The Dallas Mavericks have missed the playoffs three years in a row, marking the first time that has happened since 2000. But with a young phenom in Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis on the mend, the Mavericks could be a tough team next season.
The offseason has been a relatively quiet one in Dallas, as the Mavs merely locked up Porzingis and didn't do a whole lot else aside from signing Seth Curry.
But the Mavericks did their work earlier in the season, acquiring Porzingis in a blockbuster trade with the New York Knicks.
Dallas has not yet seen Porzingis take the floor in a Mavs uniform, as he spent the 2018-19 campaign recovering from a torn ACL, but the Mavericks sure are looking forward to getting a look at him next year.
So, here are the three biggest offseason takeaways for Dallas:
3. Free Agents Still Don't Go There
The Mavs actually had the cap room to both re-sign Porzingis and land another max free agent, but they struck out.
There had been some talk that Kawhi Leonard would meet with the club, but that never materialized, and Leonard likely never gave any serious consideration to signing with the Mavericks to begin with.
It's not like this is the first time this has happened, either. Dallas has frequently entered good free-agent years with plenty of cap room, and it always seems to come up empty.
Why? Who knows. It's a good franchise in a decent market in a state that has warm weather and doesn't take income tax, so you would figure the Mavericks would be able to entice at least one big-name free agent to join.
2. They Need a Leader
With Dirk Nowitzki now retired, the Mavericks actually lack veteran leadership, which is not something we are accustomed to saying about this team.
Its two best players, Doncic and Porzingis, are both kids with no playoff chops, with guys like J.J. Barea, Courtney Lee and Tim Hardaway Jr. actually being the elder statesmen.
Perhaps it will be Doncic or Porzingis in the long run, but the Mavs need someone to emerge as the clear-cut leader of the team going forward. It doesn't have to be fleshed out next season, as the Mavericks won't be legitimate contenders anyway, but at some point, Dallas is going to need someone who will be able to take charge and lead the team.
1. They Could be Something in a Couple of Years
Again, the Mavs aren't serious contenders by any means, but one thing they could do next season is vie for one of the final playoff spots in the Western Conference.
So long as Porzingis is able to come back healthy, the Mavericks will be an interesting team with a very talented duo in Porzingis and Doncic, and in a couple of years, those two could make Dallas a true force to be reckoned with.
Currently, the Mavs lack the overall talent to be anything more than a nuisance to some of the top teams in the West, but if Porzingis gets himself right and Doncic continues his upward trajectory, the Mavericks will suddenly become a very attractive destination for another star player.
Don't be surprised if Dallas ends up shaking off its free agency demons by landing another big name over the next couple of summers.
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