With Adrian Wojnarowski reporting that the Boston Celtics have emerged as the frontrunners to land Kemba Walker this summer, the Mavericks will likely pivot to another free agent point guard in Patrick Beverley. Dallas has been linked to the tenacious defender for several weeks now, and for good reason. Not only can Beverley defend multiple positions but he’s quite effective when playing off the ball, having done so while playing alongside James Harden previously. For Dallas, this would mean newly crowned Rookie of the Year, Luka Doncic, could remain the primary ball handler in Rick Carlisle’s offense, one of the larger concerns if Dallas were to somehow sign Kemba Walker at the opening of free agency.

Beverley is more than just an effective defender however. With the Clippers last season, the former Razorback shot 39% from beyond the arc, a particularly useful quality given the number of quality looks he’ll get playing alongside Doncic. Best of all, Beverley is affordable. Said ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, Beverley’s team is seeking a three year deal in the range of $40 million, and while he’ll have no shortage of suitors, Dallas and Doncic in particular intrigue the point guard.

Sources: Patrick Beverley is seeking a deal in the three-year, $40+ million range. Suitors include Mavs, Lakers, Bulls and Clippers. Agent Bill Duffy also represents Luka Doncic and is known to be intrigued by idea of pairing bulldog Beverley with the young playmaker.

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) June 27, 2019

Averaging out around $13.3 million annually, Beverley’s price tag leaves Dallas with more than enough room to add one or more significant role players, such as Terrence Ross or perhaps Malcolm Brogdon if Milwaukee’s “jumping off point” is within reasonable reach. While these moves may not be landscape-altering, they would significantly improve the roster around Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, gifting them some much needed defense and three point shooting.

The one potential downside for signing Patrick Beverley is his age. Typically, it’s not wise to pay big money to players over 30, but considering the aforementioned Kemba Walker is 29 and would command more than double Beverley’s contract, it’s more palatable to sign the Clippers’ guard. There’s also the important note MacMahon mentioned about Beverley only seeking a three-year deal. By the time Beverley would finish this desired deal, he would be just 33 years old, allowing Dallas to move on as he declines and seek another star to pair with the then 26-year-old Porzingis and 23-year-old Doncic. Such a scenario is hard to complain about.

By signing Patrick Beverley, Dallas would immediately upgrade its starting lineup defensively while providing quality three-point shooting and keeping the ball in Luka’s hands. It would also keep the team’s powder dry for future free agency classes, and when you’re trying to build around Luka and Porzingis for the next twenty years as Mark Cuban stated during the 7-footer’s introductory press conference back in February, it makes a lot of sense to add a quality starter like Patrick Beverley.