NBA Playoff Obituary: Where do the Dallas Mavericks go next?

Now that the season has come to an end for the Dallas Mavericks, it is time to write the obituary for the 2020-2021 season that was. Looking back on each team that made the playoffs will give a chance to look at what went right and what went wrong. It will also allow us to look ahead to what’s to come during the offseason to come.

The Dallas Mavericks looked primed to take the leap after going up 2-0. Five games later, the organization goes back to the drawing board.

This was an up and down season for the Dallas Mavericks, but ultimately it was another coming-out party for one of the burgeoning young stars in the league. They improved their seed from a season ago and yet somehow mostly felt worse for the majority of the season. Another first-round exit is starting to lead to some questions. What comes next?

What Happened

At times this season, Dallas looked really good. They had the eighth-best offensive rating in the league this season, a dip from a season ago relative to the rest of the league. Their defensive intensity also dipped, surprising after the swap of Seth Curry for Josh Richardson was made to correct that issue. However, the win percentage improved and much of that was on the back of their top two scoring wings.

Luka Doncic was a borderline MVP candidate, averaging 27.7 points, 8.6 assists, 8.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game. He shot an improved 35.0 percent from distance, which is the worst possible news for the league. If he can continue to develop that shot efficiently then he will be one of the most dangerous offensive talents in a generation.

With Kristaps Porzingis being unreliable (to put it nicely), Tim Hardaway Jr. stepped up with increasingly regularity. Since March 1, Hardaway shot 39.1 percent on 3-point attempts He has shown that he should be due for a raise this coming offseason. If the Mavericks had been able to inch past the LA Clippers it would have been better for everyone involved.

Porzingis is the glaring weakness of the organization right now. He is paid to be the second-best player on the team, but he wilted during the playoffs. Over seven games the former All-Star averaged just 13.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game on shooting splits of .472/.296/.842. As Paul George so eloquently put in the postgame, the Mavericks were without a presence down low.

What Comes Next

Ideally, plenty of change comes next. Hardaway, JJ Redick, Nicolo Melli, Boban Marjanovic and Tyler Bey are all free agents. Josh Richardson has a player option for next season, but after a less than ideal stay, he may opt-out. Luka Doncic is up for a contract extension, immediately sapping the future flexibility. The time to strike is now.

Moving on from Porzingis may be the best way to augment the roster beyond free agency. Finding a suitor for him may be tough (check back to the site in the coming days for some trade possibilities) but if the right choice is made Doncic already has the team closer to contention than they have been in a decade. It has already been confirmed that Rick Carlisle is safe in his role as head coach, so next comes filling out the roster.