Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2018 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2018/19 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Dallas Mavericks.
Signings:
- Standard contracts:
- DeAndre Jordan: One year, $22.9MM. Signed using cap space.
- Dirk Nowitzki: One year, $5MM. Signed using cap space.
- Ryan Broekhoff: Two years, minimum salary. Second year non-guaranteed. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Devin Harris: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Salah Mejri: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Two-way contracts:
- Non-guaranteed camp contracts:
Trades:
Draft picks:
- 1-3: Luka Doncic — Signed to rookie contract.
- 2-33: Jalen Brunson — Signed to four-year, $6.11MM contract. First three years guaranteed. Signed using cap space.
- 2-56: Ray Spalding — Signed to four-year, minimum salary contract. First year guaranteed. Signed using cap space.
- 2-60: Kostas Antetokounmpo — Signed to two-way contract.
Departing players:
Other offseason news:
- Sanctioned by NBA for workplace misconduct by former and current employees.
Salary cap situation:
- Used cap space; now over the cap.
- Carrying approximately $104.8MM in guaranteed salaries.
- Full room exception ($4.45MM) still available.
Check out the Dallas Mavericks’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.
Story of the summer:
The future has arrived in Dallas, and the Mavericks were willing to be aggressive on draft night to make it happen. The team traded up to the No. 3 spot to nab European star Luka Doncic, who is the reigning EuroLeague MVP at age 19. It cost Dallas the No. 5 pick plus next year’s first-rounder [top five protected], but the price will be well worth it if Doncic develops into what the Mavericks expect.
Team officials, including normally reserved coach Rick Carlisle, are already raving about Doncic’s potential as both a scorer and a creator for the offense. He will team with last year’s star rookie, Dennis Smith, to create one of the NBA’s best young backcourts and provide a foundation for the Mavericks to rebuild around.
The Dallas media expect Doncic to become a strong candidate for Rookie of the Year honors, comparing him to last year’s winner, Ben Simmons, but with a better shooting touch. Doncic tied for third in a Rookie of the Year poll among his fellow draftees and is the current favorite to win the award in odds set by the sportsbook company Bovada.
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Key offseason losses:
Dallas had to rebuild its bench after four free agents left the team this summer. Yogi Ferrell, who developed into an important rotation player during his year and a half with the organization, originally committed to re-sign with the Mavs, but backed out when the Kings offered a better deal. Ferrell got $6.2MM over two seasons in Sacramento, although the second year is non-guaranteed. He would have had the same arrangement in Dallas, but only for $5.3MM.
Dallas also lost Doug McDermott to the Pacers, Seth Curry to the Trail Blazers and Nerlens Noel to the Thunder. McDermott was a reliable bench scorer during half a season in Dallas, averaging 9.0 PPG and shooting .494 from 3-point range. Curry was a part-time starter who nearly doubled his career-best scoring average during his lone season with the Mavericks, posting 12.8 PPG. Noel never showed the potential the coaching staff was hoping for when he was acquired from the Sixers and will be most remembered for grabbing a hot dog in the media room during halftime of a game during a stretch of DNPs.
Key offseason additions:
One of the most bizarre chapters in team history was rewritten this summer as free agent center DeAndre Jordan finally donned a Mavericks uniform, three years after originally committing to the team. The 2015 incident featured an intervention by Clippers teammates who virtually held Jordan hostage in his own home until he agreed to back out of a verbal commitment to Dallas and remain in L.A. There was nothing close to that this summer as Jordan, the last remaining link to the Lob City era, quietly accepted a one-year, $22.9MM deal to finally join the Mavericks.
Dallas also brought back veteran guard Devin Harris, who is now in his third stint with the organization. Harris was sent to Denver as part of a three-team trade at the February deadline to help the Nuggets with their push for the playoffs. Harris, 35, will join J.J. Barea as veteran influences for the young backcourt.
Outlook for 2018/19:
Two of the Mavericks’ most glaring problems last year were interior defense and rebounding, and Jordan provides an instant solution to both. He averaged a career-best 15.2 rebounds last season and has been among the league’s best shot blockers for a decade. Jordan also provides a dangerous pick and roll partner for both Doncic and Smith.
Dirk Nowitzki hasn’t confirmed that this will be his final NBA season, but that possibility looms over everything else that will happen in Dallas this season. Owner Mark Cuban would love to send Nowitzki out with a return to the playoffs, but a lot will have to go right for the Mavericks, who are coming off a 24-win season. The addition of Jordan should help, but Dallas will need its young backcourt to grow up quickly to challenge some of the more established teams in the West. The future in Dallas appears bright, but it may take a while to get there.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Luke Adams contributed to this post.