DALLAS — A championship win gets engraved into memory forever. The hiccups on the road to the title quickly become forgotten in the elation. For those who lose, the reasons for coming up short become engraved as well, fueling the anticipation of reloading for another shot.
The Dallas Mavericks came within three wins of an NBA championship but now start at the bottom like the other 29 teams with the next NBA season now on the horizon. The Dallas playoff run saw an equal response from the front office, finding improvement where possible instead of stagnating and resting on their laurels.
Starters
Luka Doncic
Kyrie Irving
Klay Thompson
P.J. Washington
Dereck Lively II
The anchor of the franchise is and remains Luka Doncic who will be looking to follow up the taste of his first NBA Finals appearance in his age 25 season. His playoff performance dealt a blow to the argument of the Euro wonderkid being an all-stats and no-wins player.
Doncic has finished in the running for MVP in five of his six seasons, has led the league in scoring, and hovered around the assists leaders as well. Doncic may now pose a serious challenge at the assists crown thanks to the shooting acumen of his new teammate, and the experience of losing in the Finals may give slighted Luka another notch in the motivation war chest.
Four-time NBA Champion and free agent addition Klay Thompson slides into the starting lineup in the open spot left by Derrick Jones Jr.’s departure. The end of Dallas' playoff run exposed the need for a shooter. To fill that need with a future Hall of Famer may win Nico Harrison GM of the Year.
Thompson’s motivation to not just get one for the thumb, but the closure and validation to do it outside of the Golden State dynasty should lead to a resurgent season for the All-World shooter, who can make defenders pay at Doncic and Irving’s discretion.
The addition of Thompson is also interesting in that he will be playing at the small forward position when in lineups with Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Irving has excelled as an undersized shooting guard, but with Thompson and Doncic both pushing 6’8’, Irving at his natural position of point guard in such alignments could be an option. In that configuration, Thompson could return to the catch-and-shoot 2 that he’s accustomed to with Doncic as a LeBron James-esque small forward.
Irving heads into his age 32 season with the possibility of a walk year. His contract with Dallas contains a player option for 2025-2026, but the veteran has shown no inkling of wanting to leave Dallas to date. Irving came back from injuries to have a spectacular 2023-2024 season for the Mavericks. While Irving had a rough showing in the NBA Finals, his ability to create and single-handedly lead an offense remains elite. Irving having a big year and securing his next contract would bode well for both player and team.
P.J. Washington returns for his first full season as the starting power forward. Depending on how the minutes are staggered, Washington is the likeliest victim of shot attempts that will be moved to Thompson. A low-percentage shooter from deep, having a three-headed offensive attack will put Washington back as a mid-range option, where he is best suited.
Washington’s emerging defense will be crucial for cleaning up after the Dallas backcourt, especially if Thompson’s age continues to mute his once-elite ability to defend.
The last expected change to the starting lineup is the elevation of Dereck Lively to starting center in his second season. Lively showed out as a rookie in the Mavs playoff run, including going a perfect 16-16 in the Western Conference Finals versus the highly touted and highly paid Minnesota frontcourt.
The first unit for Dallas being led down the court by Doncic and Irving, with Thompson as a sniper, and Washington and Lively exploring mismatches makes the Dallas offense second to none.
Second Unit
Spencer Dinwiddie
Jaden Hardy
Naji Marshall
Maxi Kleber
Daniel Gafford
Situational
Dante Exum
Quentin Grimes
Dwight Powell
To drive home the point of how much roster turnover happens in the NBA year to year, the second unit will be led by the returning Spencer Dinwiddie. Dinwiddie is a veteran of the 2021-2022 Mavericks team that went to the Western Conference Finals. He was the key figure traded out when Dallas landed Irving from Brooklyn, and now will be the sixth man replacing Tim Hardaway Jr, adding to the deep Dallas rotation. Dinwiddie was a 40% shooter from deep while in Dallas and is still only 31.
Dinwiddie will be leading the second unit that features two new faces. Forward Naji Marshall arrives from New Orleans replacing Jones Jr’s role of defense and three-point shooting. Marshall has a real chance of becoming a fan favorite, after emerging with the Pelicans from going undrafted to a 20-minute-per-game tenacious defender earning him his multi-year deal in Dallas.
Guard Quentin Grimes will spell the departed Josh Green for the new-look Mavs, scrapping for minutes with Jaden Hardy. The rotation edge goes to Hardy as an incumbent and after a solid showing in the playoffs as a rotational piece, but Grimes has shown athleticism and defensive presence during his career, and those minutes may be more valuable to the Mavs than an offense-first guard like Hardy with the current backcourt depth chart.
Maxi Kleber will be the stretch big that can come in and hit shots and give Washington a break, but after an injury-filled season, he will need to find his confidence in the three-point shot again. But he's able to defend plays even if he’s not making his shots.
Daniel Gafford will team with Lively to give Dallas one of the best 1-2 center combinations in the league, as demonstrated in the playoffs. Though Lively perhaps has ascended to usurp his starting job, the 25-year-old Gafford is also a true starting-quality big. The lob party will be a luxury that the Mavs can relish after years of looking for just one serviceable center.
The end of the bench could be a strength if Dante Exum finds his mojo again. Exum looked like a legit playmaker as late as April before falling off the rails. Exum sinking threes again to add to his perimeter defense could give the Mavs the deepest guard rotation in the Conference.
The last bench spot appears likely to go to the Mavs’ longest-tenured player, with Dwight Powell returning for his eleventh season. No longer expected to provide meaningful minutes, Powell will serve well as franchise ambassador and mentor and someone who could spell minutes for the bigs in a pinch.
The changes for Dallas show their commitment to maximizing their window with Doncic, who is just now entering his prime. The Mavericks will start to get a look at setting their rotations later this month with training camp opening in a couple of weeks. For now, their aggressive reloading appears to have set them up for another shot at the Larry O’Brien trophy.
Do you think the Mavericks have the depth to repeat in the West? Share your thoughts with Irvin on X (formerly Twitter) @Twittirv.
