2015 Dallas Mavericks

Written by Paul Banks of the Washington Times, David Kay and Peter Christian of the The Sports Bank. Send Paul an e-mail here: paulb05 AT hotmail DOT com.
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Dallas Mavericks (Last Year: 50-32)

2015-16 Projected Depth Chart:

C: *Bernard James

PF: Dirk Nowitzki

SF: Chandler Parsons/^Al-Farouq Aminu

SG: ^Monta Ellis

PG: Devin Harris/^Raymond Felton/Gal Mekel

NBA Free Agents:

^SG-Monta Ellis (PO)

^PG-Raymond Felton (PO)

^SF-Al-Farouq Aminu (PO)

C-Tyson Chandler (UFA)

PG-Rajon Rondo (UFA)

PF-Amar’e Stoudemire (UFA)

SF-Richard Jefferson (UFA)

PG-J.J. Barea (UFA)

*C-Bernard James (RFA)

2015-16 Team Salary: Approximately $43.4 million

NBA Offseason Team Needs:

1. Point Guard: Let’s just say the Rajon Rondo era did not go as anticipated. I would be shocked if Dallas decided to bring Rondo back, so the team will need to look elsewhere to find a starting point guard since Devin Harris and Raymond Felton are best served coming off the bench at this point in their careers. An issue though is that there is not a great group of free agent point guards. Goran Dragic might be available, or Dallas could try to offer a huge deal to a restricted free agent such as Brandon Knight or Reggie Jackson. A trade might be the route to go for the Mavericks to find a true upgrade.

2. Center: With Tyson Chandler a free agent, expect the Mavericks to try to re-sign him to a long-term extension since he brings a ton of toughness and physicality inside, and still has plenty of tread left on his tires. If Chandler decides to move on or Dallas attempts to bring in some fresh blood, there are some big name free agent centers like Greg Monroe, Marc Gasol, Al Jefferson, DeAndre Jordan or Brook Lopez set to hit the open market.

3. Depth. Everywhere. With only four players under contract for next season (possibly seven depending on whether Monta Ellis, Al-Farouq Aminu and Felton exercise their player options), Dallas needs depth all over. The Mavericks will need to find depth on the wing and some more bodies inside.