens on Friday, Denver Nuggets' Bruce Brown could be the Dallas Mavericks' first target.

The Dallas Mavericks kicked off their offseason with a successful draft night by landing rookies Dereck Lively II and OMax Prosper, while also shedding Davis Bertans' contract off their books in the process.

By trading Bertans, the Mavs opened up the ability to use the full $12.4 million Mid-Level Exception, which could be significant considering what players they plan to target in free agency. That extensive list includes Denver Nuggets wing Bruce Brown.

In the 2022-23 season, Brown averaged a career-high 11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 36.5 percent from downtown in just under 29 minutes per game. He was the 'glue guy' for Denver in route to their championship win over the Miami Heat.

Brown would provide the Mavericks with not just championship experience, but a well-rounded, versatile skillset on both sides of the floor. No matter what he's doing, Brown seems to always provide a positive impact to his team, and that's something the Mavs could use as they try to get back to the playoffs next season.

With Brown’s performance this past season, he’s certainly outplayed his contract, making it unlikely that Denver would be able to re-sign him unless Brown takes significantly less than what he could earn on the open market. For the Mavericks, they can attempt to sign Brown with the MLE, which would be nearly $5 million more per season than the $7.8 million he could've made with the Nuggets. 

First reported by NBA insider Marc Stein, the Mavericks are expected to target Brown once free agency opens on Friday, though that will certainly come with stout competition from around the league as teams like the Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, and San Antonio Spurs could offer more than the MLE. 

Simply put, Brown is a winning player with a high basketball IQ and that’s the type of player that the Mavericks need to surround Luka Doncic with.

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