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The Dallas Mavericks are already hard at work this offseason. After falling short of the championship against the Boston Celtics, the team is already looking for places to improve their roster. Already, they've made one of the biggest moves in the offseason by trading for a former NBA champion.
Despite the fireworks that their moves have been making, the Mavericks still have a lot to work on their roster before making the leap. There's still some areas of the roster that need to be addressed, areas that arguably doomed their team in the Finals. Let's take a look at the Mavs' moves this offseason and what else can be done to improve on that end.
Mavericks' offseason moves
- Signed F Naji Marshall (3 years, $27 million)
- Acquired G/F Klay Thompson via sign-and-trade (3 years, $50 million)
- Traded for G Quentin Grimes
The Mavericks knew that their biggest area of need was at the forward and guard positions. Their big man rotation was solidified in the postseason with Dereck Lively, Daniel Gafford, and PJ Washington stepping up. While that area could use more tweaking, that wasn't the main concern of the team. Instead, Dallas focused on adding more depth behind the guard and forward positions.
Derrick Jones Jr had a breakout season in Dallas, pricing himself out of the team's spending capabilities in the offseason. Even with DJJ, the team had some issues at the two and three positions. A lack of shooting and perimeter defense gave the Mavericks headaches in the Finals.
Marshall is an excellent shooter (39% from the outside) who seems to be a more sustainable option on that end. His defense, however, isn't on par with Jones Jr's versatility. Quentin Grimes could be that two-way guard the Mavericks need to pair with Luka Doncic or Kyrie Irving off the bench. And of course, we have Klay Thompson. Thompson's struggles are well-documented; a drop-off in his shooting, questionable shot selection, and decline on defense soured Golden State Warriors fans on the guard. However, he should still be a solid guy off the bench, especially alongside Doncic.
Mavs' biggest need: defense, defense, defense
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The departure of Derrick Jones Jr leaves a significant hole on the Mavericks roster. DJJ was their main perimeter defender, especially in the playoffs. They also asked Irving to take on more defensive responsibilities to cover for Doncic's weaknesses on that end. While that worked out for the most part, the Celtics series showed that this was not a sustainable model, not by any means.
Marshall would compensate for the loss of DJJ's shooting, but there's not a lot of evidence that he can be the primary perimeter defender of the Mavericks' starting unit. The Thompson of old would've been the perfect fit here, but his defense has waned due to his numerous lower-leg injuries. Grimes is much more suited as a guard than a forward.
The Mavericks still need to find that two-way wing that can start for them reliably in the regular season. Doing that would give them so much relief both in the starting unit and in the middle of the game, as it would free up their star guard to focus on offense for the most part. However, there are only a few options left for the team to chase to address that.
A trade might not be in the cards anymore after executing two trades, including the Klay blockbuster. Still, if they can snag a two-way guy for cheap, it would be perfect. On the free agency side, the Mavericks could look at someone like Robert Covington if they do please.
With barely any cap space left, the Mavericks are in no position to swing for a major star without breaking up their core. We'll see what this team does to remedy their issues.
