The Dallas Mavericks had a crucial offseason. Following the first year of the Cooper Flagg era, they had to make important decisions to set themselves up for the future. They not only revamped the roster, but they also changed all the decision-makers.
The offseason is still not over. The Mavs have to make a few more moves, including reducing their roster from 16 players to 15 before the start of the season. It would also make sense for them to make a trade or two to balance out the roster.
At this stage of the offseason, however, it's safe to say that the most important decisions have been made. The Mavs, like most other teams, have handled most of their offseason business. So, it's time to evaluate and grade their entire offseason.
Before we can evaluate their offseason, however, it's important to remember everything they did:
How have the Mavericks done this offseason?
Arrivals: Morez Johnson Jr. (No. 9 pick), Sergio De Larrea (No. 25 pick), Tarik Biberovic (international free agent), Marcus Sasser (traded from DET), Zaccharie Risacher (traded from ATL), Santi Aldama (traded from MEM)
Departures: Marvin Bagley (FA), Khris Middleton (FA), Dwight Powell (FA), Brandon Williams (FA), AJ Johnson (traded to MEM), Ryan Nembhard (traded to ATL)
Key decisions: Hired Masai Ujiri as team president, Mike Schmitz as general manager, and Dusty May as head coach.
As you can see, that is a lot of change. Looking at the list of arrivals and departures, it's hard not to get excited. The Mavs got younger and added more talent and upside.
They are also unlikely to miss any of the departed players, especially Bagley, Middleton, Powell, and Johnson. Sure, Middleton is a solid vet, and Powell is an important figure for the franchise, but they can't be a part of the Mavs' future in this new era. Nembhard and Williams could have been decent rotation pieces, but Dallas replaced them with De Larrea and Sasser, so it's hard to call that a downgrade.
The Mavs should be praised for their outside-the-box thinking. Targeting Biberovic specifically and bringing De Larrea to the NBA right away are moves NBA teams would have shied away from. They also reached for Morez Johnson Jr. in the draft when he was mocked further down the lottery. They took fliers on Risacher and Sasser, players who became expendable on their prior teams but who have shown flashes in their careers.
None of these moves is a home run move. They are upside plays. But that is exactly what the Mavs needed to do. They have to find players who can be a part of the core around Flagg for a long time.
What the Mavs can be criticized for, however, is the moves they haven't made. Not trading Kyrie Irving makes some sense. Evaluating how he looks coming off the injury and trading him at the deadline may be the smart move. Not moving on from Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington, on the other hand, is questionable. The Mavs have a crowded frontcourt, and it behooves them to trade at least one of those veterans to open up playing time for the youngsters.
When it comes to the Mavs' coaching and front office decisions, it's hard to speak negatively just yet. Ujiri is a proven GM despite disappointing results at the end of his Raptors tenure. May is a worthy gamble, but we have to see his adaptation to the NBA before we can grade that hire.
To sum it all up, the Mavs certainly helped themselves this summer. They are in a better spot as a franchise now than they were six months ago. Did they change the fate of their franchise? No. Did their moves fundamentally alter how we think of their future in the Flagg era? Not necessarily. Yet, Mavs fans will still take it after Nico Harrison's awful moves in previous transaction windows.
Grade: B-
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