National Basketball Association

Dallas Mavericks solidify future with Wesley Matthews and DeAndre Jordan signings

Published Jul. 3, 2015 5:14 p.m. ET

foxsports

By Bryan Lee

The tide seems to be turning. There were numerous reports that the ex-Mavs free agents such as Tyson Chandler, Monta Ellis and Al-Farouq Aminu found new teams 48 hours into free agency. Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks had yet to make a move. Such silence made some fans worry about the franchise, but David Aldridge’s report that Wesley Matthews agreed to sign with the Mavericks alleviated such concerns. Then DeAndre Jordan committing to the Mavericks was nothing but music to the fans’ ears.

Although Wesley Matthews suffered a torn Achilles this season, there is no doubt that he will contribute to the team if he recovers. He is the type of player that the Mavericks needed—a shooting guard who can provide offense and defense simultaneously. He will be a good mentor for Justin Anderson, who was drafted this year with the No. 21 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

What is even better is the fact that Wesley Matthews’ contract was dependent on DeAndre Jordan’s contract. With DeAndre Jordan committing to the Dallas Mavericks, Wesley Matthews will receive less money than what was agreed upon. As the Dallas Mavericks gave both players four-year deals, the franchise now suddenly has three young players in the starting five: Wesley Matthews, Chandler Parsons and DeAndre Jordan.

Along with Wesley Matthews, DeAndre Jordan will be a good fit for the team that is desperately trying to build a new defensive identity. Those two players will definitely help the Mavericks to compete in the already competitive Southwest Division. Last year, all five teams in the Southwest Division made it to the playoffs, and these teams are expected to be still strong next season.

However, the Dallas Mavericks lost more players than the other four teams in the division. Nine spots are currently filled with Devin Harris, Raymond Felton, Wesley Matthews, Justin Anderson, Chandler Parsons, Dwight Powell, Dirk Nowitzki, Bernard James (RFA) and DeAndre Jordan. The Mavericks need to find a way to fill in the other six spots this offseason to really get a chance to compete in the Western Conference.

Such roster turnover is nothing new to the Dallas Mavericks because the franchise has been filling its roster spots with short-term deals ever since it won its first ever championship in 2011. Although the Mavericks only missed the playoffs once since then, such strategy didn’t get them anywhere as the team continuously suffered first round exits every season. There were many reasons, but the most blatant reason was that the players were not committed to the team as they all knew that they would leave the franchise soon. There wasn’t enough team chemistry to deal with players who were added during midseason like Lamar Odom and Rajon Rondo who simply didn’t seem to care about the team.

Learning from these mistakes, the Dallas Mavericks are finally seeking to lock down core players for multiple years. With the start of giving a maximum contract to Chandler Parsons last year, the Mavericks have now committed to four-year contracts with Wesley Matthews and DeAndre Jordan.

There is no doubt that both players will be important for the Mavericks but will it be enough to go after another championship? Probably not. The Mavericks will need a better point guard and deeper bench to get a real chance at the championship, but there is no doubt that they will be vital pieces in rebuilding the Dallas Mavericks. Besides recent trend has shown that players are willing to join teams that have the appeal of having a chance to go deep in the playoffs. With Wesley Matthews and DeAndre Jordan, more players might find Dallas as more appealing destination this offseason. Acquiring both players is a great start for the Mavericks and hopefully will lead to other signings too.

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