The Dallas Mavericks are in a fascinating spot heading into the offseason. After the arrival of Masai Ujiri as GM and Dusty May as head coach, it's unclear where the Mavs are headed. They have enough talent on the team that if they add a little more in the offseason, they could chase a playoff spot.
They are also young enough to afford to be patient and build slowly. Which direction Ujiri and the new front office will go will be one of the more interesting storylines of the offseason.
While we don't know the direction the Mavs are headed, their draft choices can offer us some insight. They went with Morez Johnson Jr. as the centerpiece of their draft haul. But he is stuck behind a crowded frontcourt. This will likely lead to some departures. To maximize the newly formed Cooper Flagg-Morez Johnson-Dereck Lively trio, the Mavs also need to add some shooting and playmaking.
Mavs must prioritize shooting in free agency and trade market
Dallas has the resources and flexibility to be active in both free agency and the trade market. They can use their non-taxpayer mid-level exception to sign an offense-first perimeter player. Anfernee Simons, Collin Sexton, Norman Powell, Luke Kennard and Tim Hardaway Jr. come to mind.
The Mavs also have a $20.8 million trade exception created in the Anthony Davis trade. They can use this to acquire a player via a trade who can help them offensively. This means that the Mavs don't have to worry about salary-matching in a trade up to $20.8 million.
Ty Jerome, Max Strus, Shaedon Sharpe and Grayson Allen are some names considered to be on the trade block and who would fit in that exception.
PJ Washington is likely the odd man out in Dallas
After the arrival of Morez Johnson Jr., the most likely to see himself out of Dallas is PJ Washington. Daniel Gafford is a close second. Dallas has to usher in the new era of Mavs basketball with Lively II, Flagg and Johnson. That is assuming Lively II can stay on the floor. Keeping Washington and Gafford, who don't fit the timeline and are luxuries given their salaries, doesn't make too much sense.
Given Lively II's injury history, holding onto Gafford a little longer may be understandable. Washington, on the other hand, is highly expendable. Trying to trade him for a backcourt player is another avenue the Mavs can explore.
Until this is done, we can expect Kyrie Irving to be a Maverick. He is the only elite shot creator on the team, and Dallas desperately needs him to maximize the rest of their team. Everything that has happened so far in the offseason signals that the All-Star guard isn't going anywhere any time soon.
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