Mavericks' glaring guard issue isn't even close to their real offseason crisis

Dallas Mavericks fans have sighed in relief in light of Dallas denying the New York Knicks' request to interview Jason Kidd for their vacant head coaching position, but the way this situation was handled by the Mavericks in terms of not shutting down the possibility that New York would be able to interview Kidd for over a week after the news was first reported is an indictment on Nico Harrison and the front office.

Luckily, Harrison won't have to select a new head coach now, though, and the Mavericks can set their sights on how they are going to build out the rest of their roster via trade and free agency after they presumptively select consensus No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg on June 25. One of Dallas' biggest questions this offseason is undoubtedly how they'll fill out their guard rotation, but trying to figure out how to optimize their big man rotation could be an even bigger challenge for Kidd and Dallas' coaching staff.

While it seems increasingly likely the Mavericks will have to trade one of P.J. Washington or Daniel Gafford to get the starting level guard they desire this offseason, NBA insider Marc Stein recently reported that Dallas would like to keep both Gafford and Washington if at all possible, so who knows which route Dallas will go this offseason even if the latter of those two options seems more unlikely.

Dallas' biggest issue this season could be sorting out the frontcourt

Assuming Dallas keeps Gafford and Washington, they will have a gigantic roster once Flagg gets added to the mix. If Dallas were to make starting one of Gafford or Dereck Lively II a priority this upcoming season and play Anthony Davis at the four, then their entire frontcourt will be basically 6-foot-10 and over, granted they start Flagg. In this scenario, Dallas would be allocating too much money to their frontcourt, and it would be hard to optimize their rotation with so many of their best players being frontcourt players.

Even if the Mavericks signed a guard with the Taxpayer MLE or on a veteran’s minimum, one of Gafford or Lively II would barely see minutes some nights unless Dallas fully commits to big-ball, as Anthony Davis will still likely have to start at the five against some matchups if Kidd and the Mavericks want to have maximum flexibility in the ways they can attack and defend.

In a roundabout way, which path Dallas chooses to go in terms of adding a stop-gap point guard until Kyrie Irving gets back is intertwined with how difficult it will be to manage their big man rotation next season, as this problem could be mitigated a lot of Dallas ends up having to sacrifice some of their front court in a trade.

Big wings are a hot commodity in the NBA and Dallas should prioritize keeping Washington instead of Gafford if at all possible, as that makes their center rotation much more clear-cut, and it’s easier to justify a younger player like Lively II coming off the bench compared to Gafford who is due for a big pay day soon.

Regardless, the Mavericks and Kidd will have a tough time figuring out how to best allocate minutes between Gafford, Washington, Davis, Flagg, Lively II, and Naji Marshall, as they’ll have a huge frontcourt regardless if they trade one of those players this offseason. Kidd and his staff can’t be reluctant to change up lineups depending on certain matchups, but the Mavericks will clearly need to commit to an identity of being a big and physical team defensively, as they will always need to play at least somewhat big due to their personnel.

The Mavericks will have answers to their guard rotation soon, but how they can best optimize their big man rotation is a question that will likely carry through training camp and the start of the season until fans and analysts have a better idea of what rotation Kidd will be most keen to next season.