Dallas holds the league’s top offensive rating this season (116.7) but only the 17th-best defensive rating (110.9), according to basketball-reference. If these playoffs expose the Mavericks’ defense and dampen the team’s future title hopes, trading for a defensive star might be the best move this offseason.

Gobert, the reigning two-time Defensive Player of the Year, could be the piece Dallas needs to ascend to a championship level. Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, for as talented of offensive players as they are, aren’t adept defenders. Gobert would mask a lot of their defensive deficiencies while also improving the team’s rebounding. He wouldn’t be a flashy acquisition and could hurt the team’s prolific offense some, but his defensive contributions would be worth it. Teams would struggle mightily to finish at the basket with Gobert and Porzingis defending the rim.

Dallas could offer Utah a first-round pick, but it also has many valuable players to trade like Seth Curry, Dwight Powell, Maxi Kleber, Delon Wright, Justin Jackson, Willie Cauley-Stein and Jalen Brunson. Especially if the Jazz decide they want to move in a more offensively-focused direction, this trade is very realistic.