Recapping the Mavericks’ Early Free Agency Decisions

By: Marselis Davis

On June 30, the NBA’s free agency officially began, allowing teams to negotiate contracts with players. So far, free agency has already been wildly busy. With multiple re-signings from the Lakers, multiple signings by the Suns, and Draymond Green’s return to the Warriors, there have been major signings across the league. Amongst them include the Dallas Mavericks, who made a handful of signings themselves.

Re-signing Kyrie Irving

To kick off free agency, the Mavericks made sure to re-sign Kyrie Irving. This was an important signing to get out of the way quickly because the Mavericks could not afford to lose Irving for nothing and just a couple days prior, Irving was having negotiations with the Suns. Irving and the Mavericks agreed to a three year, $126 million contract. This ensures that Dallas maintains a star backcourt to build around for the next few years.

Seth Curry

Another free agent signing that the Mavericks made was to acquire Seth Curry. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Curry has agreed to a two-year contract with Dallas. Curry has played for the Mavericks before, so this signing is like a reunion for the two. This pickup should help improve the Maverick’s floor spacing, as Curry has been one of the best shooters in the league, having shot over 40% from three in seven straight seasons.

Dwight Powell

Furthermore, the Dallas Mavericks also decided to re-sign their starting center in Dwight Powell. Powell is the longest tenured Mavericks player currently on the roster, at nine seasons. The Mavericks have signed him to a three-year contract worth $12 million. This was an interesting re-signing by the Mavericks, as Powell has been a major contributor to the Maverick’s issues pertaining to rebounding and rim protection. Despite being the Mavericks starting center, Powell averaged only 4.1 rebounds per game this past season, ranking amongst the worst in rebounding of any starting center in the league. However, perhaps the Mavericks want to use Powell as a backup center and allow someone like Dereck Lively II to develop as the starting center. Nonetheless, this re-signing was rather puzzling.

Dante Exum

The last move that the Mavericks have made so far was to sign Dante Exum to the roster. This signing came out of nowhere, as Exum has been out of the NBA for the last two seasons. However, this signing actually had legitimacy behind it. Exum was the fifth pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. He was always known for being an elite defender throughout his tenure in the league. However, he was also consistently riddled with injuries, which derailed his career to the extent of being out of the league entirely. The Mavericks could have great use for his defensive capabilities as they struggle severely on that side of the court. However, it will be interesting to see how Exum will play after two years away from the league and how many minutes that the Mavericks will give him given his major struggles on the offensive end.

Wrap-Up

This free agency has been off to a great start for the Mavericks. They have managed to complete one of their biggest offseason tasks in re-signing Kyrie Irving and they have been able to improve their defense and floor spacing with the additions of Seth Curry and Dante Exum. As free agency continues, the Mavericks may seek to make more decisions in order to become contenders next season.

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