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Dallas Mavericks Rumors: Mavs May Keep Majority Of Roster Intact, Looking For Upgrades At Center And Point Guard Positions

By Daniel Benjamin
Published on: 01:15 PST, May 30, 2016

The Dallas Mavericks, as has been the case for the past several seasons, head into the offseason with a bunch of free agents and several holes to fill. The Sporting News suggests that the Mavs have basically two options this summer: either they can start over and have a lot of cap space, or they can keep the roster relatively intact and have virtually no salary cap room to pursue free agents.

Dallas has just five players currently under contract for next season and two players with non-guaranteed contracts, per Basketball Insiders. Backup centers JaVale McGee and Salah Mejri are the players with non-guaranteed contracts, and both could be back next season. The Mavs have to make a decision whether to release the two players by July 12 or their contracts become guaranteed – McGee’s contract is valued at $1.4 million, while Mejri’s is valued at $874,636.

McGee is athletic and provides great rim protection as well as a pick -n-roll option. The 28-year old averaged 5.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in 34 games last year.

Mejri is similar to McGee as he is good in pick-n-roll situations and is a good shot-blocker as well as a good rebounder. The 29-year old Tunisian averaged 3.7 points and 3.6 rebounds in 36 games as a rookie.

So, that means Dallas will have potentially 10 free agents come July 1. Raymond Felton, David Lee, Zaza Pachulia, and Charlie Villanueva are slated to be unrestricted free agents, while Dwight Powell will be a restricted free agent – if tendered a qualifying offer. Dirk Nowitzki and Deron Williams, as well as Chandler Parsons, have player options, and all three are expected to opt out of their contracts.

Dallas is expected to have anywhere between $30-$60 million in salary cap space. Despite opting out, Nowitzki plans on returning to the Mavs, according to ESPN.

Williams, 31, wants a multi-year deal but has also said he would like to return. Williams is a native of Dallas.

“I would love to be back… This was a great year for me. My family is settled and happy here, so it’d definitely be great to be back.”

Parsons is an interesting case. The 27-year old is still in the prime of his career but has been limited the last two seasons with right knee injuries. Parsons averaged 13.7 points and 4.7 in 61 games last year, though he was really good in his final 27 games of the season – where he averaged 18.9 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting.519 from the field and.477 from 3-point range.

Parsons will likely seek a four-year deal in the $80 million range and is expected to have many suitors – such as the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers, among others. The Dallas Morning News believes Parsons will ultimately return to the Mavs.

Felton may also be back next season, though he will likely look at teams willing to give him financial stability and a chance to win a title. The 31-year-old is coming off a fine season, averaging 9.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 27.4 minutes an outing while making 80 appearances. The 6-foot-1 point guard then upped his production to 15.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 34.4 minutes of action in five postseason games.

“I’m pretty sure I put myself in a good situation. I will say that. But hopefully that situation is back here again next year, and we can make that happen,” Felton explained. “I love Dallas, I love this city, and I’m actually going to buy a house here and move here regardless of the situation. You know, it would be great to move into that new house and sign back here, so we’ll see what happens. I mean, it’s a little bit of everything. At this point in my career, you know, I want to be able to play with a team that’s going to have a chance to win a championship and have a chance to (go deep) into the playoffs. I mean, everything is a factor. And at the end of the day, you still want to get what you’re worth.”

Dallas’ biggest need this offseason is to improve their point guard and center positions. Therefore, Pachulia, Villanueva, Powell, and Lee may or may not be back. It all may come down to whether Parsons and Felton return, as well as which free agents the Mavs can attract.

RealGM believes that the Mavericks will try to contend as long as Nowitzki is still playing. Thus, the Mavs will look at veteran options like Mike Conley, Jeremy Lin, Brandon Jennings, and Greivis Vasquez at point guard. Dwight Howard, Joakim Noah, Hassan Whiteside, and Al Jefferson are viable options at center.

Dallas will also likely look at some wings. Meaning Courtney Lee, Arron Afflalo, Eric Gordon, Gerald Henderson, Luol Deng, Jeff Green, Kent Bazemore, and Brandon Rush are all be in play. If Parsons leaves, Nic Batum, along with Harrison Barnes and Evan Fournier, could be options.

No matter who Dallas ultimately brings in this summer, Bobby Marks of the Vertical believes the Mavericks need to focus on acquiring youthful bench players who can play meaningful minutes and have the potential to develop.

The Mavs don’t have a first round pick this year but do own a second round selection — No. 46 pick overall.

Dallas finished second in the Southwest division last year, with a 42-40 record. The Mavs, who were seeded No. 6, lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs — marking the third straight season Dallas has not won a playoff series.

[Photo by Alonzo Adams/Associated Press]

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dirk nowitzki Deron Williams Chandler Parsons
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