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Assessing Mavs' Offseason: The Good, The Bad & The Future

On this episode of the Mavs Step Back Podcast, we assess the offseason moves separately from the expectations that were set while looking ahead to some potential moves

Although the Dallas Mavericks' offseason isn't technically over yet, it feels as if they're done making moves for the time being. The team improved overall with the free agency additions of Reggie Bullock and Sterling Brown, but a good portion of the Mavs' fan base is still disappointed, given the high expectations set by owner Mark Cuban that were not met.

"Trust me, nobody wants to get Luka (Doncic) help more than I do," said Cuban in late-June at a St. Mark's School of Texas alumni event, oddly enough. "What do we need is the big question, and we need a second scorer. ... And that's what we're going to look for this summer. How do you get a star who can create his own shot so the responsibility isn't completely on Luka?"

READ MORE: How Far Will Cuban's Mavs Go On Luka's $207M Supermax? To Slovenia

Cuban and his Mavs are still trying to answer that question one week into free agency. After a failed pursuit of Kyle Lowry, which would've addressed what Cuban considered the biggest priority of the offseason, Dallas seemed to pivot to a potential trade for Goran Dragic as a 'Plan B', but given that the Toronto Raptors played hardball, the Mavs appear to be in 'wait-and-see mode', hoping for an eventual Dragic buyout that may never come.

On this episode of the Mavs Step Back Podcast, hosts Dalton Trigg, Matt Galatzan and Grant Afseth assess the Mavs' offseason moves separately from the expectations that were set while looking ahead to some potential moves that could still be made before the start of the season. 

*The Mavs' initial plan of chasing Lowry was good, but why did they turn down that aggression when it came to the second-tier players like Spencer Dinwiddie or DeMar DeRozan? 

*Could a sign-and-trade for Lauri Markkanen materialize, given the Chicago Bulls' need for front court depth paired with Markkanen's desire for a change of scenery? 

*As Dalton Trigg reported for DallasBasketball.com, former Maverick Dennis Smith Jr. is interested in a potential return to Dallas this summer. How do the Mavs feel about that, though? 

*Could the addition of Bullock be an underrated key to getting more out of Kristaps Porzingis next season?

We discuss all this and much more right here:

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READ MORE: What Goran Dragic 'Definitely Wants' Involves Mavs' Luka Doncic