The Dallas Mavericks are going all-in for the 2023 season. They kind of have no choice here: they traded for Kyrie Irving in the offseason, and they can't afford to let him go for nothing. At the very least, Dallas is making a lot of moves to ensure that the team around Luka Doncic and Kyrie remains competitive for then next season.
All of these moves look good on paper. But taking a closer look at some of them, one will see that the idea behind the move is flawed. Which of these moves by the Mavs during the 2023 NBA free agency period will come back to haunt them? Let's look at all of their decisions.
Mavs' Biggest Mistake: Seth Curry signing
We can try and use the process of elimination to weed out which moves were home run deals for the Mavs in the 2023 NBA free agency period. The most recent move they made was the Grant Williams trade: that was a home run deal that addressed many of the team's problems last season. Williams should be the perfect defensive wing they need alongside Kyrie and Luka.
Their attempt to steal Matisse Thybulle away from the Blazers was also an excellent decision. While it ultimately didn't work out (Portland matched their 3-year, $33 million offer for the wing), the idea behind it was solid. Thybulle has his flaws on offense, but playing next to two talented playmakers should help him be a bit more effective. Plus, he's one of the best wing defenders in the league. That was arguably the Mavs' biggest weakness last season.
The Dante Exum signing is a harmless deal that doesn't really make the team worse. Exum has shown improvement on offense while playing abroad, and if he stays healthy, his defense should be pivotal to this team. That leaves the Irving re-signing and Seth Curry contract as the only two options.
It's tempting to say that the Irving re-signing was the biggest mistake of the Mavs' 2023 free agency. After all, we all know about the star point guard's… issues. He's been plagued with injuries, and he has a penchant for attracting drama. His fit with Irving is also a bit questionable, though Dallas' roster last season only exacerbated their flaws. However, it would've been an even bigger mistake if Dallas let Kyrie Irving walk this year.
The Mavs traded for Irving during the deadline, giving up a bunch of assets and key players in return. Trading for a star only to let him basically walk for nothing would've been a death sentence for Dallas. Besides, Dallas was able to wrangle some flexibility by offering a 3-year max for Irving instead of the 5-year contract that most people was expecting. If they let Irving walk to a different team this season, they would've essentially traded Dorian Finney-Smith and all those picks for nothing
Hence, the title of the biggest mistake the Mavs did during the 2023 NBA free agency goes to their signing of Seth Curry. On paper, the return of Curry seems like a good thing for Dallas. Three-point shooting was a flaw last year, and Curry is easily one of the best knockdown snipers in the league. He should help space the floor for Irving and Doncic, as well as handle tertiary ball-handling duties.
For all of Curry's talents on offense, the Mavs guard is a bit of a liability on the other side of the ball. At 6'2 and 185 lbs, Curry doesn't offer any resistance on defense. Teams can easily hunt the guard on mismatches and take advantage of his light frame. He doesn't have spectacular hands or preternatural defensive instincts to compensate for his size difference, too. The Mavs are certainly hoping that they can play Kyrie, Luka, and Seth together, since that's a lethal offensive trio. However, they'll give up an equal number of points on the other end when they're together.
It's not like the Mavs didn't have any other option, too: players like Lonnie Walker, Taurean Prince, and Torrey Craig were there for the taking. All of these players either provide a bigger body or are better defenders. Yes, Curry still edges them out on offense, but defense is a much more pressing matter for Dallas than three-point shooting.
We'll see how Dallas decides to build out the rest of their roster over the course of the 2023 NBA free agency. They are reportedly planning to trade Tim Hardaway Jr, which is a great idea. Offloading THJ for presumably better pieces to fit around their core is a good idea. We'll see how the rest of the offseason pans out for Dallas.
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