Dallas Mavericks: 3 Free Agents to avoid in 2020
By Reid Hanson
The Dallas Mavericks need to be careful who they target this winter in free agency
Free agency isn’t always about the guys you sign, it’s also about the guys you don’t sign. In past offseasons we’ve seen the Dallas Mavericks target multiple players who never lived up their deals. Guys like Deron Williams, Dwight Howard, and DeAndre Jordan were all Dallas targets and all failed to live up to their contracts. In retrospect, the Mavs considered themselves lucky to fail in their bids to sign them (Although curiously they did eventually bring two of those players in, in later years).
This offseason the Dallas Mavericks have the extra factor of the 2021 offseason to consider. Known as the best free agent class of the past decade, teams all over the league have positioned themselves to be rich in cap space when the market opens. The Mavs are one of those teams.
Dreams of finally catching the big fish require the Mavs to spend cautiously this offseason. If the Mavs have to offer a multi-year deal in excess of the mid-level, they wouldn’t be able to afford a max player next summer. A big multiyear deal would need to be tradeable should Donnie Nelson’s dream come true and Giannis decides he wants to play in Dallas.
That means whoever the Mavs sign either needs to be on short-term deal, a low cost deal, or in position to overachieve on a deal. Gambles have consequences and Dallas can’t afford to mess up their 2021 offseason. At the same token, the Mavs can’t afford to do nothing and just stand fast until next year. They must find a way to get better now, without tanking their future later.
Let’s get started…