After their loss to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, the Dallas Mavericks' offseason plan has become fairly clear. It's pretty clear they need to double down on Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic, who took the team to the final stretch once they gave it a solid supporting cast.
Trading PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford was the ultimate move for this team, and Dereck Lively II has a bright future in this league, looking like the second coming of Tyson Chandler. This team should continue to improve with more reps and time together, but they need to address their lack of depth.
Mavericks' offseason plan: Breakdown
Jason Kidd has turned a lot of heads this season. After a questionable start to his coaching career, he is now an expert at making adjustments.
With that in mind, we'll take a look at their plans and current status, and share with you our Mavericks offseason preview.
Upcoming Mavericks free agents
The Dallas Mavericks don't have many major free agents. While they could look to bring Markieff Morris back to a veteran minimum deal to have a veteran presence in the locker room and an outlet to protect Doncic in a potential brawl, they could part ways with Brandon Williams and Greg Brown III.
Derrick Jones Jr. is perhaps the only free agent that matters, as he played extremely well to end the season. However, they may be wary about overpaying for him, and would likely have to free up some cap space to avoid the NBA luxury tax and retain him.
They clearly need more shooting, and with Tim Hardaway Jr. being a major trade candidate after a terrible end to the season, that should be a point of emphasis.
Maxi Kleber is also a potential trade candidate, as he barely played in the postseason due to injury, but has also become somewhat expendable with PJ Washington, Dereck Lively, and Daniel Gafford all thriving.
Potential Mavericks targets
The Mavericks haven't bothered to take an in-depth look at this year's NBA draft eligibility or prospects, as they are set to have only the last pick in the NBA draft, the 58th overall pick. Needless to say, this means they'll have to Do some research into free agency instead.
This can only change if they move Josh Green, who could bring them at least one pick in return. However, that seems unlikely at this point, as he finished the season well and is one of the few reliable pitchers.
The Mavs currently hold the taxpayer's mid-level exception, which is worth about $5.1 million, and that could help them land a solid depth rotation piece.
When it comes to potential targets, the list includes the likes of Patrick Beverley, Kris Dunne, Tyus Jones, Kyle Lowry, and Monte Morris for guards.
Malik Beasley, Gary Trent Jr., Alec Burks, Royce O'Neal, Lonnie Walker IV, and Taurean Prince are wings that could be grabbed, and Haywood Highsmith and Dario Saric also look like viable pieces.
Truth be told, it's hard to imagine this team being able to land a big name this offseason. Maybe they could convince Chris Paul to move again if the Golden State Warriors let him become a free agent, but he's not the player he used to be.
Then again, this team has proven they're not far behind in terms of competition. They will remain a dark horse as long as Luka Doncic is healthy. Hopefully he learns from this loss and finally gets back into shape and gets his temper under control, because that's the only thing standing in his way.
