6 Most underpaid Dallas Mavericks players for 2024-25 season

The start of the 2024-25 NBA season is less than three months away, and the Dallas Mavericks are a team that has improved significantly since last season.

Dallas is coming off a trip to the NBA Finals last season, and Nico Harrison's roster construction over the last two years has been outstanding. He has put an excellent team around Luka Doncic, and this year's team looks to be the best supporting cast he's ever had.

Harrison has helped turn Dallas into a hot free-agency destination, and he has excelled in landing star players such as Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving. His eye for supplementary role players has been beneficial as well.

6 Most underpaid Dallas Mavericks players for 2024-25 season

Dallas is poised to be one of the top teams in the Western Conference again next season, and one of the biggest reasons for that is the roster that Harrison has put together.

He's building for the future and right now at the same time, and Dallas' ability to land players on team-friendly contracts makes them a dangerous force in the Western Conference for years to come.

The Mavs have plenty of players who are on outstanding contracts, and this allows to build their roster to be serious contenders.

6. Quentin Grimes

This summer, the Dallas Mavericks traded Tim Hardaway Jr. and multiple second-round picks to the Detroit Pistons for Quentin Grimes, and while Grimes is on an expiring contract, he happens to be one of the most underpaid players on the roster.

Grimes is set to make around $4.3 million this season before becoming a restricted free agent next summer. If Grimes has a great year, the Mavs could decide to extend his contract.

Last season, Grimes averaged 7.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 37.2 percent from the field. This was a down year for Grimes, but he is poised to become an elite defender for the Mavs.

His defense has been excellent for some time now, and he takes pride in guarding the best player on the floor. Dallas now has multiple players who have this same mindset (Naji Marshall and Grimes), and Grimes' shooting will also be a big help for the Mavs.

Josh Green being gone gives Grimes the perfect opportunity to thrive, and the Mavs acquired him at the perfect time considering his extremely team-friendly contract. If Grimes performs, the Mavs can extend him before the season ends.

If not, he could be set free next summer, and him being a restricted free agent gives the Mavs the opportunity to match contract offers he gets elsewhere.

5. Luka Doncic

Luka Doncic is the highest-paid player on the Dallas Mavericks and is set to make over $43 million next season, but that still isn't enough considering Doncic's consistent dominance and excellence on the floor.

Last season for Dallas, Doncic averaged 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, 9.8 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 48.7 percent from the field and 38.2 percent from downtown. Doncic improved as a shooter last season, and this allowed him to turn into the deadliest offensive player in the NBA.

No one could stop Doncic all year, and he even dropped 73 points in a game against the Atlanta Hawks. Doncic played excellently all year, and almost any amount of money would be an underpay considering how much he helps the Mavs.

Doncic will be tied for the 17th-highest contract next season, and that's nothing considering he is a unanimous top three player in the league. He should have won the MVP last season over Nikola Jokic, and his impact for Dallas can't go unnoticed.

This coming offseason, Doncic is eligible for a $346 million contract extension, and he'll soon be rewarded for all of the hard work he has put in over the last few years. Doncic and the Mavs were so close to winning the NBA Finals last season, and Mavs fans are lucky to have him as their superstar moving forward.

He is fully dialed in on winning and is fully deserving of the massive contract extension that he is eligible for next summer.

4. Dante Exum

Entering last season, Dallas Mavericks fans were unsure about what kind of impact Dante Exum would provide for the team. Exum had been out of the NBA for multiple seasons, and his injury history was a big question mark.

Exum silenced all of the doubters quickly last season and turned into one of Dallas' most reliable players off the bench. He averaged 7.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 53.3 percent from the field and an unearthly 49.1 percent from downtown.

Exum turned into the most consistent shooter on the team last season, and he did all of this while only earning just $3 million. He is set to make over $3.1 million in the 2024-25 season, and this is nothing considering the impact he had on the team last year.

Exum stepped up in the clutch several times, and even started 17 games due to various injuries. He was one of the biggest surprises of the year, but he must return to playing like he was in the middle of the season to guarantee his minutes.

Exum's play in the playoffs was underwhelming, to say the least, and he looked like a completely different player. The reliable ball handler, shooter, and defender from the regular season was nowhere to be found, and fans questioned his future impact immediately.

Exum is poised to return to how he played last year if he can gain his confidence back, and his relieving play in the Olympics should help with that.

Exum's contract is an absolute bargain for Dallas, and he has something to prove this year as he'll become a free agent next summer.

3. Dereck Lively II

The Dallas Mavericks hit the jackpot in the 2023 NBA Draft when they selected Dereck Lively II out of Duke with the No. 12 overall pick. No one was sure exactly how good Lively II would be for the Mavs in his rookie year, and he exceeded everyone's expectations quickly.

As a rookie, Lively II averaged 8.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 74.7 percent from the field. Lively II became a key piece to the Mavs quickly, and he is only set to make just over $5 million next season.

That is nothing considering that Lively II is one of the most valuable players on the team and is poised to become the team's starting center over Daniel Gafford next season, and this shows the importance of acing your draft picks.

Dallas now has Lively II locked up for three more years, and even after that, he'll be a restricted free agent.

The Mavs are in a great spot with Lively II, and he is just scratching the tip of the iceberg. Lively II has so much untapped potential that Mavs fans are ecstatic about, and he could turn into one of the best centers in the league by the time his rookie deal is up.

Lively II runs the floor, catches and finishes lobs, anchors the defense, and hustles, and he is working hard to add more to his game. He is motivated to add a 3-point jumper over the next few years, and that skill would make him even more dangerous.

Lively II is the full package, and him being on this rookie deal while being a key player shows exactly why he is one of the most underpaid players on the team.

2. Klay Thompson

After losing the 2024 NBA Finals in five games to the Boston Celtics, the Dallas Mavericks were determined to add more shooting to their team. They struggled as a team from downtown in that series, and they turned this area of weakness during the Finals into a big strength during the offseason.

Dallas signed Klay Thompson to a three-year, $50 million deal, and that is an extreme bargain for the Mavs considering that the Los Angeles Lakers wanted to pay him $80 million over four years. Dallas beating out Los Angeles for Thompson was a huge deal, and the contract they gave him was at an outstanding value.

Last season for the Golden State Warriors, Thompson averaged 17.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 43.2 percent from the field and 38.7 percent from downtown. This was considered a down year for Thompson, and he is going to be getting the best looks of his career in Dallas.

The Mavs are planning on featuring Thompson as their starting wing, and they are going to get him involved in the offense in unique ways. It sounds like Thompson is going to be getting that third star treatment, and him only making $15.8 million next season is a big steal.

The Mavs are going to need Thompson to be solid on both ends of the floor next year, and he may be the biggest X-factor outside of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to winning the Finals next season.

1. Jaden Hardy

The Dallas Mavericks made a big move in the 2022 NBA Draft when they traded into the second round to draft Jaden Hardy. Hardy was a top recruit coming out of high school and was solid for the G League Ignite, so Dallas took a chance on him and drafted him.

Hardy is set to make just over $2 million next season, and that is nothing considering his importance to the team. He has seen his role fluctuate over the last two years, but he showed the type of player he can be when he is at his best in the Western Conference Finals.

Last season, Hardy averaged 7.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 40.7 percent from the field and 36.2 percent from downtown, and although this was a slight dip from his strong rookie year, he still has the tools to be a dynamic scorer off the bench.

During the playoffs, Hardy took huge strides as a playmaker and he played big minutes against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Hardy turned into a good lob passer, and his poise helped earn him minutes.

Hardy didn't receive the same minutes in the NBA Finals, but it's clear that he is someone the Mavs should continue to develop. He has the potential to grow into Dallas' sixth man of the future, and he is too talented to give up on.

Hardy will become a restricted free agent this summer, and if they want to keep him, they may have to outbid a couple of rebuilding teams who are looking for scoring off the bench.

$2 million for a good role player is outstanding value, and Hardy will set his price for next summer by his performance in his make-or-break third season.