Dallas Mavericks: Saying Goodbye to Last Year’s Players

The Dallas Mavericks will be bringing a new roster to the court this season and with it will be saying goodbye to many great players from the past years.

The Dallas Mavericks have been lucky enough to be one of the top 8 teams in the Western Conference almost every single year since the turn of the century. Aside from the 2012-13 season (where Chris Kaman and Elton Brand split time at center and O.J. Mayo led the team in scoring), the Mavs have been regulars in the playoffs.

Despite seeing Dallas represented each year in the postseason, it hasn’t been easy and it has been anything but consistent. Aside from Dirk Nowitzki, pretty much everything else involving the team has changed in some way, including basically a jersey swap each year between incoming and outgoing players, both starters and role players.

This year is going to be no different as we see another group of Mavericks headed out and a new squad coming in. The additions of Harrison Barnes, Andrew Bogut, and Seth Curry are exciting and new but also present a lot of questions.

But that is not what this is about. Today we want to pay respect for the players that gave it their all for the Mavs last year and will now be spending the coming season in a new place. Some players were great for us and brought tenacity or leadership to the team while others had a rough year and moved on to try to start anew.

So let’s go through the list of the newest ex-Mavs:

Chandler Parsons– Parsons was, of course, supposed to be our newest rising star when he signed with the Mavericks just a few short years ago. Now, two years later, most fans are torn on whether they really liked Parsons or really did not.

Whether you liked Parsons or not, you can’t deny that his play in the second half of last season really let us see his potential. Whether he ever reaches that for a full season is another question altogether but, if he does, the Mavs will be missing him even more. Aside from that, we should thank him for nothing more than the Mavs nation supports our players no matter what.

Zaza Pachulia– Zaza is probably one of the most beloved players to walk into the Mavericks organization. An instant fan base (myself included) for Pachulia developed in Dallas and he became a star.

So much so, in fact, that Zaza fell only 14,000 votes short of starting, (yes I said starting), in the NBA All-Star game this past season. He received more votes than players such as Draymond Green, Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge, DeAndre Jordan, Chris Paul, Dirk Nowitzki and much more.

Pachulia will definitely be missed in the coming year and will be remembered as a loyal Maverick for the short time he was here. Good luck in Golden State, Zaza.

Raymond Felton– Felton is another player that will undoubtedly be missed by the Mavs organization. His time was filled with ups and downs in Dallas but the entire 2015-16 season was a great time for him to increase his value and find a new home.

Have no doubt that if the Mavericks had the money to do so, they would most definitely be bringing back Ray-Ray for more seasons, but the moves to bring Barnes and Bogut to Dallas and finally give Dirk some money that he deserves, we couldn’t make it work financially. Good luck wherever you end up Felton.

More from The Smoking Cuban

• Dallas Mavericks: Tyrell Terry injures groin in summer league loss to Jazz
• Mavericks: How to maximize Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis pairing
• Dallas Mavericks: Did they do enough this offseason to jump into title contention?
• Mavericks: What to watch for as Dallas faces Utah Jazz in summer league
• Dallas Mavericks rumors: Bulls want first round pick for Lauri Markkanen

David Lee– Lee is not guaranteed to be gone yet but with no money left in the organization, it is all but guaranteed that he will be walking. Lee was not with the Mavs for long but he was fun and exciting to watch while he was here.

It will be interesting to see where Lee ends up and I expect to see him make a solid impact for whichever team lucky enough to get him. He really is not that far removed from his All-star caliber days and is ready for a bigger role again like he had in New York.

Jeremy Evans & JaVale McGee– Evans and McGee have been traded or waived from the Mavericks to clear some cap room but both of them brought their own highlights and lowlights to the team. An abundance of potential exists for both players and, if they can find their place in the league, could make a difference for the right team. Good luck to both of them.

Charlie Villanueva– Charlie V ended his time with the Mavs in unspectacular fashion, but many fans still loved seeing the Flamethrower hit the court, no matter how many cringeworthy shots he threw up when he got in. Hope to see a great future with a new team from Villanueva.

John Jenkins– Jenkins was gone before the season ended and already found a new home with the Phoenix Suns, but we still remember his dazzling play in the preseason last year for Dallas. Hoping to see more Jenkins on the court in the future.

Next: The Dallas Mavericks Take A Look Back At One of the Greats

Regardless of our excitement and eagerness to see the new Mavericks this year, it is important that we remember those who have moved on and what they brought to the team. Thank you to all of our players last year who helped bring entertainment every night no matter the results to the season.