Despite limited cap space, the Dallas Mavericks had a productive offseason, turning Tim Hardaway Jr., Derrick Jones Jr., and Josh Green into Klay Thompson, Quentin Grimes, Naji Marshall, and Spencer Dinwiddie.
As the offseason winds down, various experts have assessed the Mavericks’ moves. Here are some of the grades and insights:
Ben Rohrbach, Yahoo! Sports: B+
“The defending Western Conference champs needed shooting and landed one of the greatest shooters in the game’s history. The 34-year-old Thompson is a few years removed from consecutive season-ending injuries and nowhere near the player he was when he earned five straight All-Star nods. But he still shot 39% on nine 3-point tries a game last season and will feast on feeds from Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving.
“Otherwise, the Mavericks swapped out some of their role players, bringing in Marshall, Grimes, and Dinwiddie to replace the departed Jones, Green, and Hardaway. Marshall and Grimes are still developing skills that should benefit a Dončić-led team, and Dinwiddie enjoyed a stellar year in Dallas two years ago. Ultimately, the success of this offseason will depend on Thompson’s health and the development of both Marshall and Grimes, but the Mavs have earned the benefit of our doubt about moves on their margins.”
Sam Quinn, CBS Sports: B
“Thompson is an enormous upgrade over the version of Hardaway that barely played down the stretch last season. He’s still a reasonable upgrade on the better version of Hardaway, who competed for Sixth Man of the Year early in the season. Dallas didn’t need a heat check scorer. They needed a reliable spacer. They don’t come more reliable than Thompson. Hardaway’s ball-handling won’t be missed. Jaden Hardy is ready to take on a more consistent role if needed.
“Grimes-for-Green could go either way. If Dallas is getting 2023 Grimes, this is an upgrade. He was a far more comfortable shooter even in New York. The shot-creation in Dallas is going to do wonders for him. The more tentative 2024 version that clearly struggled with Donte DiVincenzo breathing down his neck? That player isn’t doing Dallas much good, but this isn’t an essential slot anyway. If the Mavericks have their druthers, Olivier Maxence-Prosper will be ready for bench 3-and-D minutes anyway. So this is a nice upside swing on a player who theoretically fits in.
“Jones vs. Marshall is where this gets interesting. Marshall is a better shooter. He’s not nearly as bouncy, and Luka Dončić likes having as many lob threats as possible on the floor. This is a net loss athletically. It’s a net loss defensively as well, though Marshall is quite good on that end of the floor. He just isn’t as suited to locking up opposing guards as Jones is. His bulk will serve Dallas well against bigger forwards, but that was less of a concern with P.J. Washington in place.
“The Mavericks got better overall this offseason, but they’re also going to have to win slightly differently. The formula last year, at least after the deadline, was suffocating defense and good offense that rose to great late in games. This year’s team has to win with offense because it won’t be quite as fearsome on defense, especially if Thompson, just by virtue of his stature, needs to start with Dončić and Kyrie Irving. This concept isn’t better or worse. It’s just different, and the Finals against Boston showed why ‘different’ might have been the goal here. Dallas didn’t have nearly enough offensive versatility or space to score with the Celtics. Now the Mavs do. It came at a price, but it was a fair one.”
Kevin Pelton, ESPN: B
“The Western Conference champions made dramatic changes this offseason around their core group of Luka Dončić, Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively II, and P.J. Washington. Klay Thompson, the biggest addition, joins the Mavericks after winning four titles with the Warriors. But adding Naji Marshall as a 3-and-D replacement for departed starter Derrick Jones Jr. could prove to be a swing decision.
“Dallas is now much deeper despite sending Tim Hardaway Jr. to Detroit. It has added Quentin Grimes in a money-saving move and signed Spencer Dinwiddie for the veterans minimum. The challenge for coach Jason Kidd will now be finding enough playing time to keep everyone happy.”
Overall, the Mavericks have garnered positive reviews for their offseason moves, positioning themselves for another strong season with enhanced depth and shooting prowess.
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