2017 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: 33-49)

2017-18 Projected Depth Chart:

C: *Nerlens Noel/A.J. Hammons

PF: #Dirk Nowitzki/Dwight Powell

SF: Harrison Barnes/#DeAndre Liggins

SG: Wesley Matthews/Seth Curry/#Devin Harris

PG: #Yogi Ferrell/J.J. Barea

NBA Free Agents:

*C-Nerlens Noel (RFA)

#PF-Dirk Nowitzki (TO)

#SG-Devin Harris (TO)

#PG-Yogi Ferrell (TO)

#SG-DeAndre Liggins (TO)

#SF-Nicolas Brussino (TO)

#C-Salah Mejri (TO)

#F-Dorrian Finney-Smith (TO)

2017-18 Team Salary: Approximately $61.2 million

NBA Offseason Team Needs:

1. No to Noel?: Dallas pulled the trigger on acquiring Noel prior to the trade deadline knowing he was going to be a restricted free agent and knowing an extension was inevitable. Noel does provide the Mavericks with a needed defensive presence inside, but his health has been an issue in his three years in the league. The franchise will look to extend Noel, but it shouldn’t break the bank to do so. If his price tag is too costly, Dallas needs to have a Plan B ready to address the center position.

2. Point Guard: The Mavericks paraded several point guards on the floor last season, yet didn’t find a true answer for the long term. Dallas could address this need with the ninth pick in the NBA Draft or have to address the need with limited cap space via free agency.

3. Negotiate Nowitzki: Nowitzki posted the worst numbers of his career since his rookie season and is clearly on the final legs of his NBA career. From a playing standpoint, he is nowhere near the $25 million team option that Dallas owns on him. Both sides would be wise to reach a more reasonable 1-year extension that would provide the Mavericks with some cap flexibility.