The Dallas Mavericks had a busy offseason, significantly retooling the roster after a transition season in Year 1 of the Cooper Flagg era. There are reasons for Mavs fans to be optimistic about the future, as the Mavs are now a much younger team with a higher upside.
At the same time, there were still a few questionable offseason decisions. Rather than the moves the Mavs made, it was the moves they didn't make that may come back to bite them.
The Mavs should have traded P.J. Washington for an elite shooter
At the top of that list is not trading P.J. Washington. Even though the Mavs added a ton of frontcourt depth this summer, they have opted to retain the 28-year-old power forward.
Washington is the second-highest-paid player on the Mavs roster. He is under contract for four years and $88 million. When he is healthy, he is worth this contract, but he has missed at least 25 games in back-to-back seasons. He is also coming off a poor-shooting season, in which he made only 32.5% of his threes.
There is very little reason for the rebuilding Mavs to keep Washington around. Even after a down campaign, he is the type of player who will have interest around the league among playoff teams.
Another down season where he misses a lot of games, however, will lower his trade value. With the depth and quality the Mavs have at power forward, Washington is highly expendable.
The Mavs have Flagg, Santi Aldama, Zaccharie Risacher, and Morez Johnson Jr., who will all get minutes at power forward. Even Naji Marshall and Caleb Martin can be considered power forwards in certain lineups. Washington is an expensive luxury in this crowded rotation.
What should Dallas have traded Washington for?
The Mavs' needs are obvious. They need to add more shooting and playmaking, especially in the backcourt. Trading Washington for a guard would have balanced the roster. Especially after Klay Thompson's departure, using Washington's salary to add another sharpshooter would have been a better use of resources.
Some players who fit this mold were traded this summer. Max Strus, Grayson Allen and Isaiah Joe could have been good options for the Mavs and could have been acquired using Washington's salary. Players like Cam Johnson, Shaedon Sharpe and Malik Monk, who didn't end up changing teams, could have easily been acquired by the Mavs. We should note that Sharpe will be out for months due to a right knee injury, but there were still options available.
None of these trades would have altered the fate of the franchise. But they would have helped make the Mavs a more balanced team that makes more sense. Not moving Washington this summer may end up being a move that the Mavs regret looking back on this offseason.
Add us as a preferred source on Google