Dallas Mavericks: 5 goals for the 2018 offseason
5. Get everyone healthy
While they have not had the injuries of the San Antonio Spurs, the Dallas Mavericks have had their own issues. As noted earlier, Seth Curry missed the entire season with lower leg issues. Dorian Finney-Smith was only able to play 21 games for the season.
Nerlens Noel missed 52 games, mostly with his thumb issues, which resulted in surgery. Matthews missed 19 games through injury, Smith missed 13. Both Harrison Barnes and Dirk Nowitzki missed five games.
These numbers are not terrible, as most of the key players for the Mavericks played large portions of the season. However, with the regular season being 82 games, Dallas often found itself without the appropriate depth. Without all these players being hurt as long as they were, there is a good chance the Mavericks win another 5-10 games.
Fortunately for the Mavericks, there is not too much further they can fall. They had one of the worst records in the NBA for the season and while it did not equate to a top-three pick, they will add a potential franchise pillar with the fifth overall selection.
The Mavericks will be looking to bounce back next season. They will do it with the fearlessness of youth and a potential big-name free agent.
4. Strengthen the guard position
At the point guard position, the Dallas Mavericks have very promising rookie in Dennis Smith Jr. He is very much a future cornerstone of this franchise. His backup is J.J. Barea, who is a solid, annoying player who specializes in getting under the opponent’s skin. He is never going to lead this franchise to glory if Smith gets hurt.
However the Mavericks have bigger problems at the shooting guard spot. The only listed 2-guard is Yogi Ferrell. He is a nice offensive player but his size at 6’0″ is just too small to defend the bigger shooting guards in the league.
Seth Curry, who was injured all year, is the other option who can play either guard position. As shown by the results of the season, with one player out of this rotation, the Mavericks are not in a good spot.
They can rob Peter to pay Paul by putting Wesley Matthews at the 2-spot but this upsets the balance of the team. Doug McDermott is the other listed small forward, and his defense is not all that good. McDermott is also a restricted free agent this summer.
The Mavericks need to either draft or sign a quality off-guard. This will relieve the pressure on the guard rotation and give the Mavericks a solid base to build from.