Dirk needs some friends his own age

When a team has a season like the Mavericks just did, your mind tends to wander to the future, be it to the draft or free agency, imagining ways in which the team could improve. And most Mavericks fans have been pretty level headed about it all, considering the sheer range of directions Dallas could take things.

Most of the free agency talk has centered around guys that could boost Dallas in a hurry. In particular, I’ve been harping on the need to find and focus on players 19-22 years old to build a true core around.

But what if the immediate answer to some of the Dallas problems isn’t looking forward, but back? The team will get three younger players in this year’s draft, so what if during free agency they brought back some old hands (truly old hands) to help carry the load?

After all, Dirk Nowitzki needs some friends his own age.

To that end, the Dallas Mavericks should pursue Vince Carter, Jason Terry, and Tyson Chandler this offseason. The plan shall be called Plan Pillbox

Vince Carter just makes sense. He’ll be in his 21st season (just like Dirk), he’s spent time in Dallas before, he’s still seeking a healthy paycheck, and the Mavericks have the room. Jason Terry wants to play a 20th season with the Bucks, but Dallas should bring home one of its most important franchise players for a final season. Tell me the idea of a Terry-Dirk pick and roll doesn’t bring a smile to your face. Tyson Chandler is set to make $13 million with the Suns next season, so getting him to Dallas would require a weird trade or a buyout. It’s unlikely, but hey, we’re thinking big today.

In addition to the talent these guys would bring, it’s not very nice to have Dirk play with so many youths. J.J. Barea is the closest in age and he’s six years younger. Of the guys available to Dallas at the fifth draft pick this year, only Mo Bamba was alive when the Mavericks selected Dirk back in 1998, and he was only six weeks old.

Plus, if the Mavericks rolled out Barea and Dirk alongside Terry, Tyson, and Carter, we’d get the opportunity for some truly amazing line up names: the Actual Death line up. The Nap line up. The Windows 98-03 line up. The Colonoscopy Five.

Twitter had even better ideas:

The more I think about it, the more Terry and Carter do make some sense. Tyson’s unlikely for a variety of reasons, but a man can dream, right?

It won’t happen, of course. Life doesn’t work like that. But it’s the offseason; a little bit of silly speculation is good for the soul.