How Mavericks emerged from chaotic free agency with brighter prospects

The Dallas Mavericks have emerged from free agency with brighter prospects.

UPDATE: Since the time of publishing, DeAndre Jordan reneged on a four-year, $80 million contract agreement with the Dallas Mavericks to re-sign with the Los Angeles Clippers for four years, $88 million.

The future of the Mavericks rested on the whims of DeAndre Jordan. Had he chosen any team but Dallas in free agency, the Mavs were prepared—according to team owner Mark Cuban—to "take a step back" and regroup. Dirk Nowitzki's 18th NBA season, one of the last of his career, would have coincided with a year of deliberate losing.

Fortunately for Dirk, Jordan exercised his free agency to make himself a Maverick—though not before pushing Dallas to that critical brink. NBA teams face a never-ending string of decisions that they can botch: Who to draft, who to trade, and who to hire as their coach being only the most obvious examples. Jordan's case, however, serves as a reminder that a team's trajectory is tied to factors at least partially beyond their control. No matter how well Dallas pitched, the choice that defined their franchise's path would ultimately be left with Jordan.

That he picked the Mavericks will generally define their off-season as a success. Any alternative would have projected it to many as a relative failure. So it was with Dallas's pursuit of Dwight Howard, Deron Williams, and Carmelo Anthony in previous seasons. The difference in getting Jordan's approval wasn't due to some drastic change in approach or front office personnel. It was a single choice by a single man outside their organization, which—along with the countless other factors outside the Mavs' control—would be painted over by many with those broad brushes of success or failure.

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All of which is to say that being a smart, well-run organization (which the Mavericks very much are) isn't ever enough in the NBA. Any lasting success requires the right breaks in specific instances; a franchise that nails all of the little things can only go so far without luck and persuasion helping to acquire high-end talent. The right player can change everything.

Consider where Dallas was just a week ago. When entering free agency, the Mavericks were a franchise in limbo, caught in the pull between building around Nowitzki and preparing for life after his retirement. Just five players beyond Dirk were slotted in for the Mavericks roster, and only two of them (Chandler Parsons and Devin Harris) were proven rotation players. Aside from angling for the top free agents available (Jordan, LaMarcus Aldridge, etc.) alongside contenders and glamor markets, Dallas had no clear way forward.

Jordan and Wesley Matthews have adjusted that forecast. This Mavericks team won't likely challenge for the title with the same credence as the Warriors, Spurs, or Thunder. Dallas will, however, move forward with a recontextualized lineup by adding a quality center in his prime and a wonderful supporting wing player (when healthy). Years of reloading the roster with short-term veterans had maintained a sort of fizzling competence. Now, having secured the commitment of one of the summer's top free agents, the Mavericks begin the work of building something more lasting.

Grade the deal: Mavs dodge disaster, lure DeAndre Jordan away from Clips

That begins with both Jordan and Parsons taking on expanded roles. Part of Dallas' reported appeal to Jordan was the opportunity to do more within Rick Carlisle's offense than he was allowed under Doc Rivers. He'll be the primary roll man for the Mavericks next season and, we can suspect, a more-than-occasional post-up target. The latter will take some adjustment. Jordan was used in such a specific capacity with the Clippers that he averaged just 18.2 frontcourt touches per game, per SportVU—seventh among rotation regulars and less than a third of Blake Griffin's season average.

Parsons was more involved in Dallas's operations, though he served largely as a facilitator alongside Monta Ellis and Rajon Rondo. That will change. A ball-dominant point guard was less of a priority for the Mavericks this summer, given the difference between how Parsons was used and how he could be. According to Synergy Sports, Parsons rated as one of the most efficient pick-and-roll scorers in the league last season with moderate usage. His game could easily accommodate more opportunity of that kind and will be tested along those lines this season.

Ramping up a player's usage rate in that way can sometimes create problems for teams lacking in alternatives. Dirk gives Dallas a way out. Whenever the learning curve threatens to get the better of Parsons or Jordan, Nowitzki will be made available to reroute a possession to safer ends. This is the kind of transitional role the Mavericks have long envisioned for Dirk. Neither Parsons nor Jordan is a ready-made superstar, though there is enough established utility and upward mobility between them to make the Mavericks interesting.

Wherever that takes Dallas this season is nice, but almost beside the point. Matthews's recovery from a torn Achilles' will go beyond getting him back in the lineup; it will take time for his body to adjust to full-speed basketball and the rigors of the NBA schedule. Parsons, too, is recovering from offseason knee surgery. That a significant portion of the roster will also need to be filled by minimum-salary additions (Richard Jefferson and Jeremy Evans have committed already) also puts the Mavericks' short-term viability in question relative to the elite teams in the Western Conference.

• MORE NBA: Roundup: Free agency grades | Track all the signings

The real play is for the summer of 2016. Dallas will be good—quite good, really—in the coming season. Next summer, the core four will draw a combined salary of around $58 million (or less if Dirk opts out) relative to a salary cap expected to hit $89 million. Due diligence will be required on free agents like Kevin Durant, Al Horford, and Mike Conley. Beyond that, the Mavs' max-level cap space could be used to absorb any contract from around the league as the market goes bananas.

The enduring lesson of this summer, confirmed by the returns in New York and Los Angeles, is that cap room and extracurricular appeal won't be enough to attract premier talent. The most important part of the pitch is implicit; good players want to be a part of great teams, the likes of which cannot be guaranteed by slotted salary on a cap sheet. Dallas has the infrastructure and the winning culture. It has the space under the cap needed to play ball. Now it has the actual, burgeoning talent that could make a star of note look their way. 

The Mavericks, with their fate again in another's hands, will wait for that star's decision just as they did Jordan's. They'll do so for the same, simple reason: The right player can change everything.

Gallery: The NBA goes Hollywood

The NBA Goes Hollywood

LeBron James

Steve Sands/GC Images

LeBron James didn't exactly have an All-Star supporting cast in 2015 NBA Finals, but he is surrounded by some talented teammates this summer in the highly-anticipated comedy, "Trainwreck." James plays a version of himself in the movie, which is directed by Judd Apatow and stars Bill Hader and Amy Schumer.

Shaquille O'Neal

AP

A man of many talents, the 15-time NBA All-Star parlayed his basketball fame into several movie roles. Shaq played Neon in "Blue Chips," who accepts a Lexus to play for Western University, and took the title role in "Kazaam," a family film about a 5,000-year-old genie who grants a boy three wishes. Even Shaq's notoriety could not rescue "Kazaam," which was critically panned and grossed less than $19 million at the box office. Since retiring from basketball, Shaq has acted in several Adam Sandler films, including "Blended" and "Grown Ups 2."

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

AP

The NBA's all-time leading scorer played a version of himself in "Airplane!" pretending to simply be pilot Roger Murdock. When called out by a young passenger for actually being the Lakers star and accused of only playing hard in the playoffs, Abdul-Jabbar finally breaks his Murdock character, telling the boy to "tell your old man to drag Walton and Lanier up and down the court for 48 minutes."

Ray Allen

Steve Miller/AP

Allen was one of the few athletes to achieve critical acclaim for his on-screen work. Critic Roger Ebert praised Allen for his role of Jesus Shuttlesworth in Spike Lee's "He Got Game," remarking Allen "is that rarity: an athlete who can act." The Heat guard returned to the big screen in 2001 as Marcus Blake in "Harvard Man."

Dennis Rodman

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A character on and off the court, it's no surprise the Worm found himself playing actual roles in movies. Rodman regrettably paired with Jean-Claude Van Damme in "Double Team" and also starred in "Simon Sez" and "Cutaway." While suspended during the 1996-97 NBA season, Rodman used the time off to pursue his hobby for professional wrestling, fighting alongside Hulk Hogan at "Bash at the Beach."

Rick Fox

AP; Getty Images

A Radio, Television and Motion Pictures major at UNC, Fox seemed eager to balance an NBA career and acting one. The three-time NBA champ played for Texas Western in "Blue Chip," paired with Whoopi Goldberg in "Eddie," played ladies man Chick Deagan in "He Got Game" and moved to TV screens to appear in 11 episodes of the HBO drama Oz. Fox's acting career continued after he retired from basketball in 2004 as he appeared in many TV shows and competed on "Dancing With The Stars" in 2010.

Wilt Chamberlain

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The Big Dipper was no match for the raw power of Arnold Schwarzenegger when when he betrayed Schwarzenegger's character Conan in "Conan the Destroyer." Conan kills the seven-time scoring champion and 11-time rebounding champion in his only credited movie role.

Julius Erving

Lane Stewart/SI

The great Dr. J was an early athlete to capitalize on endorsements and also parlayed his on-court fame to on-screen work. Erving played Moses Guthrie, the challenging star player of the abominably bad Pittsburgh Pythons, in "The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh." Though Erving starred in the film, he was hardly the lone member of the credits with actual basketball talent as the rosters of Pittsburgh's opponents were filled with basketball royalty including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bob Lanier and coach Jerry Tarkanian.

Anfernee Hardaway

Tim DeFrisco/Getty Images

Hardaway partnered with Shaquille O'Neal as highly touted recruits in "Blue Chips." Hardaway's character, Butch McRae, takes on a house and a job for his mother to play for Nick Nolte at Western University. The 1994 drama is filled with cameos from stars of the basketball world, including Bob Knight, Rick Pitino, Larry Bird and Dick Vitale.

Chuck Connors

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Connors was a true do-it-all man, playing professional baseball and basketball before pursuing a 40-year acting career. A member of the 1946 title-winning Rochester Royals, Connor found his role playing lead-role Lucas McCain for five years in the ABC Western series "The Rifleman." The show posted great ratings until the final season in 1962-63 when it was canceled after 168 episodes.

Alex English

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The Denver Nuggets star played Amazing Grace Smith, a fictional Boston Celtics player, in the 1987 film "Amazing Grace and Chuck," in which English's character takes up the cause of a 12-year-old boy who refuses to play little league baseball until nuclear weapons are disarmed. Jamie Lee Curtis (inset) played the role of Smith's agent in the movie, with a cameo by Gregory Peck as President of the United States.

Allan Houston

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The NBA sharpshooter made his silver screen debut in "Blue Chips" and returned to acting sporadically throughout his basketball career. In the 1999 film "Black and White," Houston's girlfriend was played by Claudia Schiffer (left). Houston's final movie role came in 2004, a year before injuries forced him to retire from the NBA, when he played Adamo Shandela in the romantic comedy "Laws of Attraction."

John Salley

AP

The first NBA player to win NBA titles with three different teams, John Salley showed a similar diversity in his acting, taking roles in 24 titles plus appearing as himself in many others. Among the movie appearances for the former "Best Damn Sports Show Period" host was a role playing himself in the Bernie Mac film "Mr. 3000" and a role as Fletcher in "Bad Boys II."

Reggie Theus

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The former player and current coach stuck to his basketball knowledge when he made his acting debut on sitcom "Hang Time," playing high school basketball coach Bill Fuller. Theus, a two-time All-Star with the Chicago Bulls, also had cameos in "Book of Love," "Forget Paris" and "Like Mike."

Gheorghe Muresan

Chris Pizzello/AP

What other role does a 7-foot-7 Romanian center play? Muresan certainly fit the height description for his character, Max Zamphirescu, in the Billy Crystal movie "My Giant," in which Crystal tries to get Muresan into movies. A box office failure, "My Giant" was Muresan's only film appearance. Perhaps there weren't any more roles requiring an actor of his stature.