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The Dallas Mavericks finished the 18-19 season near the bottom of the Western Conference standings courtesy of a 33-49 record, with the team now failing to make the playoffs for three consecutive seasons. The legendary Dirk Nowitzki also finally retired after an unbelievable two decades with the franchise, though the mood around the Mavs is surprisingly upbeat.
The emergence of rookie sensation Luka Doncic has helped to reinvigorate one of the NBA's most passionate fanbases, whereas the surprise acquisition of Kristaps Porzingis has provided them with arguably the league's best young duo.
Heading into free agency, Dallas had the cap space to make major moves, and the team has already completed a deal to sign Seth Curry while Porzingis signed a bumper new deal. More moves are likely in the coming days and here are all the latest Dallas rumours you need to know:
Mavericks interested in signing Danny Green
Just like his Toronto Raptors teammate Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green took the first day of free agency to mull over his future. As one of the NBA's best two-way players, Green has plenty of options to chose from and Marc Stein of the New York Times is reporting that the Mavericks are among the teams pursuing the 32-year-old.
Green spent seven years with the San Antonio Spurs, before heading to the Raptors last season as part of the trade package deal which included Leonard. During Toronto's title-winning season, Green averaged 10.3 points while shooting 45.5% from three-point range. They want to sign the veteran to a new deal, although the Los Angeles Lakers have also been mooted as a potential destination.
Goran Dragic trade fell apart due to miscommunication
Last night, it was widely reported that a three-way trade between the Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, and Philadelphia 76ers was near to completion. The trade was centred around Jimmy Butler, although Tim Cato of The Athletic is reporting the deal fell apart due to confusion over which other players would be included in the trade:
Miami became convinced that it was sending Goran Dragic to Dallas. The two sides have been arguing over how the miscommunication happened and which side is to blame.
After failing to add Dragic, the Mavericks quickly turned their attention to Seth Curry. The 29-year-old has rejoined his former team on a four-year $32 million deal, a steep fee for a point guard with just 53 starts during a five-year NBA career to date.
Maxi Kleber signs new four-year, $35m deal
It's no secret the Mavericks came up shot on the first day of free agency, and the franchise has now opted to sign Maxi Kleber to a long-term deal. The 27-year-old German signed with them back in 2017 and despite averaging less than 19 minutes per game over 143 NBA appearances, Marc Stein is reporting they will sign him to a four-year $35 million contract.
During the 18-19 season, Kleber averaged 6.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and one assist in 21.2 minutes per game. He shot 45% from the floor, while also increasing his accuracy from beyond the arc to 35%. However, deciding to throw such a huge sum of money at Kleber highlights their desperation to build somewhat of a competitive roster around Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis going forward.
Guess the Lakers players!
