2019 NBA Free Agency Southwest Primer: Analytics, upstarts and perennial contenders
Dallas Mavericks:
Situation Entering Offseason:
Luka Doncic made watching basketball so enjoyable the Mavericks quickly became a guilty pleasure of yours truly on NBA League Pass this past campaign. In fact, the Mavericks served up both ends of the spectrum as Dirk Nowitzki never fully committed to saying 2018-19 would be his last season, so when the inevitable occurred it was with great sadness fans witnessed a true legend exit the game the same way he entered – with humility and grace.
With his exit, the Mavericks enter the 2019-20 campaign beginning a new era which is expected to be led by their two young Euro stars Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis.
All-Star Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Hornets have sizable gaps and stalemate in talks so far, opening pathway for competitors in Boston, New York and Dallas, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 27, 2019
The big question is who’ll join the two stars and whether the Mavericks feel the need to create a big three in Dallas. Free agents of the likes of Kemba Walker, Al Horford, Patrick Beverley, and Nikola Mirotic all are whispered to be targets for General Manager Donnie Nelson.
Salary:
Cap Space: $ (28,133,502.00)
Floor Space: $ (30,519,762.00)
Max Space: $ 47,483,322.00
Projected Space: $ 29,848,296.00
*as per Keith Smith of Real GM
Key free agents to re-sign:
It’s expected (as per Shams tweet and several others) the Mavericks will come correct with the max deal to Porzingis (5-years/$158 million) as soon as the clock allows.
Despite suffering a torn ACL the star is expected to return to full capacity and fans are thirsting to see how the boy Wonder and the Unicorn will mesh on the hardwood.
Restricted free agent Kristaps Porzingis and the Dallas Mavericks will meet when free agency opens on June 30 and the franchise plans to offer Porzingis a full five-year, $158 million maximum contract, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 25, 2019
Rumors the Mavericks were targeting Kemba Walker made sense especially when you consider how successful Rick Carlisle‘s teams have functioned with another miniature guard (J.J. Barea) who’ll be lost likely for the majority of the season rehabbing his torn Achilles).
A full season of the dynamic duo alongside Tim Hardaway Jr. already should equal a step up especially if some of the young stars accept their qualifying offers (like Maxi Kleber and Dorian Finney-Smith). Nelson always seems to find the perfect blend of youth and vets to give Carlisle so I’m excited to see if they do progress in talks to any of the key names (Walker/Horford) or specialists (Mirotic/Horford) tied to them in the rumor mill.
2019 Roster Depth:
- Kostas Antetokounmpo
- Ryan Broekhoff
- Jalen Brunson
- Justin Jackson
- Luka Dončić
- Tim Hardaway Jr.
- Courtney Lee
- Daryl Macon
- Dwight Powell
Draft Picks:
- Isaiah Roby
2019 free agents
J.J. Barea (injured – out for season)
Salah Mejri
Dorian Finney-Smith (Restricted team extended qualifying offer)
Maximilian (Maxi) Kleber (Restricted team extended qualifying offer)
Devin Harris
Dirk Nowitzki (retired)
Kristaps Porzingis (Restricted – expected to be offered the max)
Trey Burke
2020 free agents
Ryan Broekhoff
Daryl Macon (Restricted)
Kostas Antetokounmpo (Restricted)
Courtney Lee
Tim Hardaway Jr. (Player)
Dwight Powell