The Dallas Mavericks didn’t make much of a splash in free agency. They re-signed Tim Hardaway Jr., Willie Cauley-Stein, Boban Marjanovic and acquired Sterling Brown and Reggie Bullock.

Of course, it is important to note that they locked up Luka Doncic for the long-term. However, they are relatively the same team as last season, which is why it could be another challenging 2021-22 for them. 

No reliable second star alongside Luka Doncic

Luka Doncic is on his way to becoming a Top 5 player in the league, if he already isn’t one. He’s a phenomenal young player who can take over a game one play after another. The problem is that he hasn’t had much help. If I were a Mavs fan, I’d be scratching my head over this because it’s painful to see his young years get thrown away because of lack of help. 

The Mavs were in position to acquire a superstar like Kawhi Leonard in the offseason. They had the money but just couldn’t get these free agents to sign. If this is going to continue, there’s a chance that Doncic gets fed up and demands a trade. It has happened to superstars before and it’s not easy to dismiss this given that the NBA is currently in a player empowerment era.

Mark Cuban needs to do a better job of surrounding Doncic with reliable players. 

Is Kristaps Porzingis the answer for the Mavericks? 

One storyline around the Mavs last season was the relationship between Doncic and big man Kristaps Porzingis. They’ve had their ups and down,but hopefully they get along this season. Acquiring newly hired assistant coach Jared Dudley could help mend the relationship between both players.

But the question about Doncic and Porzingis’ fit together is still something the Mavericks have to address. 

However, first and foremost is that Porzingis needs to be more available next season. He’s had multiple nagging injuries that has kept him in and out of the lineup. If ever the Mavs want to put him in the trade market, KP will not have a ton of interest if he keeps being injured.

Hopefully this will be the year where the Mavs fully figure out the partnership between their two best players. 

Signing shooters around Luka is a must

To maximize Doncic’ play style, he needs shooters around him similar to how LeBron James operates. There’s a reason why the Los Angeles Lakers loaded up on shooters this season. It should be the same for Doncic. The good news is that Jason Kidd, who was the assistant coach of the Lakers in the past two years, is now Doncic’s head coach.

Signing Hardaway Jr. was an excellent move especially after an outstanding performance last playoffs. The additions of Reggie Bullock and Sterling Brown should also help.

New Mavs coaching staff means change

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One aspect of the Mavs that’s going to change entirely is their coaching staff. It’s a fresh start of Kidd and his new staff, as they take on the challenge of leading Dallas back to the top. They have big shoes to fill with the departure of Rick Carlisle, but change is what this Mavs team needs after being in a stagnant position for a while now. 

Overall grade: B+ 

Personally, the roster doesn't look enough to help Luka Doncic get to the Finals. Cuban and the management certainly could have done more to add firepower around the roster.

The coaching moves could be a good change, but it's going to be interesting to see if Kidd can do better than Carlisle as a coach–especially when it comes to his adjustments in the playoffs.

Ultimately, there wasn’t a big move (besides on the coaching font) that really moved the needle for the Mavericks.