Top Offseason Priorities for the Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks' postseason came to an end April 25. With just a solitary win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, it was the Mavs’ third straight first-round exit.

Following a regular-season record of 42-40, Dallas heads into yet another summer of contemplation. This is an aging team lead by 37-year-old Dirk Nowitzki, with seven other players who have passed the three-decade milestone. And there was also the injury bug, including Chandler Parsons’ season-ending knee surgery in March.

The team heads into the offseason with only a mid-second-round pick in the draft and a number of roster holes to fill.

On the bright side, owner Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson, head of basketball operations, will have plenty of cap space to work with as they address priorities. The question of whether they rebuild for the future or attempt one last win-now scenario with Nowitzki was largely answered during his exit interview.

“I definitely won’t retire,” Nowitzki said, per SportsDay's Brad Townsend. “I felt great this year. I feel like I can still play efficient enough to be there for the team. So no, retirement is no question at all.”

On to the summer reload.

Get Younger

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Dallas has long been known for its veteran rosters, but the years are catching up fast. Things changed incrementally this season, with rookie swingman Justin Anderson and second-year power forward Dwight Powell playing 11.8 and 14.4 minutes per game, respectively.

Baby steps indeed.

There will be a tricky balance, given the temptation to retool around Nowitzki. The Mavericks haven’t been able to get past the first round since their shining championship moment in 2011. But there’s no reason the team can’t attempt to do two things at once, replenishing from the fountain of youth while maintaining a veteran mindset.

There will be challenges, however. The free-agency talent pool won’t be overflowing with incendiary young players this year, and Dallas’ meager draft position doesn’t appear to offer much help.

It’s also worth noting that longtime head coach Rick Carlisle, for all his talent and acumen, has never been known as a developer of guppies.

Improve Draft Stock

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Dallas’ only draft pick is at No. 46 this year. That’s an obvious deterrent to any potential youth movement.

There’s more than one way to change a diaper, however.

The front office could package its pick with another asset, perhaps sneaking as high as the mid-first round and a shot at a defensive-minded point guard like Wade Baldwin IV of Vanderbilt or a long-distance shooter like Denzel Valentine of Michigan State.

The Mavs could also buy an additional bite at the apple from another team, perhaps hoping to find a diamond in the rough. A perfect example is the Lakers' purchase of the Wizards’ No. 46 pick two years ago for less than $2 million. The payoff was combo guard Jordan Clarkson, who subsequently won All-Rookie First Team honors.

Cinderella success stories are rare, of course. Dallas could instead choose to pick-and-park one of the many intriguing international prospects littered throughout the late-first-to-middle-second round. Examples include 7’2” Chinese center Zhou Qo, stretch 4 Petr Cornelie from France and Spanish combo forward Juan Hernangomez, who has a fluid ability to create and complete shots.

Another interesting possibility is boom-or-bust Thon Maker, the Sudanese 7-footer who played his high school ball in Canada and is draft-eligible at 19. 

Strengthen Point Guard Position

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The Mavs’ point guard platoon is past its prime and lacking in reliable depth.

Deron Williams and Devin Harris have been injury-plagued over their careers and played most of their minutes at shooting guard this season anyway. Williams plans to opt out of his contract and look for a multiyear deal, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

MacMahon further opined that such a move needn't break the bank:

Meanwhile, the less-than-svelte Raymond Felton will also be a free agent, hoping his yeoman’s work in the playoffs will help facilitate a return. And then there’s plucky J.J. Barea, best used as an off-the-bench irritant.

There won’t be many quality floor generals on the market this summer, although Rick Carlisle’s flow offense makes it easier to plug holes with interchangeable guard rotations.

Mike Conley would be a nice pickup, but the Memphis Grizzlies will try to keep him. Clarkson would also be an intriguing possibility, but his status is restricted, and the Lakers will likely match all offers. The Mavericks targeted Jeremy Lin last summer, but he wound up with the Charlotte Hornets and now has a player’s option. There’s also Brandon Jennings, who hasn’t been the same player since his Achilles injury.

Dallas will also look into trade situations, as well as tap their long tradition of redeeming castoffs.

Bolster the Defense

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Dallas has long been known as a team more reliant on scoring then preventing its opponents from doing the same.

But the Mavs were hit by a double whammy during the playoffs, allowing the most points per game of any team in the first round at 112 while scoring only 93.8.

One of the biggest issues is transition defense—Dallas is a veteran team that lacks energy and athleticism. And if the players aren’t communicating and on the same page, the problem goes from bad to catastrophic.

Toward the end of the regular season, Carlisle commented on the challenge of defending in an evolving NBA with teams that advance the ball quickly and set up for treys.

“You’ve got to get back and you’ve got to think paint, and then you’ve got to build out to the three-point line,” the coach said, per Dwain Price of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “It’s challenging for everybody in the league, but we’ve had problems recently and we’ve got to fix it.’’

The inability to snag loose balls also figured in the Mavs’ demise; they ranked dead last in rebounding during the playoffs.

Deal With Free Agency

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Why is free agency the top priority for Dallas this season? Because Nowitzki, Parsons and Williams have players' options; Felton, Zaza Pachulia, David Lee and Charlie Villanueva are unrestricted free agents; and Powell is a restricted free agent.

Per MacMahon, Nowitzki will opt out of the final year of his contract but has no intention of going anywhere, saying he'll sit down with Cuban and Nelson and “figure out how to improve this franchise again.”

The situation with Parsons is more complicated—he’s due to make $16 million next season and has had multiple knee injuries. But the small forward’s talent is undeniable, and he can also be a major recruiter. As Price noted, that effort will include Dwight Howard.

Parsons tried mightily to help secure DeAndre Jordan from the Clippers last summer until everything blew apart. But while Howard is no longer the monster in the middle he was during his prime, he’s still a force to be reckoned with. And it’s the kind of splashy move that would hold enormous appeal to Cuban.

Of course, that raises the question of Pachulia as a UFA. The tough-nosed center did start 69 games this season, averaging 8.6 points and 9.4 rebounds. The front office should try to bring the 13-year vet back—he’d be a solid second-unit anchor, providing balance alongside youngsters like Anderson and Powell.

Williams should also be re-signed if he’ll accept a modest bump from his current $5.6 million salary. Powell can probably be retained easily, and Felton can be brought back at an affordable rate. Lee’s stock has bottomed out, and Villanueva’s value is only as a minimum-salary insurance chip.

Look for a full-court press on Howard and Parsons to be top priorities for Dallas.

Statistics are courtesy of ESPN and Basketball-Reference.com. Salary information is courtesy of Spotrac.