3 Free Agents the Mavericks Will Regret Not Signing This Offseason

2. Dennis Schroder, PG

Another issue with the Mavericks' roster makeup is that there aren't any reliable playmakers beyond Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. With Spencer Dinwiddie gone, Doncic (8.0) and Irving (6.0) are the only returning players who averaged more than 2 assists per game.

Dallas is counting on Exum to help with playmaking duties, but that might be wishful thinking. Again, he hasn't competed in the NBA in nearly three years and previously averaged just 2.1 APG across his injury-plagued career.

Keeping that in mind, Dennis Schroder is someone I would've loved seeing in head coach Jason Kidd's backcourt this fall. He's someone the organization has been watching since Harrison scouted him in September 2022.

The 29-year-old German guard showed that he could score and set up his teammates last season, averaging 12.6 PPG and 4.5 APG with the Los Angeles Lakers. Although his 7.1 assists per 100 possessions was below his career average (8.5), it still would've ranked third-best on the Mavs for players who played at least 40 games.

As much as I love the duo of Irving and Doncic, their availability issues should've resulted in the Mavericks making a play for Schroder. After all, Doncic hasn't played more than 66 games since his rookie year while Irving has missed an average of nearly 39 games over the last four years.

I'm just sick of the thought of Irving and Doncic missing considerable time again this season. If Exum doesn't wind up being an NBA-caliber player, the lack of playmaking depth will only be exemplified.