DALLAS — Within days of the Dallas Mavericks ending the 2023-24 season as the NBA Finals runners-up, a fire was lit under the front office brain trust for a response. Following their long playoff push, the draft and free agency came quickly, but the Mavs did not appear left behind in preparation.
Long gone are the days of a Dallas front office being held hostage waiting on Plan A, only to scatter for spare parts days later when that plan was foiled. Within the first few days of free agency, general manager Nico Harrison and basketball operations VP Michael Finley set out to improve a roster that made it all the way to the end before losing to a team that exposed their shortcomings.
Heading into free agency, the Mavs made no secret of their desire to prioritize the return of breakout forward Derrick Jones Jr. Jones went from a pre-training camp minimum signing to an NBA Finals starter thanks to his ferocious defense, improved shooting, and acrobatic athleticism.
However, despite the desire to keep Jones, it became apparent that Dallas would need to wait for a decision, so the Mavericks quickly shifted to a contingency plan and picked up Naji “The Knife” Marshall, formerly of New Orleans, on a three-year deal to replace Jones’ defense and three-point shooting.
Jones eventually signed with the Clippers for a million more per year than Marshall, but the Mavs showed again they wouldn’t be caught waiting for a “Danny Green situation” as other fits signed elsewhere.
Meanwhile, after arriving in 2019 in the Kristaps Porzingis trade with the New York Knicks, the sun finally set on Tim Hardaway Jr.’s time in Dallas. Hardaway, who gave the Mavs some nice moments over the years, was virtually unplayable in the playoffs with the team losing confidence in his shooting. Could Dallas find a taker to free up salary after Hardaway had lost his starting spot in the season’s most critical games?
For Harrison, it was light work as he found a fit quickly with the Detroit Pistons to provide THJ a new home. But in addition to the salary relief that the team desired, Dallas also received the services of 23-year-old guard Quentin Grimes, still on a rookie contract, and one season removed from being a serviceable 3-and-D player with New York.
The maneuver gave Dallas a new option for the rotation and allowed them to turn Hardaway’s cap hit into the biggest free agent to ever choose to be a Maverick when four-time champion Klay Thompson left his storied 13-year career with the Golden State Warriors, and spurned the Los Angeles Lakers, to become the three-point threat that Luka Doncic and gang were missing in the NBA Finals.
With Hardaway off the books, Harrison landed Thompson on a three-year deal that is worth $50 million in a sign-and-trade that shipped former first-rounder Josh Green to Charlotte and second-round picks to Golden State.
It cannot be overstated how important Thompson’s arrival in Dallas is based on vibes alone, and that’s before considering how much of an impact he can make on the court. For a franchise that is perhaps best known off the court as a league stalking horse in free agency, to seek out a player of Thompson’s magnitude and land him is something that Dallas tried and failed at throughout former owner Mark Cuban’s entire stewardship.
One of the league’s best all-time shooters, Thompson witnessed Dallas’ Finals run and saw a need for his skills and experience. Essentially replacing Hardaway’s shot selection and minutes with Thompson gives Doncic and Kyrie Irving a sniper to kick the ball to, and Thompson will enjoy wide-open looks as defenses struggle to pick who to attack.
Outside of fit, for a future Hall of Famer to decide to hitch his wagon to this franchise over opportunities in Los Angeles to play for his childhood team, a team his father won championships with, and a team that calls his idol Kobe Bryant a franchise legend, all with the chance to play with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, speaks volumes for the change in perception that Dallas’ playoff run had on the league.
Despite landing a marquee free agent, Thompson at 34 years of age isn’t quite the player he was during the championship years with the Warriors, especially on defense. The five-time All-Star lost his age 29 and 30 seasons to knee and achilles injuries, which has hindered his ability to put the clamps on other team’s top scorers in recent years despite being a former All-Defensive performer.
While no longer the elite two-way player since returning from injury, the swingman will enter next season with Dallas averaging 39.4% from deep in the three seasons since his return, a mark that would have been second only to Irving’s 41.1% on the 2023-24 squad.
Thompson’s deep shot intake increased to 9.6 per game last season as he adjusted his game to his limitations in his post-return years, but the Mavs aren’t expecting splash brother era Klay Thompson, they are looking to improve their third option deep scoring from Hardaway’s 35% in his last season in Dallas. Thompson is one season removed from being a 22-point per game scorer, with a 41% three-point average. He also shot 92% from the free-throw line in 2024, instantly improving a Mavs weakness on both fronts. Thompson’s cost was Green, who has been replaced by Grimes in both age and potential.
Roster purgatory can happen quickly in the league that has the most player movement, and Dallas should be commended for finally being aggressive in their intent to improve around their core. They have one roster spot left barring another trade, and they can wait for an opportunity to be selective while other teams take on the mantle of being reactive.
Are you happy to see the Mavericks be aggressive in the early days of free agency? Share your thoughts with Irvin on X (formerly Twitter) @Twittirv.
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