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

The Dallas Mavericks had arguably their most disappointing season in franchise history. They went from losing the conference finals to not even making the Play-In Tournament. Dallas was a shocking 38-44, despite Luka Doncic putting up MVP-caliber numbers and the Mavs employing two superstars.

The Mavs season ended with an epic collapse. They were in fourth in the Western Conference after a win over the Kings on Feb. 10 and had just completed the blockbuster trade for Kyrie Irving only to finish 7-17 and sink to 11th. Dallas tanked away their final two games in hopes of keeping their top ten protected draft pick, which forced the league to open an investigation. It has been a wild and forgettable season in Dallas.

They need to make changes this offseason. The Mavericks must improve their defense, rebounding, rim protection, and depth if they want to get back to the playoffs in 2024. Adding to the roster means subtracting some current players, and here are seven that should not be back next season.

Dallas Mavericks who shouldn’t be back next year: 7. Christian Wood

Wood is an unrestricted free agent this offseason that barely played after Dallas traded for Kyrie Irving. The Mavs traded a first-round pick for the 6’10 big man to help replace the scoring they lost with Jalen Brunson’s departure, but C-Wood never fully earned the trust of the coaching staff.

From Feb. 6 to the end of the season, Wood averaged just 20.8 minutes per game. He still scored over 13 points with 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game, but the playing time was just not there.

Christian Wood has still never played in a postseason game in his NBA career, and the two sides will be happy to part ways this summer. The 6’10 big man wants to be an All-Star, but the Mavericks did not trust his defense enough to play him massive minutes. Expect C-Wood to find a new home this offseason, and the Dallas Mavericks are likely to let him walk in free agency.

6. Markieff Morris

Morris came to Dallas from Brooklyn in the Kyrie Irving trade in early February. The Mavericks desperately needed depth and defense down the stretch, but the 6’9 forward rarely played until the final two games of the season when Dallas had thrown in the towel.

Still, Morris averaged just 4.5 points and 1.5 rebounds in his 8.7 minutes per game over just eight contests. He played in just one Mavs win and that was the blowout over the shorthanded Indiana Pacers on March 27.

Owner Mark Cuban and general manager Nico Harrison need to do a better job at filling out their bench this offseason. Head coach Jason Kidd only had seven trusted options for his rotation this season, so he played the other players spot minutes and used them interchangeably. Dallas did not have the depth to stick with a constant rotation.

Having a veteran at the end of the bench that can bring toughness and leadership is not a bad thing, but the Mavs are likely best to just move on. Markieff Morris is an unrestricted free agent this summer, and the Dallas Mavericks should look to replace him with a more trusted option that they can turn to every night off the bench.

5. Frank Ntilikina

The Mavericks signed Ntilikina in the 2021 offseason after his rookie contract with the Knicks expired. New York drafted him in the top ten as a point guard, but the French Prince struggled mightily in that role. When he signed with the Mavs, they used him in more of a 3-and-D wing role coming off the bench.

For the second straight season, Ntilikina struggled to earn consistent minutes. He is a strong perimeter defender but offers little on the offensive end of the floor. He averaged just 2.9 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 12.9 minutes per game over 47 contests. The Mavs desperately needed defense this season, and he still could not carve out a consistent role.

Ntilikina shot just 25.4 percent from 3-point range, which sank his career percentage to 32.3. Without a consistent jump shot, Ntilikina is just a defensive specialist, and it is difficult to play someone like that for more than 20 minutes per game.

Frank Ntilikina is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and the Dallas Mavericks are best just moving on. The 24-year-old still has plenty of talent, but the fit is not there. Dallas is set in the backcourt with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. They should be looking to fill Ntilikina’s role with a 3-and-D wing or a third point guard that can handle the ball and make plays when one of their two superstars is out.

4. Theo Pinson

The Mavs brought Pinson in during their COVID outbreak in Dec. 2021, and he stuck. The 6’5 wing made a positive impact in the locker room and from the bench as the team made a run to the conference finals. Pinson even forced the NBA to change a rule because he was so effective at getting his team hyped from the sidelines. The Mavericks gave him a one-year contract last offseason, but he struggled to make the same impact in year two.

Despite becoming the 13th player in Mavericks history to record a triple-double, Pinson should be let go this summer. The 27-year-old is an unrestricted free agent, and the Mavs had to use him on the floor far too much this season. Pinson played in 40 games, and he rated as a below-replacement-level player for the season.

The Dallas Mavericks must improve their depth and have a role for every player on their roster. They cannot afford to sign options that the coaching staff does not plan on using on the floor. The Mavs would have been better off with a Boban-type, who could play a specific role against massive centers at the end of the bench.

Theo Pinson helped the team during their run to the conference finals, but he was ineligible to play in the playoffs because he was on a two-way contract. The Mavericks need that depth on their roster, which means letting Pinson go this summer in free agency.

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.

2. Dwight Powell

After the McGee experiment failed, the coaching staff turned back to Powell as the starting center. He played in all 100 of the team’s games in the 2021-22 season, and was their starter throughout the Mavs postseason run. Dallas wanted to upgrade that spot, but it just did not happen.

Powell is an unrestricted free agent this summer, and the Dallas Mavericks cannot afford to overpay him again. He signed a three-year $33 million extension in 2019, which was fine, but DP should not be making $11 million per season. His teammates love him, and Powell is one of the smartest players in the NBA, but they need on-court production. He would be a fine backup center, but a contending team cannot afford to pay a reserve playing 20 minutes per game $11 million each year.

Is DP willing to take a pay cut to stay in Dallas as the backup center? If so, he could stick around. Powell will likely be searching for a significant contract in free agency. The Indiana Pacers have cap space, and fans know former Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle is a massive fan of Dwight Powell. Could the duo reunite in Indiana where Powell could back up Myles Turner?

The Dallas Mavericks cannot have him back as the team’s starting center. They must upgrade that position this offseason before it is too late.

1. Tim Hardaway Jr.

The Dallas Mavericks have two elite scorers on their roster and both struggle to defend on the perimeter. They are not going to struggle to score with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving on the floor, but the Mavs must improve on the other end. Dallas needs a defensive-minded wing that can sink open looks.

Hardaway Jr. is not the ideal fit. The Mavericks shopped him before the deadline, and they are likely to do it again this summer. THJ has been a key shot-maker since coming to Dallas in 2019, but he is a bit undersized for a wing and he does not provide enough defense.

His contract also becomes more manageable this summer as Hardaway Jr. has just two years and $34.1 million left on his deal. Some team is likely willing to give him a chance as a marksman coming off the bench at that price, and the Mavs should be looking to move on.

Can the Dallas Mavericks improve their roster this offseason? The first order of business will be re-signing Kyrie Irving, but Dallas cannot be done there. They must find multiple upgrades if they want to be back in the playoffs in 2024 with a shot to make a deep run. Can they make it happen? Stay tuned to find out.