3 Free Agents the Mavericks Will Regret Not Signing This Offseason
The Mavericks missed the boat by not signing these free agents this past offseason.
Summer has flown by, leaving less than two months until all 30 NBA teams return to the hardwood. While most fanbases are excited to see how their new offseason additions will perform, Mavericks fans don't have too many new faces to look forward to since this year's roster isn't too different from the 2022-23 group.
General manager Nico Harrison stayed relatively quiet in free agency this offseason. The only free agents added were 33-year-old Seth Curry, perennial role player Derrick Jones Jr., and Dante Exum, who hasn't touched an NBA floor since January 2021.
It's clear that Harrison's open-market shopping this summer left much to be desired.
Several previously available names could've made a real difference in the Mavs' NBA title odds, which currently sit at +2200 (No. 10) on DraftKings Sportsbook. Now, time will tell if the current crop of players is good enough to bring a championship to Dallas next spring.
In the meantime, here are three free agents who the Mavericks will regret not signing this offseason.
3 Mavericks Free Agency Mistakes
1. Jakob Poeltl, C
After the Mavericks finished as one of the worst rebounding teams in the 2022-23 season, one of the fanbase's biggest offseason wishes was for Harrison to address his team's frontcount.
Outside of trading for Richaun Holmes and drafting Dereck Lively II, Dallas' center depth is still lacking. Holmes needs to prove that he's capable of being an everyday starter while Lively likely won't be ready for a key role for a while.
The Mavs still have Dwight Powell, who is what he is at this point, while JaVale McGee is expected to be released before the 2023-24 campaign even begins.
The Mavericks are expected to waive-and-stretch veteran center JaVale McGee by the league's Aug. 31 deadline, league sources tell @TheSteinLine, barring an unforeseen trade that requires the inclusion of McGee's contract.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 22, 2023
More NBA from me: https://t.co/A6ycVmnrjq
In other words, the Mavericks really should've made a play for Jakob Poeltl.
Although the 27-year-old veteran isn't an offensive lob threat, he does pretty much everything else well. He averaged 12.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 0.9 assists while shooting 62.9% from the floor across 72 games between the San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors.
Poeltl has proven throughout his career that he's a capable starter, having started in 90.4% of his appearances over the last three seasons. His career-high 12.3 rebounds per 36 minutes last campaign further illustrates his value in the paint.
While his four-year, $80 million contract with the Raptors isn't cheap, it's hard not to like Poeltl at that value considering the Mavericks have Holmes on the books for $12 million this year with a $12.8 million player option next summer.