Dallas Mavericks: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson a potential free agent target

The Brooklyn Nets are continuing their push for cap space by not extending the qualifying offer to Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Hollis-Jefferson will now enter the summer as an unrestricted free agent.

The options for the Dallas Mavericks in the 2020 free agency class continue to expand, this time with 24-year old, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. RHJ has played his entire four-year career with the Brooklyn Nets and has been a part of the rotation for almost the entire time. Despite getting a lot of playing time with the Nets, the team decided not to pick up his qualifying offer this summer.

This decision (first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN) allows Hollis-Jefferson to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, meaning the Nets have lost all rights to match offers from other teams.

RHJ came into the league as a bit of a project. At 6’7″ and with a 7’0″ wingspan, his length and speed were immediately enticing to NBA scouts. The hope was that a shot would develop over time, but truthfully his shot has gone the other way. RHJ got worse in every statistical category from 2017-18 to 2018-19.

Despite things going in the wrong direction, especially with scoring, RHJ remains a great defender who can guard pretty much every position on the court. His defense is his big sell right now, and it will likely be enough for several teams to call and talk to him.

The Mavericks should at least look into RHJ and see what it would cost to get him. He is not an ideal prospect for a team looking more for offensive help, but a wing that can go in and potentially get you a stop on anyone is a valuable commodity in today’s league. His spot may not earn him the minutes he has been used to in Brooklyn, but he would get his time.

Obviously this would be viewed as a small move by whoever does add Hollis-Jefferson, but there are several teams in the league that will definitely call his agent. That is the value of defense in the league.

The Mavs coaching staff has shown some success in the past in helping players improve their shot as well, which could be something RHJ could benefit from. If he could improve from anywhere out of the lane, his value would skyrocket both for the Mavs and any other team in the league.

I think Hollis-Jefferson is a good player and will definitely find another roster spot in the NBA, but I doubt that it will be in Dallas. The Mavs have their eyes set on bigger targets right now and I don’t see that changing to accommodate Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.