Wes Matthews Can't Be All There Is to Dallas Mavericks' 2015 NBA Free-Agency Run

Wesley Matthews needs to be the beginning of something for the Dallas Mavericks.

Not one hour into Day 3 of the NBA's free-agency frenzy, the 28-year-old shooting guard reached a verbal commitment with the Mavericks on a four-year contract, according to NBA.com's David Aldridge. Although the exact dollar amount isn't fully known, ESPN.com's Tim MacMahon offered a ballpark figure:

This puts Matthews' deal at somewhere around $52 million, markedly less than the $64 million that ESPN.com's Marc Stein had the Sacramento Kings offering. That's a win for the Mavericks.

It just can't be their only one.

Matthews is a sensible acquisition for a team that likes to space the floor and needs two-way players with a defensive conscience. He averaged 15.9 points and 1.3 steals per game last season and shot 38.9 percent from beyond the arc, including 38.6 percent in catch-and-shoot situations.

But he's also rehabilitating a torn left Achilles. And while Stein has already heard his recovery is ahead of schedule, there's no guarantee Matthews is ever the same. He is, as Tim Bontemps of the New York Post describes it, an expensive question mark:

Even if, against all odds, he is the same exact player he was before his Achilles injury, the Mavericks still have unfinished business.

Justin Anderson, Raymond Felton, Devin Harris, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwight Powell (non-guaranteed) and Chandler Parsons are the only other players on their roster. They lost Al-Farouq Aminu to the Portland Trail Blazers, per Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski; Tyson Chandler to the Phoenix Suns, according to Stein; and Monta Ellis to the Indiana Pacers, per ESPN.com's Stein and Chris Broussard.

All they have left is some cap space and the hope that their flexibility turns into more impact players—starting with DeAndre Jordan.

Tim Sharp/Associated Press

Inking Matthews hasn't financially precluded the Mavericks from signing the rebounding and shot-swatting machine. To the contrary, they and the Los Angeles Clippers are the sole finalists for his services, according to Wojnarowski.

Those who believe in reading between the lines and the power of pre-free-agency get-togethers might even be inclined to call them favorites, per MacMahon:

Prying Jordan away from the Clippers would certainly inject additional flair into the Mavericks' offseason, justifying the rolling cap-space blueprint they put in place more than three years ago.

Jordan's points-preventing impact is a tad overrated, but he helped anchor a top-15 defense last season that, on paper, had no business staving off bottom-seven status. He is a double-double machine. He ranked in the 95th percentile in points scored per pick-and-roll possession as the roll man. He is now the only qualified player to maintain a rebounding rate north of 24 and block percentage higher than 5.0 for an entire season.

He led all centers in win shares for the 2014-15 campaign, and it wasn't even close.

He is, unequivocally, a game-changer, one who is worth every penny of the max contract he'll undoubtedly receive.

If the Mavericks can't land him, there's always Roy Hibbert. Wojnarowski says they'll explore a sign-and-trade involving Ellis in order to acquire the 7'2" behemoth if they don't sign Jordan.

AJ MAST/Associated Press

Hibbert's value has plummeted to new lows over the last year, especially on offense. But the Mavericks have enough firepower already. His defense would be huge for their on-court balance.

Opponents shot 12 percentage points below their season average when being defended by Hibbert inside six feet last season. Of the 122 players who contested four or more shots at the rim per game, Hibbert ranked fourth in shooting percentage allowed, behind only Andrew Bogut, Serge Ibaka and Rudy Gobert.

He would be huge for the Mavericks, even if he gives them absolutely nothing offensively.

And yet, it's not like Hibbert or Jordan solves all their problems.

A starting five of Harris, Matthews, Parsons, Nowitzki and Jordan or Hibbert is fierce, but that would be it. The Mavericks don't have a deep bench or a small cast of established role players or even a proven sixth man.

Nowitzki, 37, isn't getting any younger. Parsons is working his way back from right knee surgery. The skepticism pertaining to Matthews' return won't soon go away.

Glenn James/Getty Images

For all they have done and may still do, the Mavericks are a collective mystery. And in a Western Conference teeming with contenders, it bears asking, even now, if they would be a playoff team in 2016.

Fifty victories earned them just the No. 7 seed in 2015, and matching that finish won't get any easier. Of the West's seven other playoff teams, only the suddenly rebuilding Blazers look like they'll fall outside the postseason bubble.

Many of those seven squads could be even scarier. The Golden State Warriors have dynasty potential. The Memphis Grizzlies are already deeper after signing Brandan Wright. The San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets have the cap plasticity to get busy on a moment's notice. The New Orleans Pelicans have Anthony Davis, and the Clippers will be threats to the throne so long as Blake Griffin and Chris Paul are standing upright.

There are also the surging lottery factions to account for, most notably the Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz. The Thunder are a juggernaut when healthy, and the Jazz posted the league's fifth-best point differential after last February's trade deadline.

Missing the playoffs, then, is a real concern for the Mavericks. They're not a postseason unit as currently constructed and need at least one more high-impact player before contending for another seventh-place finish, let alone a title.

More than that, they need talent to get more talent.

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

Free agency isn't just about the now for them. They're trying to make the most of Nowitzki's twilight, sure. But they first need to create a foundation upon which they can build through next season, into the summer of 2016 and beyond.

As Nowitzki even said, per the Associated Press' Schuyler Dixon (via NBA.com):

"

One little move, you sign one of the big guys, can change everything. Then all of a sudden people want to come here and play for a lot less money than they usually would. It should be an exciting time. But it's also always a strange time if you only have a few guys under contract and basically your future is a little unknown.

"

Matthews alone doesn't offer enough certainty. He isn't that outside draw, not even beside Nowitzki and Parsons. The Mavericks need more.

Another big name, a platter of roster-deepening role players, bargain-bin finds—whatever. They just need a legitimate core.

Until they get that core, they won't compete for anything other than fringe playoff recognition in a conference where title contention is the standard.

And if they're hoping to avoid that fate immediately, in time for next season, the Mavericks better also hope Matthews is just the beginning of their summertime push, not the extent of all they can actually do.

Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com unless otherwise cited.

Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @danfavale.