Dallas Mavericks are on the right path after last season's mess / News - Basketnews.com

After not making the playoffs last season, Dallas Mavericks were looking for changes this off-season. The front office was aware that this team needed more defense and athleticism, and so far, they have nailed pretty much every move. Will it be enough to fight for the title again?

Credit: 2022 Getty Images-SCANPIX Credit 2022 Getty Images-SCANPIX

Last season was a huge disappointment for the Dallas Mavericks. After reaching the Western Conference finals in the 2021-22 season, there was a certain hype surrounding Dallas, but that excitement wasn't matched by the performances on the court the following year.

Luka Doncic

Position:SGAge:24Height:201 cmWeight:104 kgBirth place:Ljubljana, SloveniaProfileNewsStatistics

The Mavericks lost Jalen Brunson, Luka Doncic's main partner offensively, in the free agency and failed to replace him.

Despite trading for Kyrie Irving at the trade deadline, the Mavs failed to make a late-season push to get to the playoffs.

They won only 7 of the last 25 games of the regular season and were even fined 750k by the NBA after sitting several starters in one of the last games of the regular season to have more chances at retaining a top-10 pick in the draft.

Long story short, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong for the Mavericks, generating frustration within the Texas franchise.

Dallas management approached this offseason, aware that several things would have to change.

First of all, there was the need to bring in players who could provide more guarantees on the defensive end, given the tremendous difficulties Jason Kidd's team experienced in the defensive half of the court last season.

In general, there was a need to re-create new chemistry within a locker room that had too often appeared far from cohesive last season. Dallas began this crucial offseason with an excellent job on draft night.

General manager Nico Harrison used the 10th overall pick in a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder, dropping two spots in the draft but managing, at the same time, to unload the hefty contract of Davis Bertans, whom Dallas had been trying to give up for some time.

With the Thunder's pick, the Mavs then selected Dereck Lively II. But Harrison did not stop there, later going on to make another trade, this time with the Sacramento Kings, which brought the No. 24 pick, wing Olivier-Maxence Prosper, and Richaun Holmes, a reinforcement under the basket that the Mavericks had long needed.

It was already evident from what came out of the draft night that the Mavericks were looking for two main elements: defense and athleticism.

Lively and Prosper are two prospects who can make an immediate contribution from a defensive standpoint and have considerable athletic means.

Holmes, who was now finished out of the rotation in Sacramento, could also have a say under the basket with his presence as a rim protector. Dante Exum was one of the first signings made during the offseason.

After a great season with Partizan Belgrade, the Australian returned to the NBA thanks also to his connection with Dennis Lindsey, an advisor to the Mavs front office who had already worked with Exum in the Utah Jazz.

But the main addition was the sign-and-trade for the former Celtics swingman Grant Williams.

In order to acquire Williams from the Celtics, the Mavs sent Reggie Bullock to the San Antonio Spurs and agreed to a 2030 first-round pick swap and a second-round pick swap in 2025 with the Celtics.

Williams signed a four-year $53 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks, and his addition will fill the void left by Dorian Finney-Smith, who was traded to the Nets as part of the deal for Kyrie Irving.

Williams is a perfect player to put next to Doncic. A small forward with excellent defensive skills on the perimeter and the ability to consistently score from 3-point range.

In addition, the contract he signed is just over the value of the mid-level exception, so not particularly onerous. Williams is not a great creator, but he can turn the Mavericks around defensively.

In fact, during his time with the Celtics, Williams was often tasked with defending opposing teams' stars, the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jimmy Butler, and Doncic himself.

He has truly remarkable physical strength and quick feet that allow him to stay close to even players smaller than him.

The Mavs tried to add another top-notch defensive piece in Matisse Thybulle by having him sign an offer sheet, but the Portland Trail Blazers decided to match the offer, thus retaining the Australian player.

The attempt for Thybulle is another sign of how the Mavericks want to give top priority to defense and athleticism in the team's improvement process.

The front office will now also focus on the possible disposals of Tim Hardaway Jr. and JaVale McGee, who are no longer part of the plans.

The work is not yet finished, but what we have seen so far bodes well. At the end of last season, Doncic declared that something has to change.

It seems that the management listened to him because, so far, there have been plenty of changes, and more will come in the coming weeks.

With two players of almost boundless offensive talent, such as Doncic and Irving, the Mavericks necessarily needed to increase the defensive quality of the rest of the roster by putting close them to players who could protect them in the defensive half of the court.

In addition, the return of Seth Curry and Dwight Powell, both with quite sustainable contracts, add further positive notes to the already excellent balance of the Mavericks' offseason.

For a team that seemed to have entered an impasse and really looked too bad to be true last season, the adjustments made by Nico Harrison and the rest of the front office give hope for the best.

Something had to change, and the Dallas leadership made sure these changes happened as quickly as possible.

As always, only the court will tell whether this will be enough to bring Dallas back among the contenders in the West.

In the meantime, the signs sent out are certainly positive. Doncic, at least for the moment, can breathe a sigh of relief: the Mavericks seem to have awakened from last season's lethargy.

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