Following their loss to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, the Dallas Mavericks offseason plan has become somewhat clear. It’s more than evident that they need to double down on their core of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic, who led the team to the ultimate stage as soon as they gave him a solid supporting cast.
Trading for PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford was the ultimate move for this team, and Dereck Lively II has a bright future in this league, looking like the second coming of Tyson Chandler. This team should continue to get better with more reps and time together, but they need to address their lack of depth.
Mavericks offseason plan: A Breakdown
Jason Kidd turned a lot of heads this season. After a questionable start to his coaching career, he’s now become a master at making adjustments.
With that in mind, we’ll take a look at their plans and current state, sharing our Mavericks offseason preview with you.
Upcoming Mavericks free agents
The Dallas Mavericks don’t have many key free agents. While they could look to bring Markieff Morris back on a veteran minimum deal to have a veteran presence in the locker room and an enforcer to protect Doncic in a potential scuffle, they could part ways with Brandon Williams and Greg Brown III.
Derrick Jones Jr is perhaps their only important free agent, as he played very well to end the season. Still, they might be wary about overpaying him, and chances are they’ll have to free up some cap space to avoid the NBA luxury tax and keep him around.
They clearly need more shooting, and with Tim Hardaway Jr. being a prime trade candidate after a dreadful end to the season, that should be a point of emphasis.
Maxi Kleber is also a potential trade candidate, as he barely played in the postseason because of an injury, but also became kind of expendable with PJ Washington, Dereck Lively, and Daniel Gafford all thriving.
Potential Mavericks targets
The Mavericks didn’t even bother taking an in-depth look at this year’s NBA Draft eligibility or prospects, as they’re slated to have just the last pick in the NBA Draft, the 58th overall selection. Needless to say, that means they’ll have to do some searching in free agency instead.
That could only change if they move Josh Green, who could fetch them at least one pick in return. Still, that seems unlikely at this point, as he finished the season on a high note and is one of their few reliable shooters.
The Mavs currently have the Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception available, which will be worth roughly $5.1 million, and that could help them get a solid rotational piece for depth.
When it comes to potential targets, the list includes the likes of Patrick Beverley, Kris Dunn, Tyus Jones, Kyle Lowry, and Monte Morris for guards.
Malik Beasley, Gary Trent Jr., Alec Burks, Royce O’Neale, Lonnie Walker IV, and Taurean Prince are wings that could be up for grabs, with Haywood Highsmith and Dario Saric also looking like feasible pieces.
Truth be told, it’s hard to envision this team being able to land a big name in the offseason. Perhaps they could convince Chris Paul to move again if the Golden State Warriors allow him to become a free agent, but he’s not the player he used to be.
Then again, this team proved that they’re not that far behind in terms of contention. They will be a dark horse for as long as Luka Doncic is healthy. Hopefully, he’ll learn from this loss and finally get in shape and keep his temper in check, as that’s the only thing standing in his way.
