The 2023 Dallas Mavericks free agency signings included four major deals. From re-signing key unrestricted free agents to winning restricted free agent bids to bringing in new talent from other teams, the Mavs were busy with their free agency signings this offseason. The dust is now mostly settled on NBA free agency, so let’s take a look at the Mavs free agency grades for 2023.
G Kyrie Irving: three years, $120million
The elephant in the room of the Mavs’ NBA free agency period was Kyrie Irving. The team gave up a lot to get him at the trade deadline, then went 8-13 with him on the floor and missed the postseason. Luka Doncic looked miserable the whole time, and while that may have had little to do with Irving, it still looked bad.
All that said, the franchise seemingly had no choice but to give him a $40 million per season deal (plus $6 million in incentives), and that’s exactly what they did.
In a vacuum, this is a fine deal. Irving is still a terrific player when he wants to be, and with a full offseason and some shrewd moves like drafting Duke center Dereck Lively II and some of the Mavs free agency signings below, Irving and Doncic should figure out how to play together in a positive way. And if/when they do, that should be trouble for the rest of the Western Conference.
They don’t play NBA games in a vacuum, though. They play in the real world. And in the real world, Kyrie Irving has torpedoed every franchise he’s ever played for, and the Mavs will be no different.
Whether it happens today, tomorrow, in February, or in 2025, Kyrie will do something — and probably many things — to hurt the Mavs.
It may be taking unexcused breaks or saying (or posting) something controversial or maybe it will be a whole new three-ring circus that we haven’t seen yet. No matter what shape it takes, the drama will happen because Kyrie is a team killer, and now is a team killer who will be that much harder to trade or cut loose with a fresh three-year, $120 million deal.
Grade: D
G Seth Curry: two years, $9.2 million
OK, let’s bring these Mavs free agency grades back around and talk about something positive. Signing veteran sharpshooter Seth Curry for $4.6 million per year is a great deal. The money is nothing in terms of bringing in a veteran rotation player, and Curry has proven for years he’s an excellent off-ball shooter, hitting 43.5% of his 3-point shots in his career.
There are some shortcomings. Curry’s defense isn’t great, and he’s often injured. However, Dallas is beefing up its defense in other areas, and if the team can work to get him healthy for the playoffs next season, that’s all they really need.
Those small factors stop this from being an A+, but it’s still a great move by the team.
Grade: A
F Grant Williams: four years, $54 million
This is another excellent pickup in Mavs free agency, making a sign-and-trade deal with the Boston Celtics for 24-year-old forward Grant Williams.
Williams fills up the box score and does the dirty work on the boards and the defensive end of the floor. His averages last season were 8.1 points, 1.7 assists, and 4.6 rebounds. In Boston, his biggest problem was that he came into the league with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and he thought he should get more offensive touches playing with them.
Signing with Dallas seems to indicate that Williams knows who he is as an NBA player and that he is ready to be a Dennis Rodman-type player (on the floor) for Irving and Doncic. If that’s what he does, this move is another home run, especially at just $13.3 million per year.
Grade: A
C Dwight Powell: three years, $12 million
Dwight Powell has been playing alongside Luka Doncic for the Slovenian superstar’s entire career. He is the longest-tenured Maverick and an excellent bench player, leader, and locker-room guy. Getting him at $4 million a year is a good deal as well.
This was the no-brainer Mavs free agency signing. Powell knows how to play with Luka, and he is the type of player that the team hopes Lively turns into (but at a higher level than Powell).
Overall, there weren’t many impact players in NBA free agency this year, so the Mavs' best plan of attack needed to be getting guys who will do the little things around Doncic and Irving. The team accomplished that, and depending on your take on the Kyrie deal, Dallas had a pretty good offseason on balance.
Grade: B
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