Dallas Mavericks: What have we learned from this season?

The Dallas Mavericks had a tough 2017, to say the least, but we did learn a lot about the roster. Here is how Dallas may approach the offseason.

The Dallas Mavericks, unlike the Stars, were never close to making a playoff run of any kind. The Mavericks are building a team in a world of NBA superpowers and that makes success incredibly difficult. After selecting who they think will be their franchise point guard in Dennis Smith Jr, the team only added one piece to a much bigger puzzle.

The one thing that always shakes up the NBA is free agency and the Dallas Mavericks will play a big role in that. They are sitting on a ton of unused cap space and will see plenty of players from their roster hit the open market.

Dallas will have to make some serious decisions on several important role players before the offseason is finished. Seth Curry will likely be one of the most talked about names with the Mavericks as he is set to become an unrestricted free agent after missing the season with an injury.

While his potential to be a productive shooter and complimentary piece to DSJ were nice dreams to have early on in the season, we have seen what he has contributed, absolutely nothing. Realistically he is a player who will make more than he should on the open market so it is possible we have seen the last of Curry in a Dallas Mavericks jersey.

Another problematic situation is what to do with Nerlens Noel because at this point it does not look like he will re-sign with the Mavericks. Noel rode the pine for most of the season, whether it was an attempt by the Mavericks to keep him an under the radar talent so they don’t get outbid for his services or something more remains to be seen.

At various points throughout the 2017 season, we heard Noel state that he wants to play and contribute. What the Dallas Mavericks do with him now is anyone’s guess but he is slated to become an unrestricted free agent. Noel was a defensive virtuoso earlier on in his career so it is surprising to see him not get a lot of minutes.

The main thing we know is that the Mavericks need a true center. Dirk Nowitzki basically stated he was coming back for another season but the Dallas Mavericks cannot expect to lean on him in any capacity. If the Mavericks win the first overall selection expect the team to go after Arizona center, DeAndre Ayton.

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He would make this team infinitely better and finally give DSJ a productive big man to play within the post. Finding the most productive center in the draft has to be one of the Mavericks top priorities. Then, of course, there is always the where will the big name stars go in free agency ordeal every team has to go through in free agency.

With players such as LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chandler Parsons, Dwight Howard, DeAndre Jordan, Paul George, and Klay Thompson all potentially hitting the open market, the Dallas Mavericks could find themselves diving into free agency head first. So really what did we learn from the 2017 season?

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We learned that this team has a long ways to go before they are proper playoff contenders. But we also learned what this team needs and that is a step in the right direction.