Dallas Mavericks: Tim Hardaway Jr. and Willie Cauley-Stein both opt in

Dallas Mavericks: Tim Hardaway Jr. and Willie Cauley-Stein both opt-in

The Dallas Mavericks are preparing for a wild offseason. They are looking for a third star and reportedly willing to move anyone not named Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis to acquire it. The shortened offseason figures to provide plenty of fireworks.

Trading can begin on Monday, but fans saw the first Woj bomb of the year with the Lakers acquiring Dennis Schroder. That was not the only news they got on Sunday morning.

Bobby Marks of ESPN discussed his free agency tiers (subscription required) where he broke some Mavs news. Let us take a closer look.

Tim Hardaway Jr. and Willie Cauley-Stein both accept player options to return to Dallas Mavericks

According to Marks, both Tim Hardaway Jr. and Willie Cauley-Stein will be back with the Mavs next season. THJ is set to make $18.975 million in the final year of his deal, and Cauley-Stein will earn just over $2.2 million.

The news does not come as a shock. Both players were expected to opt-in. It gives the Mavericks 12 players under contract for the 2020-2021 campaign. Dallas has just three roster spots to fill this offseason. If they do not make a trade, two of them will likely go to their draft picks. That would allow the Mavs to round out their roster by using the mid-level exception on a veteran.

Fans should expect a trade by the front office, so they can add veterans at the end of the roster.

Tim Hardaway Jr. will be back as the team’s third scorer next season. His shooting improved dramatically, and he will be looking to prove that it was no fluke in 2021.

Willie Cauley-Stein is adding a 3-point shot this offseason. He will be battling for minutes with Dwight Powell, Maxi Kleber, and Boban Marjanovic behind Kristaps Porzingis.

Expect both players to be key pieces next season. The Dallas Mavericks are happy to have them back and ready to kick off the wild offseason ahead. Stay tuned because moves will be happening fast.