What Mavericks hope to get from Kemba Walker

Walker was an All-Star every year from 2017-2020, but his left knee hasn't been healthy since he injured it early in 2020. He played just 43 games for Boston in 2020-21, and it traded him for Al Horford after the season. 

After a buyout, Walker signed with the Knicks, but he played only 37 games before shutting down for the season to rehab his knee. Then he was traded to Detroit and got another buyout. 

Doncic has had the highest usage rate in the NBA for the past two years, and he's at an even higher rate this season, using 37.8 percent of the Mavericks' possessions. He's leading the league with 33.1 points per game, but there are some worrisome statistics about his overwork.

Doncic is shooting a career-low 30.7 percent from three-point range, which could be a sign of tired legs. In fourth quarters this season, Doncic is shooting 36.8 percent from the floor (he's over 50 percent overall) and 22.2 percent from deep.

Ideally, Walker could take some of the playmaking burden off Doncic, who is leading the Mavericks by far in assists (8.4 per game to Spencer Dinwiddie's 4.9). Dallas is 28th in the NBA in assists. And there's simply no one to pass to Doncic. 

Another factor in his poor three-point shooting is that only 14 percent of his three-pointers are assisted. By comparison, 59 percent of Steph Curry's three-pointers come off an assist. And Walker could help - provided his arthritic knee holds up.

But settling for a former All-Star who has been bouncing around the league has become a trend in Dallas. Even with Doncic, they've constantly struck out pursuing stars in free agency, and have to settle for former stars instead.

The Mavericks added Deron Williams in 2015, three years after his last All-Star appearance and three years after they first pursued him. Dallas tried to sign DeAndre Jordan when he was 27, but only managed to add him after he turned 30. They signed the legendary Vince Carter --- at age 35. Elton Brand joined the Mavericks at age 33. Even their mid-tier signings tend to be past their primes: Monta Ellis, Jose Calderon and Devin Harris, twice.

In theory, Walker could be the solution the Dallas offense needs. 

In reality, Walker has been available since the summer and no one signed him. 

The perfect candidate would be a scoring point guard in his prime, maybe not an All-Star, but one who could run the offense, distribute the ball and get to the hoop. And Dallas had that in Jalen Brunson before they let him go to the Knicks. 

When your team is settling for the Knicks' discards, your team is down bad.