Where Do The Dallas Mavericks Rank In The Western Conference?

The Dallas Mavericks made a few key changes over the summer. How do they rank in the Western Conference with new players in the mix?

The Dallas Mavericks will enter the 2016-17 season with yet another different team.

For the sixth straight offseason, the front office has picked the team apart in hopes that they would be able to land a superstar during the summer.

Since the summer of 2011, the Mavs have signed at least two new starters in each free agency period with major bench changes coming in just about every season. Players like Tyson Chandler (twice), O.J. Mayo, Monta Ellis and Chandler Parsons have all moved on as a result of the team’s willingness to move forward.

This summer, however, the Mavs didn’t make as many changes as they have in the past. Sure, they will be replacing former starters Chandler Parsons and Zaza Pachulia with Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut, but the bench won’t be much different.

The Mavs signed just two new bench players this offseason in Seth Curry and Quincy Acy and will be bringing players like J.J. Barea, Devin Harris, Justin Anderson, Dwight Powell and Salah Mejri back for another campaign.

With Deron Williams, Wesley Matthews and Dirk Nowitzki serving as the returning starters, plus rookie A.J. Hammons getting guaranteed money, the Mavs will have 13 permanent players on the roster.

They signed guys like Summer League standout Jonathan Gibson, overseas star Nicolas Brussino and college playmaker Dorian Finney-Smith, among others, to partially guaranteed deals, meaning two more players could be added to the end of the bench to complete the 15-man roster.

Related Story: Breaking Down Each Minimum Signing Made By The Mavs

With that in mind, it’s obvious that the Mavs made necessary changes to improve, but also attempted to keep a solid core together in order to retain some of the chemistry they formed throughout the 2015-16 season.

The expectation for the team is that they’ll be fighting for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. With Kevin Durant making his big move to the Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs replacing Tim Duncan with Pau Gasol and David Lee, it’s obvious that the top two spots in the West are taken.

It doesn’t get much easier below those two teams either, as the Los Angeles Clippers will continue to be competitive as well as teams like the Memphis Grizzlies — who added Chandler Parsons — and the Oklahoma City Thunder, who will look quite different next season with Victor Oladipo and no Durant or Serge Ibaka.

Those five teams will likely make up the top third of the West, but the sixth, seventh and eighth positions will be up for grabs.

That’s where the Mavs come in. Replacing Parsons and Pachulia with Barnes and Bogut was definitely a move in the right direction. Adding younger pieces with winning backgrounds to a team with the perfect mixture of youth and veteran leadership was also plus.

Much like last season, the Mavs will be battling teams like the improved Portland Trail Blazers, the James Harden-led Houston Rockets and the Utah Jazz, who took a step in the right direction by adding Joe Johnson and George Hill.

But there’s one other team that I expect to make a huge jump: the Minnesota Timberwolves. They were already dangerous last season with a plethora of young and budding talent. They were able to draft college standout Kris Dunn, sign center Jordan Hill and bring in head coach Tom Thibodeau, which should give them the pieces they need to succeed.

That means the Mavs will be among five teams competing for three spots in the West.

While the other four teams will certainly provide challenges, the Mavs’ experience combined with the amount of proven players on their team gives them an edge. It could be close again, but there’s no reason why they won’t be able to qualify for the playoffs for the 15th time in Dirk Nowitzki’s legendary career.

must read: Rim Protection Will Be Better Next Season

The Mavs certainly didn’t have the summer they hoped for but, yet again, the moves they made will prove to be good enough to get them back to the playoffs. They’ll likely be battling near the bubble in another late-season showdown.