10 Reasons the Dallas Mavericks aced the 2024 offseason

7. Mavericks found the perfect replacement for Derrick Jones Jr.

One of the Dallas Mavericks’ biggest priorities heading into free agency was re-signing Derrick Jones Jr., but it unfortunately became readily apparent that the Mavericks likely wouldn’t be able to retain Jones Jr. in the hours leading up to free agency, as the LA Clippers promised Jones Jr. more money and likely more of a lead role.

Jones Jr. of course ended up signing with the Clippers for those very reasons, but the Mavericks acted quickly to find a replacement for Jones Jr., as they signed 6-foot-7 and 220-pound wing Naji Marshall to a three-year, $27 million contract shortly after free agency started.

Don’t get it twisted, Jones Jr. was excellent for the Mavericks last season and did an outstanding job as the lead point-of-attack defender for Dallas in the playoffs, but he had the best shooting season of his career from 3-point range last season at a mark of 34.3 percent, so he's not even close to being as proven of a shooter from downtown as Marshall is.

Marshall was fairly average from distance in his first three NBA seasons, but last season he shot a career-best 38.7 percent from outside in 66 games coming off the bench for the New Orleans Pelicans. Just like Jones Jr., Marshall has also flashed the ability to create his own shot, as he's surprisingly deceptive in his ability to use his strength to get to the rim.

Marshall is more oriented to guard bigger-bodied wings compared to Jones Jr. when you take into consideration Marshall's frame, though he lacks the elite-level lateral speed and verticality that Jones Jr. has which gives him the ability to consistently stay with smaller guards as well.

While Marshall is stylistically different from Jones Jr. on both sides of the ball, he's likely better than Jones Jr. offensively and isn't a major fall off defensively from Jones Jr., so Mavericks fans should be excited for Marshall's addition to the rotation despite how much of fan-favorite Jones Jr. became last season.