Mavericks' quiet offseason masterpiece leaves entire NBA on notice

Entering the offseason, the Mavericks had plenty of needs to address, with little to no resources after Nico Harrison traded away the team's franchise identity during last season's trade deadline. Not only was stripping the Mavericks of their identity proven to be an awful move as they failed to make the playoffs, but before the NBA's Draft Lottery, Dallas' future looked disastrous.

Before the offseason began, Mavericks fans could have easily said that too many things needed to go right for the Mavericks to dig themselves out of the hole that Harrison created. There's no doubt that they had a very impressive offseason, but for the first time in months, the Mavericks finally have an ounce of hope for this coming season and the future of the franchise with Cooper Flagg.

The Mavericks fought an uphill battle this offseason, and while getting lucky with the No. 1 overall pick dug them out of a deep hole, Harrison revamped what was a dim future. The Mavericks aren't at the top of anyone's list when it comes to competing for a championship this season, but the team has established itself as a future contender and a destination to keep an eye on, which deserves plenty of credit.

Inside the Mavericks' flawless summer of moves

Entering the offseason, the Mavs had multiple must-make moves that needed to happen. To begin the offseason, the Mavericks not only won the draft lottery but selected Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick, and then proceeded to sign rookies Ryan Nembhard and Miles Kelly following the second round of the draft, which were some of the most underrated moves of the offseason.

Addressing the lack of guard depth was also at the top of the list of needs for Harrison and the Dallas front office, and after extending Kyrie Irving on a very team-friendly contract, the Mavericks were able to sign D'Angelo Russell on a two-year deal with a player option in the second year. Signing Russell was not only a move to establish a stopgap guard in the place of Irving while he remains sidelined, but the Mavericks also expect Flagg to take plenty of reps at handling the offense.

The Mavericks would further their depth at guard after waiving and stretching fan-favorite Olivier-Maxence Prosper to re-sign Dante Exum. Exum not only brings much-needed point-of-attack defense at the guard position, but he also adds an angle of tertiary ball handling that the Mavericks are still in desperate need of.

Dallas would further their point on defense by then extending Daniel Gafford on a three-year, $54 million contract, then extending P.J. Washington on a four-year, $90 million contract that leaves him untradable this season, which may bring financial complications to Dallas' future. The Mavericks absolutely aced the extensions of both Gafford and Washington, and while both players are core rotational figures, the Mavericks could still look to explore a trade for either Gafford or Washington in the future.

There's no doubt, Harrison did a fantastic job of hammering down on Dallas' three-year championship window, while also leaving the team with plenty of routes to jump ship and acquire young talent on top of draft assets.

Following the mass departure of Jason Kidd's assistant coaching staff, Harrison and Kidd would revamp the bench by hiring Frank Vogel as the team's lead assistant. The Mavericks would later add Phil Handy and Jay Triano, who are both well-respected names around the league

By acing this offseason, the Mavericks have sent a clear message to the league that they are here to win games and compete for the next three seasons. Without Irving, the Mavericks will be fighting an uphill battle, but it will be hard to convince this team to take a night off.