3 players the Mavs can add not named Kyrie Irving or Draymond Green

No. 2 player Dallas Mavericks can add: Paul Reed

Paul Reed enters restricted free agency after three years as Philadelphia’s on-and-off backup to Joel Embiid. The Sixers didn’t always trust Reed in the regular season, but he won over Doc Rivers in time to anchor the second unit in two straight playoff runs. If the Mavs strike out on Poeltl, Reed is worth a gander.

The Mavs can probably outbid Philadelphia for Reed’s services if determined enough. Reed may not win over Jason Kidd with his decision-making, but nobody works harder. Reed is an absolute force of will on the defensive end. He ravenously competes for rebounds and he takes every isolation matchup personally. He creates so many turnovers and generates so many second chances by simply out-hustling everybody else.

Reed feels like tremendous potential value for any team, but the Mavs have a bigger hole than most in the middle. Reed is slightly undersized, but he’s mobile in space and capable of switching on the perimeter. He’s a nice yin to Dereck Lively’s yang at the 5 spot. The Mavs need to be able to go smaller once the playoffs hit. Reed has been aces in the postseason for two years running.

The offensive development for Reed has been rocky at times, but he’s an obvious talent. He struggles to play within himself, often venturing into uncharted waters as a driver and self-creator, but the Mavs can place him in an environment to focus on screen-setting and simple finishes while Doncic and Irving spoon-feed him at the rim. Some of his finesse finishes in the paint are eye-popping and he tries some brave passes. There’s untapped upside for a team that can give Reed a more expansive role.