Dallas Mavericks 2024 NBA offseason manifesto: How can Mark Cuban consolidate around Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and co

The Dallas Mavericks’ end to the season tastes bittersweet. Losing in the finals always stings, but few expected them to reach the mountaintop at all. Dallas has its young superstar in place, a secondary star and valuable depth as a result of Nico Harrison’s draft picks and trade acquisitions.

Offseason festivities begin immediately after the finals, leaving little time for Dallas to grieve. The Mavericks will have critical decisions to make regarding the short and long-term future of their roster, hoping to push for an elusive NBA championship in the following seasons.

Important Dates for 2024-25 NBA Off-Season

Day after the NBA Finals: Begin negotiation with free agents on the roster

June 26 & 27: NBA Draft

June 28th: Dante Exum contract guarantee kicks in

June 30th: Start of free agency period, Jaden Hardy contract guarantee kicks in

July 6th: Luka Doncic, Tim Hardaway Jr., Maxi Kleber and Jaden Hardy become extension-eligible

Dallas Mavericks Resources & Cap Overview

Total cap spending: $192,976,268

Cap space: - $51,976,268

Tax space: - $2,842,082

2024 Draft capital: Pick 60 (via BOS)

Dallas Mavericks Roster & Contracts for 2024-25 season

Guaranteed Contracts (2024-25 cap hit)

Luka Doncic: $43,031,940

Kyrie Irving: $41,000,000

Tim Hardaway Jr.: $16,193,183

PJ Washington: $15,500,000

Daniel Gafford: $13,194,160

Josh Green: $12,654,321

Maxi Kleber: $11,000,000

Dereck Lively: $5,014,560

Dwight Powell: $4,000,000

Dante Exum: $3,150,000 (non-guaranteed)

Olivier-Maxence Prosper: $2,870,400

A.J. Lawson: $2,120,683 (non-guaranteed)

Jaden Hardy: $2,019,699 (non-guaranteed)

Alex Fudge (Two Way)

Unrestricted Free Agents

Derrick Jones Jr.

Nicolo Melli

Markieff Morris

Theo Pinson

Moses Wright

McKinley Wright

Restricted Free Agents

Greg Brown III: $1,867,722

Brandon Williams: $1,867,722

A few big trade acquisitions have depleted the Mavericks of resources, both financially and in terms of the draft. Dallas has its own first-round picks in 2025 and 2026 (2024 1st to the Knicks from the Porzingis trade). They won’t pick again in the first round until 2031, forcing their hand to contention over the next half-decade or so.

The Mavs’ roster could look fairly similar to open next season as they only have one notable unrestricted free agent (Jones Jr.). They lack the cap space, draft capital and young assets to make big changes via free agency or trade. Despite a lack of notable free agents, there are still important roster decisions Dallas must make this offseason.

Top 5 big decisions for Dallas Mavericks ahead of the 2024-25 season

Extending Luka Doncic

This one’s a no-brainer. Dallas’s superstar Slovenian currently remains under contract until 2027 with a $48.9 million player option in 2026 for the final year of his rookie extension. He’s eligible for an extension in early July, an option he’ll likely want to pursue.

Because he’d be signing with the team that extended him after the rookie deal, Doncic is eligible for the 35% supermax. That contract could exceed $340 million over five years depending on cap increases, good for an average annual value north of $69 million. For context, the current richest contract by AAV is $57.2 million to Jaylen Brown, which Luka Doncic projects to lap comfortably.

At this point, Doncic seems likely to accept the supermax from the Mavericks. He’s coming off his best season as a pro ending in an NBA finals run and the Mavs’ roster looks primed to continue competing. He’ll make around $30 million more with Dallas than he can with any other team, even factoring in an opt-out with a potential player option in 2030. There shouldn’t be hesitation from either party here.

Re-signing Derrick Jones Jr.

Derrick Jones Jr. is Dallas’s only notable unrestricted free agent this Summer. They’ll want to re-sign Jones after his strong playoff performance, averaging 9.0 points per game on 57.9% true shooting and 37.7% from three. The Mavericks signed Jones to a one-year, $2,71 million minimum contract last Summer and he’ll likely demand more this year.

Last Summer, the Mavs used the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Dante Exum, as well as depth pieces in Seth Curry and AJ Lawson. That’s likely the path to retaining Jones. Because the Mavericks are over the hard cap, they’ll have $5.184 million available for the taxpayer MLE. Jones may hope for more than this, hoping to sign a 1+1 with a player option next Summer to earn a more lucrative deal after another good season.

Dallas doesn’t have bird rights for Jones, but they would have early bird rights if Jones signed a short-term deal this summer, allowing the Mavs to sign Jones to a long-term extension without dipping into cap space. After trading for Kyrie Irving, PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford, they’ll be short on raw cap space for the near future.

The Mavs could ink Jones to a two-year deal worth approximately $10 million in total value, not factoring in potential player or team options. After his most recent season, Jones will demand more than that figure, even if he does want to stay in Dallas. Given their lack of draft capital, maintaining role-player depth will be critical. Dallas should re-sign him happily if Jones is willing to take a short-term deal to open up future contract opportunities.

Re-signing Dante Exum

Exum sparked a career renaissance in 2024, returning to the NBA on a two-year, $6.15 million deal last Summer using the non-taxpayer MLE. The second year of his deal is non-guaranteed but becomes guaranteed on June 22nd if the Mavericks still have him on the roster, guaranteeing the second year.

Given Exum’s play in spurts, Dallas will likely be excited to retain Exum before he hits the open market in the Summer of 2025. Though Exum wasn’t a regular rotation player for the Mavericks, he’s a capable two-way guard, especially if his three-point jumper continues to fall as it did this season. Another strong season could earn Exum a contract with Dallas or another team next Summer.

Thinking about the future with Tim Hardaway Jr. and Maxi Kleber

Hardaway Jr. and Kleber are both up for possible extension this offseason, a path Dallas likely won’t elect to take. Hardaway, 32, becomes an unrestricted free agent next Summer and Kleber, 33, the following Summer of 2026. Both are earning substantial money — Hardaway makes $16.2 million in the final year of his deal signed back in 2021 and Kleber makes $11 million each of the next two seasons.

At the time of writing this, both of these contracts are returning negative value. Dallas squeezed Hardaway out of the playoff rotation despite his productive (if inefficient) regular season as a shotmaker. He’s appeared in just 13 of Dallas’s 21 playoff games, averaging 13 minutes at 4.7 points per game on a frigid 50.8% true-shooting percentage. Hardaway doesn’t seem like much more than a microwave scorer who became superfluous on a high-octane Dallas offense.

Kleber featured more heavily in the Mavs’ playoff plans, providing valuable defensive versatility, especially in the Clippers series before his injury. He’s shot a strong 46.2% from three on low volume (24 attempts) but his offense has otherwise been problematic given his poor decision-making and scoring game. Given his age, it’s fair to predict some level of regression for a player who’s already a fringe rotation piece.

Dallas’s pathways to improve the roster via free agency are limited given their cap commitments. Trading one or both of Hardaway and Kleber could open up a significant chunk of space to maneuver. A hypothetical trade, especially for an expiring contract like Hardaway’s, would likely have to include some draft capital in a salary dump, which may be challenging given the Mavs’ lack of picks.

No teams are under the cap floor, but teams below the first apron ($178.6 million) who need draft picks like Brooklyn, New Orleans or Chicago could bite on a trade to help Dallas further improve their roster this offseason.

Extending Jaden Hardy

Jaden Hardy signed a three-year, $4.75 million deal after the Mavericks spent the 37th pick on him during the 2022 draft. The deal included $3.1 million in total guarantees with a $400,000 guarantee kicking in on June 30th. He’ll become extension-eligible in July along with Doncic, Hardaway Jr. and Kleber.

Hardy’s current deal sets him up as a restricted free agent in the Summer of 2025, giving Dallas a chance to match any offer. Because he’s been with the team for three years at that point, they’ll have full bird rights and the ability to sign him regardless of their cap situation.

An extension this Summer could look similar to the Miles McBride extension on New York for around $13 million over three years. McBride is a much better player than Hardy but was in a similar situation as a depth piece buried on the depth chart at the time of his extension.

To this point, Hardy hasn’t proven himself to the point of deserving an extension and I can’t imagine Dallas will ink one this offseason. He’s still an inefficient scorer and a poor defender who’s hard to justify giving minutes to. It makes more sense to see if Hardy can continue his development into next season when Hardy remains under team control heading into the next free agency.

Possible Free Agent Targets for Dallas Mavericks

As we previously discussed, Dallas likely won’t have much room to improve their roster externally. In the case of a trade or some other method of opening up cap space, here are some possible free agents of varying price levels that could improve the roster and move the needle closer to a title.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (31)

Previous AAV: $15,072,562

Caldwell-Pope is the least realistic target on this list but it could be a high-end option if Dallas goes all in on clearing space. KCP has a $15.4 million player option which he could decline to chase a bigger deal. To afford an approximately $20 million AAV deal, Dallas likely won’t be able to return Derrick Jones Jr. along with a trade or two.

Inking Cadwell-Pope to a long-term deal would supercharge the Mavs’ guard room. Caldwell-Pope is one of the league’s premier role players as one of the few elite three-and-D guards. He shot 40.6% from three this season with the versatility to shoot difficult movement jumpers from three and from mid-range, along with his smart decision-making. KCP received all-defensive consideration as a result of his incredible screen navigation, turnover generation and on-ball defensive ability.

He’s proven himself a valuable asset to multiple championship-winning teams, slotting in next to other ball-dominant stars as an off-ball swiss army knife. Again, KCP’s price will probably be a non-starter for Dallas. But if Harrison believes Caldwell-Pope is a missing piece, he could make aggressive moves to open space for him.

Patrick Williams (22)

Previous AAV: $8,025,410

If the Bulls don’t value Patrick Williams, Dallas could target him as a buy-low option for two-way wing depth. He’s a restricted free agent, so the Bulls will be able to match any offer for Williams, making this signing a challenge. Chicago could overhaul the roster to escape basketball purgatory with Williams as a casualty.

The fourth overall pick in 2020 hasn’t lived up to his draft slot, as Williams averaged 9.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game on an average 57% true shooting figure over his Bulls career. His lack of offensive aggression has consistently limited Williams as a scorer and a threat on that end.

He’s proven an effective floor spacer, shooting 41% from three on 2.8 attempts per game over his career. The volume jumped during his last two seasons, turning Williams into a legit spacing threat as a three or four-man. His defense is already strong, as Williams protects the rim at the level of a secondary defender with sound off-ball positioning and some on-ball versatility.

There’s a history of highly touted prospects leaving the Bulls and blossoming into better players, most recently Lauri Markkanen, Wendell Carter Jr. Williams would slot into the Mavs rotation much more seamlessly, playing with an elite passer in Doncic for the first time in career. That would ease his offensive development, as Williams is still extremely young.

Williams’ restricted free agency makes this signing a long-shot, though he’d be an ideal gamble if the Bulls (and the rest of the league) don’t value him highly. The Mavericks are as well equipped as any team to help Williams develop into a useful two-way forward on his second contract if they go this direction.

Alec Burks (32)

Previous AAV: $10,012,800

Burks falls into the Jaden Hardy/Tim Hardaway Jr. replacement camp for this free agency, though he could be affordable even without a trade. He wasn’t a regular feature in New York’s rotation until injuries forced their hand and they likely won’t prioritize him given the current and future of their roster.

If the Mavs could ink Burks for a portion of the taxpayer MLE, he’d add another scoring presence to the guard room to supplement Doncic and Irving. Burks will enter the game and score effectively for as long as he plays, providing steady offense off the bench whenever he is needed.

Cameron Payne (29)

Previous AAV: $2,891,467

Adding more useful guard depth wouldn’t hurt Dallas, especially if Jaden Hardy doesn’t continue his development. Payne proved a useful rotation guard in Philadelphia this season, adding value with his diverse offensive game. He generates paint touches, passes at a reasonable level and scores from three and in the mid-range.

Payne wouldn’t likely be expensive if Philadelphia doesn’t re-sign him. The Mavericks could acquire him for a near-minimum deal to ride the pine and contribute in the case of injuries or any other extenuating circumstances

Dario Saric (30)

Previous AAV: $2,709,849

Like Payne, Saric would constitute another cheap depth signing on a veteran minimum deal. Saric saw inconsistent playing time for Golden State last season but was effective especially early in the season with some productive games.

Despite his poor athletic tools, Saric adds value with his excellent feel for the game, ball skills and shooting potential. He’s an ideal hub type big, initiating offense with his handle and passing and spacing the floor for other players while hopefully holding up on defense with strong positioning. He’d add another bench big with a more offensively slanted game than that of Maxi Kleber with some use in the case of injuries or specific matchups.