Mavericks’ Offseason Targets: Atlanta Hawks

The Dallas Mavericks could potentially have as few as three players (Dirk Nowitzki, Chandler Parsons,Raymond Felton and Devin Harris are the only guaranteed deals on roster) under contract when the offseason gets rolling.

If we’ve learned one thing from previous seasons it’s that Mark Cuban and the front office will do whatever they can to explore every option on the market.

Whether it be via free agency or trades, the Mavericks will have plenty of work to do to fill and improve the roster.

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We’ll be exploring every NBA team’s roster to see which players the Mavs could potentially target this offseason.

Atlanta Hawks

Dec 31, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Atlanta Hawks point guard

(0) goes to the basket past power forward

(4) and Boston Celtics power forward

(43) during the fourth quarter of Atlanta

Free Agents

Despite getting swept in the conference finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers, it’s crazy to think that the East’s best team would look to blow up their roster. But this is the NBA and anything is possible.

Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll headline the Hawks’ free agent crop. Millsap is coming off a very friendly deal and can be looking for possibly his last big pay day. There are rumblings that the Mavs could look to move Nowitzki to the bench, and Millsap may be a good enough forward to make that move doable. Playing Millsap and Nowitzki together for long spurts doesn’t make much sense due to clashing skill sets, but that could be a fixable dilemma.

After bouncing around the league for his first few season, Carroll didn’t just stick with the Hawks for two seasons, but has become known as one of the NBA’s best 3-D players. He’s able to guard multiple positions and shot 39.5% from three this season while averaging 12.6 points. He even upped his numbers to 14.6 points and 40.3% in the postseason.

The Mavs have Parsons slated as the starting small forward, but with his knee concerns and Monta Ellis possibly leaving, the Mavs could look to add depth to the position with Carroll.

Outside of Millsap and Carroll, Pero Antic, John Salmons, and John Jenkins will also test the market. Antic is a big body that spreads the court at the center spot.

Jenkins was the 23rd pick in the 2012 draft but has struggled to crack the Hawks’ rotation. At 6’4″, he’s small as a shooting guard, but playing small guards has never been an issue for Rick Carlisle. Jenkins came out from Vanderbilt known as a shooter, and while not playing much, he still has that shooting touch. In 98 career games, he’s shot 37.5% from deep.

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Trade Targets

The Hawks making a trade, and the Mavs enticing them to pull one off seem very unlikely. But with the team possible set to open the bank for Millsap and Carroll, the team could look to shed some deals.

Mike Scott has a solid regular season, but found himself out of the rotation during most of the playoffs and could be expandable if Millsap returns.

Jeff Teague has two seasons left on his deal, and though Dennis Shroder wasn’t impressive during the conference finals, the team could possibly think it’s best to move on from Teague now, while his value is as high as it is, and hand the starting spot to Shroder.

Thabo Sef0losha and Kent Bazemore could also be moved if the Hawks think there are better options on the market.