5 important offseason goals for the Dallas Mavericks

5 important offseason goals for the Dallas Mavericks: 1. Retain Jalen Brunson, if possible

It’s not going to be easy. Jalen Brunson’s play in the postseason made re-signing him even more difficult. But the Mavs must do what they can to keep the guard around.

Brunson is coming off the best season of his career. The Villanova alum averaged 16.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.8 assists, all while shooting 50.2% from the floor. He emerged as a clear second option after Tim Hardaway Jr. went down.

He took his game to another level in the playoffs. Brunson averaged 21.6 points per game in the postseason, clearly ready to take on the mantle of a bonafide sidekick for an NBA franchise.

The performance was great for the Mavs in the short-term, as it helped take them to the Western Conference Finals. In the long-term, it’s a problem.

Brunson could probably pull between $20 million and $25 million on an annual contract in free agency. There’s likely some mutual interest in keeping him around in Dallas, but this is likely to be Brunson’s best shot at a big contract, so there’s not much incentive for him to take a discount.

There probably won’t be many teams Brunson could join at his anticipated salary level where he could come closer to contending a title. But there are other teams he could join and expect either more money than what Dallas wants to pay or a bigger role, such as the New York Knicks. The Mavs would likely want to go the sign-and-trade route if Brunson is bailing.

Without many direct avenues for improvement this offseason, keeping Jalen Brunson should be the number one goal for the Dallas Mavericks.