The Dallas Mavericks made a big jump up the standings in 2019-20 behind MVP candidate Luka Doncic and sidekick Kristaps Porzingis. The Mavs gave the Los Angeles Clippers a run for their money in the first round of the playoffs, but they ultimately bowed out in six games and Porzingis needed knee surgery.
Dallas entered the offseason looking for another capable threat who could take pressure off Doncic on the perimeter. While the Mavs didn't land another star, they did make a notable trade to bolster the backcourt while also making some other moves. Tim Hardaway Jr. is also back on a player option worth nearly $19 million.
Let's take a look at the Dallas Mavericks' offseason.
Draft
At No. 18, the Mavs opted to snag Arizona's Josh Green, who's a versatile and athletic wing standing at 6-foot-6.
In his one-and-done season with the Wildcats, Green averaged 12.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 30 games played as a starter for the team. The Mavs are hoping the Australian national can contribute right away and provide a spark on both ends of the floor in his rookie campaign.
With the No. 31 pick, Dallas nabbed Stanford's Tyrell Terry. Many experts thought Terry was going to be a first-round pick, so this could very well turn into a draft seal. The guard shot nearly 41% in his lone season at Stanford.
During the draft proceedings, the Mavs also acquired the No. 36 pick in a big trade alongside Josh Richardson, with sharpshooter Seth Curry going to the Philadelphia 76ers. Richardson isn't the 3-point shooter Curry is, but he can handle the ball a bit and provide more resistance on the defensive end of the floor. That two-way ability should make Dallas a more balanced team.
With that 36th pick, the Mavs got Tyler Bey out of Colorado. Bey is coming off a three-year stint in college, and last season the 6-foot-7 swingman averaged 13.8 points and 9.0 rebounds in 31 games. The youngster will play on a two-way contract.
Free Agency
The Mavs didn't make any major splashes in free agency, but they brought back a few of their own players.
Veteran guard Trey Burke may have only filled in for the injured Jalen Brunson, but he managed to make an impact in his limited time spent with the team last season. Burke emerged as a spark plug by contributing 12.0 points, 3.8 assists, and a career-high 1.1 steals per game in eight regular-season contests. He put up similar numbers in the playoffs while shooting efficiently.
Burke is hoping to build on this short but productive stint. He just got a three-year, $10 million deal with Dallas.
Meanwhile, big man Willie Cauley-Stein landed a fresh two-year, $8.2 million deal after opting out of his previous deal. Cauley-Stein will be a solid piece off the bench as a player who can protect the rim and do dirty work around the basket.
Then there's J.J. Barea, who has been relegated to the backseat in recent seasons as he enters the twilight zone of his career at the advanced age of 36. The Puerto Rican only appeared in 29 games last season with norms of 7.7 points and 3.9 assists per game, but he's a valuable player in the locker room and will continue to mentor the younger players while playing on a minimum deal.
The Mavs made a minor addition from the outside, nabbing wing Wes Iwundu from the Orlando Magic. Iwundu will provide depth on the wing with his lanky 6-foot-6 frame after spending three seasons in Orlando.
Dallas also unloaded Delon Wright and Justin Jackson in a three-team trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Detroit Pistons. The Mavs got veteran James Johnson in the trade.
Already a tenured journeyman in the league, Johnson's most recent playing stint was with the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he averaged 12.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.8 assists along with a career-best 1.4 blocks in 14 appearances for the team. The 33-year-old will bring some much-needed toughness and versatility to the roster.
Offseason Grade: B+
The Dallas Mavericks successfully retained a handful of their veteran holdovers and made some nice draft picks, while also improving the two-way potential of the team by trading for Josh Richardson. The roster may not have improved dramatically given the failure to land a third star to play alongside Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, but the hope is the moves made will help sustain the team for another promising playoff run in the 2020-2021 NBA season. Doncic should only continue to get better, and Porzingis will return at some point from his knee injury and look to push Dallas to new heights ahead of a big 2021 offseason.
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