How Can the Dallas Mavericks Improve This Offseason?

Free Agent Targets for the Mavericks

For Dallas, a big question about the offseason this year is shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. opting out of his contract. This means he could possibly leave town or opt-in and stay in Dallas. There is a chance Hardaway could opt out of his contract and look for a long term deal to stay.

If he does end up leaving this summer, who would they try and sign to replace him? One option is restricted free agent Bogdan Bogdanovic, who currently plays for the Sacramento Kings. Bogdanovic is friends with fellow Europeans and Mavericks star players Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. The Kings shooting guard would be a nice third option for Dallas and could fit in really well there.

Sacramento does seem like they want Bogdanovic to re-sign though as they have cleared enough money to potentially do it this offseason. If Bogdanovic does leave Sacramento, Dallas could be a good landing spot for the Serbia native.

Another player the team could possibly target is Nets shooting guard Joe Harris, who is an unrestricted free agent. Harris has been a top three-point shooter in the league for the past few years. He even won the three-point contest at All-Star weekend in 2019. The guard would definitely improve the offense in Dallas, but he doesn’t bring a ton to the defensive side of the ball. The Nets do seem like they want to try and re-sign him to play alongside Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant in 2020-21. If the 28-year-old wants to leave Brooklyn and look for a bigger role elsewhere, Dallas could be an option for him. 

Draft Targets for the Mavericks

The NBA draft has now been postponed to October 15. Right now, Dallas has their own first-round pick and the first pick in the second round from the Golden State Warriors. If the season ended right now, the Mavericks’ first-round pick would be the 18th overall.

Through the draft, the team could look to improve at the small forward position. Currently, Dorian Finney-Smith has been the starting small forward. Finney-Smith is averaging almost 10 points per game this season. With their first-round pick, Dallas could target Saddiq Bey, a small forward from Villanova who averaged 16.1 points per game for the Wildcats. If Bey does fall in the draft, it would be hard for the Mavs to not take him. The 6’8” Bey would definitely help make this hopeful Western Conference contender even better while also adding some depth to the roster. 

Past Trades and Deals

In the past few years, the Mavericks and owner Mark Cuban have made some very stellar draft picks and trades. In 2018 for example, the team selected point guard Trae Young with the fifth pick, while the Atlanta Hawks selected Luka Doncic with the third pick. Doncic and Young never actually played a game for the team that drafted them.

This is because the Mavericks traded the fifth pick (which was Trae Young) for the third pick (which was Luka Doncic). Dallas also sent the Hawks a 2019 first-round pick which ended up being the 10th overall pick during the NBA draft that year. So far, the Mavs’ trade to acquire Doncic has paid off in a huge way. Doncic was the 2018 Rookie of the Year and an All-Star starter in 2019. He has also been averaging 24.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game in the almost two full seasons he has played. 

Cuban pulled off another blockbuster trade on January 31st, 2019. The Mavericks traded Dennis Smith Jr, DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews, and some future first-round picks to the New York Knicks for 24-year-old Kristaps Porzingis and 2 other players.

Porzingis did not play a game in 2019 for the Knicks or the Mavericks due to a torn ACL in his left knee that was sustained in February 2018. This season, “The Unicorn” has averaged almost 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. He has been a major reason why the Mavericks have had a breakout season after finishing second to last in the West in 2018-19. 

The Mavericks in the Future

If the Mavericks do try and add some more depth and talent to the roster, we could see them as a top team in the West in just a few years. One thing for sure is the team will be looking to build around Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. Those two players combined with more talent could make the Dallas Mavericks a feared team in the NBA.

Follow me on Twitter @SamConnors20