7 Dallas Mavericks players who definitely shouldn't be back next year

3. JaVale McGee

The Mavs signed McGee last summer to a three-year deal with the plan of making him the team’s starting center. Dallas knew they needed to improve their rebounding and rim protection, which were their two biggest weaknesses on their run to the conference finals. They envisioned McGee was the fix, and he was the team’s primary free agent signing last summer.

The experiment lasted seven games before McGee was dropped to the bench and just 11 games before he was out of the rotation entirely. The Mavericks were leaking points on the defensive end, and McGee did not prove to be the elite pick-and-roll partner with Luka Doncic that the Mavericks hoped. Instead, the fit was awkward, and McGee appeared in just 42 games total and averaged just 8.5 minutes per contest.

The Dallas Mavericks must find a way to include JaVale McGee in a trade this summer. He is set to make $5.7 million next season, and he has a $6 million player option for the 2024-25 season. The 35-year-old is not suddenly going to find a role on the team. He is not a trusted rotation option of head coach Jason Kidd, so the Mavs should be looking to move on.

Can they find a deal featuring McGee? Dallas cannot afford to attach a draft pick to dump his contract, so they must find a team in need of a backup center with championship experience.