The Dallas Mavericks Finally Have Youth To Work With

The Dallas Mavericks have wanted to get younger for quite some time. With their recent acquisitions, they are finally moving in the desired direction.

The Dallas Mavericks have been in search of young talent as Dirk Nowitzki‘s retirement is rapidly approaching.

Building through the draft is one the best ways to do just that, but the team has not had draft luck in a long time. Since they won the championship in 2011, they have drafted guys like Jared Cunningham, Shane Larkin and Ricky Ledo — three players that are no longer with the team.

To go along with that, they’ve traded away many of their draft picks in deals that have ultimately not helped the franchise take any steps forward.

In free agency, the’ve signed players like O.J. Mayo and Chandler Parsons, both of which were in their mid-20s when joining the team, but they were both gone within one to two years of signing.

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With the desire to get younger while also keeping the team competitive for Nowitzki, the Mavs have been stuck in a tough situation. However, they’ve recently acquired a few intriguing players through different scenarios, whether it be the draft, a trade or free agency.

On Dec. 19, 2014, the team completed a blockbuster trade to bring Rajon Rondo to Dallas. The deal also included forward Dwight Powell, who was a rookie at the time. Rondo’s rise and fall led to his departure during the 2015 free agency period, but the Mavs kept Powell.

That same summer, the team drafted guard Justin Anderson with the 21st pick in the draft. This summer, the team selected center A.J. Hammons with the 46th pick and later agreed to a fully-guaranteed three-year deal (via Shams Charania).

Also this summer, Powell became a restricted free agent, but after an improved season in 2015-16, both sides agreed to a four year, $37 million deal (via Shams Charania).

To cap things off, the team signed former Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes to a max contract worth four years and $94 million. They also have a two-year, $6 million agreement in place with former Sacramento Kings guard Seth Curry (via Adrian Wojnarowski).

Just two years after one of the worst trades in franchise history, the team now has a 22-year old (Anderson), a 23-year-old (Hammons), two 24-year-olds (Powell and Barnes), and a 25-year-old (Curry).

A few years ago, the thought of having five players 25 and under would’ve been laughed at, but the Mavs have been smart in their decision-making and are starting to slowly work on rebuilding their team while keeping it in the race for a playoff spot.

Let’s dive in and take a look at what the Mavs have in each of these players.

Justin Anderson: As the team’s youngest player and most successful draft pick in recent memory, Anderson broke out near the end of the season for the Mavs. With averages of 9.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists in the playoffs, he showed his worth as a dual threat, providing solid defense and flexible offense.

Anderson certainly seems like one of those rare two-way players that can evolve into a special tool for a team. He’ll continue to grow while playing next to guards like Deron Williams and Wesley Matthews.

A.J. Hammons: He may be a late second-round pick, but the Mavs already like what they have in Hammons. He’s a four-year college athlete that the team views as a first-round talent, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN. In his senior season at Purdue, he averaged 15.0 points and 8.2 rebounds in 24.6 minutes per game.

Dwight Powell: Powell exploded onto the scene last season as he played 69 games, averaging 5.8 points and 4.0 rebounds a night. As a power forward/center option, Powell uses his strength to grab rebounds and toss in layups.

He has the ability to knock down midrange jumpers and I’m sure that’s something the Mavs will focus on developing after giving him the nice deal that they did.

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Harrison Barnes: Serving as the premier pickup for the Mavs this summer, Barnes is set to have a much larger role than he did in Golden State, where he averaged 11.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game in 2015-16.

With a broad body and tons of muscle, Barnes is great at getting inside the lane. His three-point shooting is one of his biggest strengths as he shot 38.3 percent from long range last season. He also brings reliable defense for a Mavs team desperate for more power on the defensive end of the court.

Seth Curry: As the brother of NBA superstar Stephen Curry, Seth is just now starting to develop his skills in the league. He struggled to find a permanent situation from 2013-15, and once he signed with the Kings for 2015-16, he struggled to find minutes. But his two-year, $6 million deal with the Mavs suggests he could be getting more playing time this season.

Seth, just like Steph is an excellent three-point shooter (45 percent in 2015-16) and he is also a great passer. As a point guard/shooting guard combo, Curry is set to provide the Mavs with much-needed bench help.

The five players mentioned have already made the team, but it’s likely that even more rookies could make the move to Dallas as their NBA Summer League team is loaded with talent like former Marquette guard Vander Blue, former Florida forward Dorian Finney-Smith and former Kansas forward Perry Ellis.

Mark Cuban had this to say on the potential for more rookies on the roster (via Mavs.com):

"“They know if they do what we expect them to do, then probably three guys, maybe four from this group can make the team. You never know who’s going to get cut, et cetera et cetera, but we want to have a good crew of young guns that we develop.”"

As the Mavs move forward, it’s encouraging to see how dedicated they are to the idea of injecting youth into the roster and the lineup. Their title as one of the oldest teams in the league is quickly beginning to vanish.

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With Dirk Nowitzki’s retirement likely coming after the 2017-18 season, the Mavs finally have legitimate talent to develop.