The NBA Offseason isn’t over but this week we decided to grade what the Dallas Mavericks have done so far.
Michael: I’m giving the team an A-. That may be hard for some to fathom when a team like the 76ers landed Jaylen Brown and LeBron James (what could their grade possibly be if ours is an A-?) – but I think a grade like this has to be measured on an appropriate scale and realistic expectations.
This offseason, the Mavericks have hired President Masai Ujiri, a front office professional calling the shots,
the likes of which Dallas has not had in many, many years. They hired a proper GM in Mike Schmitz to pair with Ujiri to properly rebuild around Cooper Flagg. They hired a head coach that virtually everyone thought was untouchable and who ought to be perfect for a young, budding core. Then they constructed that young core, getting a player like Santi Aldama through clever use of a trade exception which they kept intact by clever use of signing-and-trading Khris Middleton. They moved up in the draft to get a promising guard in Sergio De Larrea, after using their higher pick to land Morez Johnson. They made a couple other slick moves in the second round for even more youth, and traded for a former #1 overall pick. All of this was done with a dearth of draft capital and an inherited pile of bad will. It was also done while keeping all of the obvious tradable player assets.
Will every one of these moves pan out to greatness? Probably not. But rebuilding a youthful, athletic, affordable roster while maintaining what precious few assets they had was nothing short of a masterclass of how to make something out of virtually nothing. For where the Mavs were three months ago, this was an excellent outcome.
David: I would say they have operated around a B. As of writing, their roster makes no sense, but they have made moves for good players. Morez Johnson was certainly a surprising draft pick, but maybe he is far past what any one of us mortals saw. He has the body to work perfectly next to Cooper Flagg. Masai Ujiri’s lust for big wings has been evident, but I am not too concerned about their success on the court this season. As of now, they have made mostly the “right” moves and have set themselves up for more to come. It hasn’t been a home run, but they’re definitely on base and in scoring position.
Ben: I give them a B+. The new front office is having to clean up one of the worst messes in NBA history due to one of the worst trades in NBA history. This was always going to be a long-haul project and they’re operating that way so far. They’ve added a bunch of interesting players who could work out, who might not, but they’re taking some chances. If they’re able to move some of the vets before the season starts, I’d even get close to an A-.
Matt: A very solid B+. The new regime has done the impossible and made Dallas an interesting team to watch again. There are several storylines going into this season with the potential to develop into something genuinely beneficial to the team’s longterm outlook. They’ve gotten creative in how to put new talent around Cooper Flagg with guys who are on his timeline, and are taking many, many bites at the apples in hopes that one of their developmental players pans out. It’s a roster-building exercise in the law of large numbers. The only thing they haven’t done is re-stock the barren shelves with some draft picks, but there’s still time and guys like Gafford, Washington and Marshall should be of interest to SOME team with an aim to contend this season – even if it’s not a huge haul.
Jack: I would give the Mavericks a B- for the offseason they have had so far. I honestly like all the additions they have made, starting with drafting Morez Johnson Jr. and Sergio De Larrea, to acquiring high-upside young talent for relatively cheap value. They have also done an amazing job of adding shooting to the roster, which will certainly help Cooper Flagg’s development. The way they have attacked the margins is very exciting, as with a lack of draft assets they will have to find unique ways to acquire talent. What holds back my grade is the dramatic roster imbalance that still plagues the team. They have too many forwards and not enough ball-handlers, simply not having the minutes to give. This holds back the opportunity for a player like Zaccharie Risacher, who needs time on the court to hopefully develop his skills. The lack of creation also lessens the impact of the new shooting, as most of these new players need their shots created for them. If the Mavericks can trade P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford for good value, then my grade would jump into the A’s, but since no trade is seemingly on the horizon, I’m settling on a B- for now.
Tyler: I’m going to give them an old school, college-level incomplete grade for the offseason. I can’t grade the work they’ve done through today because, well, this can’t be all the work they’re doing. The moves themselves are fine: I was indifferent at best on the Morez Johnson pick, but I do like Sergio De Larrea. I also think they’ve done decent work with the Sasser and Aldama acquisitions. I have questions about the Risacher addition, but it’s a fine “shot in the dark” as long as they don’t commit long-term money there until they see proof of the vision they surely imagine. But the roster is still incredibly unbalanced, and they don’t have much in the way of future assets they’ve gotten. Until the dust settles, it’s probably best to settle with an incomplete. I can’t imagine this is the roster they roll into the season with.
Bryan: Easy A- with potential for an A+ pending a frontcourt trade or two for reasonable value. The top 8 of the draft lottery fell exactly as we hoped that it wouldn’t, but M&M still left the draft with a great coaching hire, two players that figure to factor in the rotation battle this season, and two big upside swings in the 2nd round. On top of that, we’ve acquired a ton of shooting, length, and athleticism that lends itself to insulating Kyrie, Flagg, Sasser, Sergio, and another shot creator to be named later defensively. We did all this at the paltry cost of portions of our exceptions (trade exception and Mid-level) and three 2nd rounders. We’ve barely touched the few assets we have and remade the team completely from last season. This offseason has been a measured rundown of the checklist for a proper rebuild and a welcome, if foreign, sight for Mavs fans’ eyes.
Joe: The Dallas Mavericks deserve a C+ for their offseason so far. Given the difficult roster and asset situation Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz inherited, Dallas did a respectable job adding useful players on manageable contracts without sacrificing anything essential to Cooper Flagg’s future.Moves for Santi Aldama, Marcus Sasser, Morez Johnson Jr. and Zaccharie Risacher were all defensible individually. Dallas added shooting, size, youth and upside while preserving several movable contracts. Even the Risacher gamble came at a relatively low price. The Mavericks did not panic, overpay for a short-term solution or surrender another major first-round asset.
That is what keeps the grade from falling lower.
The problem is that Dallas chose to work around the margins instead of truly reforming the roster. The Mavericks still have too many overlapping forwards, not enough reliable ball-handling and several veterans who do not clearly fit Flagg’s timeline. Other young teams have been more aggressive in defining their direction, whether by collecting draft assets, clearing veterans or building a cleaner developmental roster. The individual moves mostly make sense, but they do not yet form a coherent plan. The “plus” comes from hiring Dusty May, one of basketball’s biggest rising coaching names. Pairing him with Ujiri and Schmitz gives the Mavericks a leadership structure worth believing in. Dallas improved its flexibility and talent base. It still has not made the larger, uncomfortable decisions required to properly build around Flagg. For now, that makes this a C+.
Isaac: i’m willing to give Masai and crew an A for this offseason. While not all needs were met, it’s a good step in the right direction and the offseason’s not over yet. They’ve made serviceable trades and taken shots on young guys that could help the team without committing long-term money to them.
It’s hard for fans, myself included, to handle the whiplash of being in the Finals just two years to being where we are now, but it’s the reality we live in. Offseasons for teams like the Mavericks aren’t about contending this season or next; they’re about taking chances to build a core around their young star. I think they’ve done a great job at that this offseason, and I’m fascinated by what they can get for the players on our team that have value (PJ, Gafford, Klay).
Matt M.: B-. This roster configuration may not make a ton of sense, but it doesn’t have to this season. It’s maddening that some of the vets who are still here are still here. But I have at least some level of middling trust in the long-term plan of Masai & Co. The guards on this roster don’t please me greatly but there is at least a glimmer of hope for this team putting an interesting product on the floor in 2026-27. Progress, I guess?
Kirk: A- for me. Look, I am broadly a pessimist when it comes to team sports. There’s only one champ every year, you know? So when I think about where Dallas was last February and see where they are 18 months later, this is about the best possible outcome I could have hoped for. Nico Harrison leveraged the future then traded away the centerpiece, so that Dallas has Cooper, everything else is more straightforward. Dallas made mistakes in tanking (or not tanking, really) but Morez Johnson is a nice pick. Sergio De Larrea has something! They’ve made two fun trades that could pan out well. They still have a lot of roster imbalance, but there’s hope for the future.
