Are the Dallas Mavericks finally an attractive free agent destination?

The Dallas Mavericks will once again look to free agency to improve their roster. Is there any reason for optimism?

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. The Dallas Mavericks just completed a disappointing season and are looking to free agency to upgrade an otherwise pedestrian and aged roster. Talk of clearing cap space is circulating the rumor mill these days as the Mavs eye big fish and max contracts.

If it sounds familiar that’s because largely it’s the same story – different summer. But that doesn’t mean there’s no reason for optimism these days. The 2016-17 season was not your typical Dallas Mavericks post-championship season.

Instead of loading up on veteran stopgaps whose primary purpose was to keep Dallas a fringe playoff team without committing long-term, the Mavs started rebuilding. The results of which was missing the playoffs completely and becoming a lottery team for the first time in forever.

But that was a good thing.

Despite the poor record, the Dallas Mavericks improved the appearance of their franchise. By committing to young players like Harrison Barnes, Nerlens Noel, and Yogi Ferrell the Mavs have finally developed a long-term identity. Previously free agents had no idea who they’d be playing with in Dallas year-to-year. With the constant roster churn and scarcity of youth, next year was always a mystery. Why would a highly sought after free agent roll the dice on that?

They wouldn’t. And they didn’t.

This summer the Mavs are a much more attractive team to free agents. There’s no telling how long Dirk Nowitzki will be playing or how long Wesley Matthews will be a Mav, but free agents now know that Harrison Barnes will be leading the team for the foreseeable future.

Noel and Yogi appear to be just scratching the surface on their potential, and while neither may ever become stars in this league, both are on the up-swing of their respective careers and appear to be happy in the city of Dallas. That’s something to build around and something to recruit around.

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The financial state of the Mavs says they cannot offer a max contract to a would-be free agent signee. While that may be true today, it may not be in July when free agency opens up. Moving players happens to be Donnie Nelson’s specialty and trading either Dwight Powell or Wes Matthews would get the job done.

Jrue Holiday remains an option for the Mavs. He’s a better-than-average point guard and he’s still in his prime. The Mavs will need to overpay to get him and he would also have to be ok leaving money on the table since the Pelicans can offer more than anyone else. Playing with a wing like Barnes and an athletic big like Noel may be attractive but would it be more attractive than staying in New Orleans?

Probably not.

Verdict

I don’t think anyone would argue the Dallas Mavericks aren’t more attractive to free agents today than they were yesterday.

Seeing young players on the roster does that for a team. But I’m not sure they are attractive enough to actually get someone to sign on the dotted line.

The Mavs are doing the right things. They are committed to youth and the rebuilding process. The attitude is right, the locker room is strong, ownership is attractive, and coaching is top-notch. But they aren’t there yet.

Next: Did the Mavs tank too much or did they not tank enough?

The Dallas Mavericks still cannot bank on free agency to rebuild their team. They just haven’t reached that level yet. They still need a superstar and the most likely way to get one of those is either in the draft or in the trade market.

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