{"id":135394,"date":"2025-04-20T00:25:18","date_gmt":"2025-04-20T04:25:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=135394"},"modified":"2025-05-19T00:25:59","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T04:25:59","slug":"2025-nba-offseason-mavs-master-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/04\/20\/2025-nba-offseason-mavs-master-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"Dallas Mavericks: Draft, Sign, Trade"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>No matter what side of the aisle you&#8217;re on, the Dallas Mavericks are in a dark place right now. This isn&#8217;t so much because of a lack of talent, which is what plagues many downtrodden franchises. It&#8217;s purely the reaction to their decision to trade face of the franchise <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/doncilu01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Luka Doncic<\/a>, one of the game&#8217;s true phenoms. As a consequence, they&#8217;ve lost the adoration of many of their fans, which has created an uncomfortable atmosphere.<\/p>\n<p>The only solution is to make moves that regain the public&#8217;s trust.<\/p>\n<h2>2025 NBA Offseason: Mavs Master Plan<\/h2>\n<h3>Draft<\/h3>\n<p>As of today, Dallas is projected to get the 11th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.<\/p>\n<p>After the NBA Draft Lottery, that could change. The Mavericks do have a 8.5 percent chance of landing a top-four pick and a 1.8 percent chance of winning the No. 1 pick. No matter what though, they&#8217;ll have a lottery pick. With that in mind, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/gilgesh01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/a> (11th overall), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/herroty01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tyler Herro<\/a> (13th overall), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/halibty01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tyrese Haliburton<\/a> (12th overall), and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/willija06.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jalen Williams<\/a> (12th overall) are just a few stars who have recently been selected outside of the top-10.<\/p>\n<p>Dallas drafting a game-changer outside of the top-10 won&#8217;t come down to luck, but fine scouting. Due to their team needs, a backcourt prospect will likely be their focus. Just think, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/i\/irvinky01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kyrie Irving<\/a> will <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/04\/16\/mavericks-kyrie-irving-injury-return-news\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">probably be out<\/a> until January. Dante Exum and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/dinwisp01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Spencer Dinwiddie<\/a> will be free agents. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/willibr03.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brandon Williams<\/a> has been a revelation but may have just been a flash in the pan. Furthermore, when Dallas traded Doncic, they lost an elite shot-creator and playmaker.<\/p>\n<p>Looking at the guards that are expected to be available in the back half of the lottery, Oklahoma freshman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/jeremiah-fears-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jeremiah Fears<\/a> appears to be the best fit.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/oM-HfeTlS_g?si=FiZKUkS6j_VJEQIA\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>An excellent ball-handler and smooth athlete, he can get anywhere he wants on the court. He takes a number of tough shots around the rim, particularly around the rim, but he also <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/nba\/article\/2025-nba-draft-scouting-report-jeremiah-fears-g-oklahoma-194545180.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">has a soft touch<\/a>. Per Synergy, Fears shot 36.1 percent catch-and-shoot 3s, 44.1 percent on midrange jumpers, 50 percent on floaters (h\/t Yahoo Sports analyst Kevin O&#8217;Connor). At the defensive end, Fears is inconsistent but ultra-competitive and has shown a knack for coming away with steals.<\/p>\n<h3>Free Agency<\/h3>\n<p>Dallas may not attract many marquee free agents if <em>players<\/em> have reservations about Nico Harrison. That doesn&#8217;t matter right now. For one, the Mavericks don&#8217;t have much money to play with, projected to have a maximum of $6 million in cap space this offseason. Secondly, 39-year-old <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/paulch01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chris Paul<\/a>, 38-year-old <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/horfoal01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Al Horford<\/a>, and 37-year-old <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jordade01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Deandre Jordan<\/a> are the only &#8216;All-Stars&#8217; who&#8217;ll be unrestricted free agents.<\/p>\n<p>However, Dallas could attempt to pry away a disgruntled restricted free agent with an offer sheet. That player would be Golden State Warriors forward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kuminjo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jonathan Kuminga<\/a>, who has been at odds with his head coach, Steve Kerr. Because the organization values him, he won&#8217;t be cheap; a draft pick or young player may have to be surrendered in the sign-and-trade. Still, the Mavericks have something else the Warriors might want in return in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/thompkl01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Klay Thompson<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>With that being said, the Brooklyn Nets are considered to be Kuminga&#8217;s most likely offseason destination.<\/p>\n<p>The Mavericks don&#8217;t need a splash move for it to have the right ripple effect though. They simply need a player who can step in for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/davisan02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anthony Davis<\/a> in case of injury and add a couple of 3-and-D wings. Their options should include: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/alexani01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nickeil Alexander-Walker<\/a> (Minnesota Timberwolves), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/princta02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Taurean Prince<\/a> (Milwaukee Bucks), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/trentga02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gary Trent Jr.<\/a> (Milwaukee Bucks), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bolbo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bol Bol<\/a> (Phoenix Suns), <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/y\/yabusgu01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Guerschon Yabusele<\/a> (Philadelphia 76ers), and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/r\/reedpa01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Paul Reed<\/a> (Detroit Pistons).<\/p>\n<p>Among their projected free agents, retaining Exum <em>and<\/em> Dinwiddie could benefit their continuity and chemistry. Yet, though impressive at times, Dinwiddie&#8217;s performances were often disappointing. Exum should be prioritized because of his consistency, defense, and skillset.<\/p>\n<h3>Trade<\/h3>\n<p>As they have a $16 million and $11 million trade exception, the Mavs can theoretically acquire another rotation-level player. Nonetheless, teams aren&#8217;t just trying to give away their talent. With that being said, there are multiple teams that could look to make major changes to their roster this offseason.<\/p>\n<p>The Suns have discussed trades headlined by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/duranke01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kevin Durant<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bealbr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bradley Beal<\/a>, two high-salary players. However, they may need a third team to facilitate the deal due to their financial situation. The Denver Nuggets could look to make a blockbuster deal involving <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/portemi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Michael Porter Jr.<\/a>, who was <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/11\/01\/nuggets-reluctance-paul-george-trade-talks-is-negligent\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">on the offering table<\/a> last summer. Depending on how their playoff run plays out, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/lillada01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Damian Lillard<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kuzmaky01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kyle Kuzma<\/a>&#8216;s clocks could run out with the Milwaukee Bucks.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mjIIjVHJ8_8?si=UfVoBYelr6KmhDMY\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Of course, the Mavericks could try to acquire one of those players themselves.<\/p>\n<p>Durant, Irving, and Davis would likely <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/03\/04\/mavs-no-choice-trade-kevin-durant\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">be an exceptional Big 3<\/a>. Beal wouldn&#8217;t have to dim his light to shine in Texas. Porter is a better offensive threat than Thompson is right now. They <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/10\/06\/wizards-kyle-kuzma-clarifies-mavs-trade-rumors\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">had interest in<\/a> Kuzma before.<\/p>\n<p>Out of all those options, finding a way to land Durant sounds the best. Their desire to make a move for the future Hall of Famer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=AZBECNUkucw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">is reportedly overstated<\/a>. Yet, given the clandestine operation that was the Doncic trade, who knows what to believe.<\/p>\n<div class=\"modal-image-setImageMetadata\">\n<p class=\"ng-binding\">\u00a9 Jerome Miron-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>No matter what side of the aisle you&#8217;re on, the Dallas Mavericks are in a dark place right now. This isn&#8217;t so much because of a lack of talent, which is what plagues many downtrodden franchises. It&#8217;s purely the reaction to their decision to trade face of the franchise Luka Doncic, one of the game&#8217;s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":135399,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[30,1608,2,62],"tags":[1939,49956,4297,69,98,297,4557],"class_list":["post-135394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mavericks","category-basketball","category-featured","category-nba","tag-bol-bol","tag-jeremiah-fears","tag-jonathan-kuminga","tag-kevin-durant","tag-nba-draft","tag-nba-free-agency","tag-nba-offseason"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135394"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135394\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":140257,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135394\/revisions\/140257"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/135399"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}