Why mismanagement will sink the Dallas Mavericks again this offseason

The Dallas Mavericks just finished one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history. Luka Doncic led them to the conference finals in 2022, and the Mavs were hoping to build on that surprise run, despite losing Jalen Brunson in free agency. Instead, Dallas suffered a late-season collapse that forced them to miss the playoffs entirely.

The problems with this year’s roster started with Brunson’s departure, but they go back further than that. Dallas botched the whole situation from structuring his contract incorrectly to refusing to sign him to an extension, and it continued a trend of years of mismanagement. The Mavericks changed front offices, but it resulted in the same outcome.

The franchise now faces arguably the most important offseason in franchise history. They must improve their roster or their fears of a Luka Doncic trade request could become reality quickly. Dallas has to get it right, but they rarely do.

Dallas Mavericks have a long history of mismanagement

Vincent Goodwill did a fantastic job of detailing the team’s history of failing to build around their superstar. Think about it. Yes, the Mavericks won a championship in 2011, but there was always talk of cap space and adding another star next to Dirk Nowitzki. It never happened. The Mavs always settled for their second or third target in free agency.

They have taken a different avenue when trying to build around Luka Doncic. The Mavs traded for Kristaps Porzingis to be their second star, but that did not work. Dallas had to take on two negative contracts to dump KP, and Luka Doncic carried a subpar roster to the conference finals. Think about it. Did anyone expect Dallas to be there? The talk was they did not have enough talent to defeat the Suns.

The Dallas Mavericks traded for another co-star in Kyrie Irving, and that was gone south so far. Now, Irving is a free agent, and he may have already played his last game in Dallas.

The Dallas Mavericks have endured front-office drama from a player running the team to a shadow GM (subscription required) to workplace culture issues. With owner Mark Cuban still calling the shots why would things change now? The 2022 offseason was certainly a disaster for the current regime.