Many times in the past couple of years, the Dallas Mavericks have been hampered by a lack of depth in their front court. Maxi Kleber is often sidelined with nagging injuries, and is better off as a hybrid big and perimeter defender anyway. Dwight Powell doesn’t have the size to bang in the paint against traditional centers. Boban Marjanovic was serviceable, but only for short bursts.
The Mavericks tried to find minutes with gambles like Willie Cauley-Stein and Moses Brown, among others. It hasn’t worked. So this offseason, they made acquiring a veteran big man who could actually play 10-15 minutes per game a priority.