ESPN Grades Dallas Mavericks' Signings of Klay Thompson and Naji Marshall

The Mavericks have made some solid additions this offseason, what does ESPN think about them?

May 26, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) shoots the ball against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half during game five of the 2022 western conference finals at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports / Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Mavericks have made a couple of big changes to the roster this offseason, shipping out Tim Hardaway Jr. and Josh Green while letting Derrick Jones Jr. walk in free agency, but have brought in Quentin Grimes, Klay Thompson, and Naji Marshall to fill those spots.

Mavericks fans have been excited about the additions, especially the signing of the future Hall-of-Famer Thompson, but what have basketball analysts thought of the deal? ESPN's Kevin Pelton has been grading and giving reasons for all of the big signings so far in NBA free agency, including the additions of Thompson and Marshall to the Mavericks. Here is what he had to say.

READ MORE: Klay Thompson's Father 'Disappointed' About Klay's Signing With Mavericks Over LA Lakers

Naji Marshall, 3 years, $27 million: B

"The reigning Western Conference champs will have a slightly different look on the wing next season after adding Marshall with the non-taxpayer midlevel exception they would have had to use to re-sign incumbent small forward Derrick Jones Jr.

"Give Dallas credit for not overvaluing Jones because he was such a success story playing last season on the veterans minimum. The Mavericks got a career campaign out of Jones, whose move into the starting lineup helped kickstart the second-half surge that ultimately led them to the NBA Finals. But, Dallas would be right to wonder whether Jones could maintain that value over the life of a four-year deal.

"Much of Jones' NBA success has been tied to his vertical, and at 27 he's reaching the stage where his physical ability will start to wane. Jones might be just fine, particularly if he maintains the 37% 3-point shooting we saw in last year's playoffs (up from 34% during the regular season), but Dallas couldn't count on Jones remaining a lob threat in transition and as a cutter down the road.

"Marshall is only a year younger but has displayed more skill in grinding his way from undrafted rookie to key reserve for the New Orleans Pelicans. Marshall, too, enjoyed a career year in 2023-24 beyond the arc but pushed his 3-point percentage all the way to 39%. Marshall's solid free throw shooting (78% career, as compared to 71% for Jones) offers reason to believe he can remain average or better going forward.

"Defensively, Marshall isn't as strong on the ball as Jones, who excelled in that role during the Mavericks' playoff run. Playing alongside All-Defensive first-team pick Herb Jones, Marshall wasn't tasked with guarding leading scorers as often, and a downgrade at that end of the court is the biggest risk Dallas is taking here.

"That said, getting Marshall for an average of $9 million per year -- about 70% of the non-tax midlevel -- is excellent value. And it might open up the possibility of the Mavericks also adding Thompson. Adding Marshall will hard cap Dallas on the lower luxury tax apron. (Re-signing Jones using the non-tax midlevel would have done so as well.) Currently, the Mavericks sit about $5.8 million below that line, including the non-guaranteed salary of wing A.J. Lawson."

Klay Thompson, 3 years, $50 million: B-

"For the Mavericks to acquire Thompson will require agreement from the Golden State Warriors on a three-team sign-and-trade that will see Dallas wing Josh Green head to the Charlotte Hornets. Pending completion of that deal, let's consider how Thompson will fit.

"After shooting just 32% from 3-point range during their five-game NBA Finals loss to the Boston Celtics, the Mavericks have taken bold steps this offseason to ensure that won't happen again. Adding Thompson, who ranks sixth in league history in made 3s, is by far the biggest and most fascinating move for Dallas.

"We've never seen Thompson play for anyone but the Warriors, a 13-year run -- including two entire seasons lost to injury -- that resulted in five All-Star appearances and four NBA championships. The last of those came in 2021-22, after Thompson returned midseason from an ACL tear followed by an Achilles rupture, a combination largely unprecedented in NBA history. Yet Thompson still averaged 19.0 PPG in the playoffs en route to the title.

"Since returning, Thompson hasn't been the same kind of defender, and his occasional lapses in shot selection became a greater source of friction last season. For the first time since his rookie season, Thompson came off the bench after the All-Star break this past season. Ultimately, Thompson and Golden State split, putting the Mavericks in position to pounce via sign-and-trade.

"It will be interesting to see whether Dallas sees Thompson as a starter on the wing. He's getting more money than fellow newcomer Naji Marshall, who agreed to a three-year, $27 million deal Sunday to fill the role played by incumbent Mavericks small forward Derrick Jones Jr. Starting Thompson would maximize the floor spacing for Dallas stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving at the expense of defense.

"The Mavericks want to hide Doncic as much as possible defensively, and although Irving was strong individually throughout Dallas' run to the Finals, asking him to defend high scorers during the regular season is unreasonable. Thompson is no longer capable of being a primary wing defender, which might suggest Marshall as the better fit in the starting five with Thompson as sixth man.

"However the Mavericks line up to start games, coach Jason Kidd will have plenty of options. With Thompson replacing Green, Marshall replacing Jones and Quentin Grimes swapped in for Tim Hardaway Jr., Dallas goes 11 deep in terms of rotation-caliber players with a variety of strengths and weaknesses. Grimes and Dante Exum give Kidd strong defenders off the bench, while Hardy and Thompson will juice the team's offense. The depth should help the Mavericks manage the regular season while Kidd sorts out the best rotations for the playoffs.

"Ultimately, Dallas surely came back to all those Finals missed 3s in pursuing Thompson. With Boston capable of staying home on wing shooters and containing Doncic and Irving 1-on-1, the Mavericks neither got up enough 3-point attempts (they didn't attempt more than 27 in any of the first three games, all losses) nor made enough of the shots they did try.

"Thompson's contested 3-point making will be a massive upgrade for Dallas. Per Second Spectrum tracking, Thompson shot the 10th-best 3-point percentage (39%) among players with at least 500 attempts on the sixth-hardest shot diet among those 26 players. Based on Second Spectrum's quantified shot quality measure, we'd have expected an average shooter to make just 34% of Thompson's 3-point attempts due to their location, shot type and the distance to nearby defenders.

"I still wonder about the cost to the Mavericks' defense. Going from Jones and Green as primary perimeter defenders to Marshall and Thompson is a massive drop-off only partly offset by adding Grimes.

"If Thompson is going to finish games at small forward alongside one of Dallas' two strong centers (Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II), that will probably compel P.J. Washington to defend wings with size. Washington struggled in that role before enjoying more success defending power forwards and occasionally cross-matching on centers once Jones moved into the Mavericks' starting lineup after the All-Star break.

"Adding Thompson undoubtedly makes Dallas a more interesting team but I'm not totally convinced it makes the Mavericks a better one."

Overall, Pelton likes the signings of Thompson and Marshall but isn't sure the Mavs are a better team than they were in the Finals. Everyone has questioned what Dallas' defense will look like in the regular season, but it was the insertion of Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington into the starting lineup that boosted the Mavs' defense last season.

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