Dallas Mavericks: Ranking every offseason move from worst to best

Ranking Dallas Mavericks offseason moves: 5. Trade J-Rich for Moses Brown

Before free agency got underway, the Mavs traded Josh Richardson to the Boston Celtics for Moses Brown and a trade exception. J-Rich had an $11.6 million player option for the 2021-2022 season, but his year in Dallas was a disappointment. The Mavs traded Seth Curry, one of the league’s best shooters, for Richardson in hopes of improving their defense. Instead, the defense regressed and J-Rich fell to the fringes of the rotation in the playoffs.

Moving out Richardson opened up room for Dallas to add shooters on the wings, which they did in free agency.

In return for J-Rich, the Mavs picked up Moses Brown. The 21-year-old big man averaged 8.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 21.4 minutes per game for the Oklahoma City Thunder last season. He has a ton of potential but needs time to develop.

The Dallas Mavericks also received a $10.9 million trade exception in the deal with Boston. They have one year to use it. It allows the Mavs to acquire a player in that range without having to match salaries.

This trade opened up more room for the Dallas Mavericks to make moves, allowed them to move on from Josh Richardson, and added a young talented big man to their roster. It was the start of adding two floor spacing wings in free agency too.