Dusty May already has a big logjam to solve before the Mavericks even play a game

The Dallas Mavericks' first regular-season game is over two months away, but first-year head coach Dusty May already has a frontcourt logjam he has to figure out. Dallas has five big men worthy of being in the rotation: Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, Moussa Cisse, Santi Aldama, and Morez Johnson Jr., but there won't be enough minutes to go around if they don't make a trade before the start of the season.

Dallas has a big-man logjam

Each of these players brings something different. Lively II is an elite defender, Gafford finishes well inside, Cisse brings endless energy and hustle, Aldama is a great shooter, and Johnson Jr. has elite versatility. They all deserve to play, and need to play, and May is going to figure out what he values most during his first year as an NBA head coach.

Lively II and Gafford are the best two centers on the roster, and this has been the case for multiple years, but Johnson Jr. and Cisse need to develop as well. Dallas just used the ninth overall pick to draft Johnson Jr. this summer, and the Mavericks signed Cisse to a two-year contract earlier this summer. They clearly value both of them, and they align with Cooper Flagg's timeline.

Then there's Aldama, who is the only center on the roster with elite floor-spacing ability, and the Mavericks traded for him this summer. Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz liked him enough to make a move for him, and he'll certainly be part of the rotation.

The good thing about Aldama and Johnson Jr., though, is that they can play power forward as well. This will help things, but P.J. Washington and Cooper Flagg both play the four.

Mavericks may have to explore a trade

There won't be enough minutes to play everyone as much as they deserve, and we could see a trade before the season starts to better balance the roster. Gafford has been in trade rumors for multiple years now, and it wouldn't be shocking if he isn't on the roster much longer.

But if he is, he'll likely be the first big man off the bench behind Lively II. Dallas can't afford not to give him a significant role, especially if they want to drive up his trade value, and they're in a bit of a predicament when it comes to his future with the team.

Having too many players who are good enough to play rotation minutes isn't a bad problem to have for May in his first year in the NBA, but he definitely has some things to figure out during preseason and training camp. May has done an excellent job developing big men in his career, as proven by his time at Michigan, and this may be the biggest rotation battle he'll have to settle before the end of October.

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