Jalen Brunson’s departure to the New York Knicks will be a sore point for the Dallas Mavericks for a while.
That move was enough for ESPN to deem that the Dallas franchise had the worst offseason in the Western Conference, even after they made some veteran additions to their frontcourt.
The Mavericks received a ‘D’ in ESPN’s NBA offseason grades, which stated that the loss of Brunson was a “tough blow” to the team after its Western Conference finals run last season. Trading for Christian Wood and using its taxpayer mid-level exception to sign JaVale McGee wasn’t enough to raise the grade for Dallas.
Preseason betting odds also aren’t being kind to the Mavericks, as FanDuel’s sportsbook essentially predicted that Dallas would be in the play-in tournament next season instead of locking up a guaranteed playoff spot.
Despite that, the Mavericks still have some young pieces to look forward to when the 2022-23 campaign begins. Josh Green has spent the offseason building up his confidence and the team acquired a developmental piece in Jaden Hardy in a second-round draft-night trade.
They also signed former EuroLeague guard Tyler Dorsey to a two-way contract.
The Mavericks can also look forward to the return of Luka Doncic, who will look to lead Slovenia to another EuroBasket title and is the preseason betting favorite to win the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award next season.
Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.