The official start of the offseason will begin on June 25 when the Dallas Mavericks are officially on the clock for the 2025 NBA draft.
While it’s safe to presume Cooper Flagg will be the first name uttered by NBA commissioner Adam Silver, the Mavericks remain an unfinished project that will need more roster reconstruction during free agency and trade season.
A champion has yet to be crowned for the 2024-25 NBA season, but it’s never too early to start looking ahead to next season.
We’re taking a look at where the Mavericks currently stand position-by-position. Today, we look at point guard.
Mavericks
Point guard
An injured Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, center, sits on the bench between teammates Dwight Powell, left, and Max Christie (00) during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Philadelphia 76ers in Dallas, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero)(LM Otero / AP)
Currently on roster: Kyrie Irving, Jaden Hardy, Brandon Williams
Free agent: Spencer Dinwiddie, Dante Exum
The starter: Irving, when healthy of course. It’s unclear exactly how long the Mavericks will be without their star guard, who is recovering from surgery to repair his torn left ACL. The Mavericks’ point guard room likely won’t look like this before the season begins, but let’s say it does. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Mavericks and Exum have mutual interest in hashing out a new deal. If that’s the case, then Exum could be the starter on Day 1.
The wild card: Williams. There’s a good chance Williams will be able to build on his late-season production with a real opportunity to become a contributor on Day 1. The former two-way guard is still recovering from an oblique strain suffered in the final game of the regular season, but he expects to be fully healthy by the time training camp begins. The Mavericks could use Williams’ offensive skillset as a placeholder while Irving is sidelined.
Related:Lonzo Ball, other PGs the Dallas Mavericks could target in trades during 2025 offseason
Outlook: Mavericks coach Jason Kidd has a few options for point guard, but there’s no clear choice for who will assume the role as primary playmaker and facilitator while Irving is out. Hardy could be an option, but he played shooting guard for 69% of his minutes last season. He and Williams both started three games each while the Mavericks dealt with injuries. Dinwiddie, who was signed as an emergency option at point guard shortly before last season’s training camp, surprisingly led the Mavericks in minutes and games played. It is unclear if Dinwiddie, who’s also an unrestricted free agent, will be back in Dallas next season. If so, expect Dinwiddie to fill that role as primary playmaker while Irving is out. He averaged 11 points and 4.4 assists in 79 games last season. We won’t know what the Mavericks are truly capable of until Irving returns to the lineup. Ideally, Irving could return to a lineup that features Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington [or Flagg] and Dereck Lively II. Kidd could also go big and use Naji Marshall as an option at point guard. Marshall started both games of the Play-In tournament at the one.
All of this could be null and void if the Mavericks sign or make a trade for a point guard who can shoulder the load while their star guard recovers.
X/Twitter: @MikeACurtis2
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