Back on April 8, 2023, the Mavericks lost to the Bulls in the regular season and missed the playoffs.
There should be many people who remember this game, in the critical stage of the sprint play-offs, the Mavericks deliberately played badly, resting a number of key players in rotation, and Doncic only played 13 minutes before resting, and finally lost "as he wished".
We explained that in the original Porzingis trade, the Mavericks gave the Knicks a 2023 first-round pick, this first-round pick is a top-10 pick protection, if the Mavericks are ranked 10th from the bottom in the league, then they will have a 65.9% probability of keeping this draft pick, otherwise, there is a 90% probability of giving it to the Knicks.
In the end, we know that the Mavericks successfully kept this draft pick by swinging, but because the loss was too obvious, the Mavericks were fined $750,000 by the NBA officials after the game;
This is the third-largest fine in NBA history, behind the discrimination of former Clippers owner Raheem Sterling (3.5 million fines) and the 1999 Timberwolves and Joe Smith's yin-yang contract (3.5 million).
However, it was also from here that the Mavericks began their road to a super comeback.
After successfully getting the No. 10 pick in 2023, the Mavericks did not rush to pick a person, but traded with the Thunder, using the No. 10 pick in their hands and Bertans to trade downwards to get the No. 12 pick and a trade exception, and then used the No. 12 pick to select Lively.
Carson Wallace, whom the Thunder selected with the No. 10 pick, was really not bad, playing in full attendance in the regular season and hitting 98 three-pointers with a 41.9% shooting rate, which is one of the contributors to the Thunder's No. 1 record in the West;
The problem was in the playoffs, rookie Wallace was abnormal on the big stage, and his three-point shooting rate dropped to 32.1%, including six games against the Mavericks, Wallace made a total of 7 of 21 three-pointers, and the last two games were 2 of 11;
On the other hand, Lively not only locked the rotation in the regular season, but also played more and more bravely in the playoffs, and has helped the Mavericks reach the Finals, averaging 8.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game, with a shooting rate of 66.7% and a net efficiency of +13.4, the first in the league.
After selecting Lively, the Mavericks made a number of moves in the offseason:
1. 3 years and 126 million renewal of Owen
2. Renew Powell's contract for 12 million in 2 years
3. Signed Exum for 6.15 million in 2 years
4. Sign Seth Curry for 8 million in 2 years
5. Sign with Derrick Jones Jr. with a 1-year salary
6. Signed with Big Morris with a salary at the end of 1 year
7. Trade with the Celtics to get Gwee
8. Trade with the king and get Homs
Among them, renewing Owen's contract is naturally the biggest and most important operation, and now it can even be said to be a god, but at that time, in fact, there were many doubts.
The reason is not difficult to understand, Irving has had a lot of controversy with the Celtics and Nets before, and it is impossible for any team not to worry about his attendance, and after he joined, the Mavericks fell out of the play-offs from the top five all the way, and it is doubtful whether the Eastern European combination can be compatible.
The operation of signing Exum and Derrick Jones Jr. was inconspicuous at the time, but now it is significant, one has been a stable bench rotation in the regular season, and one has been a 3-D forward who can play in the playoffs;
And, getting the operation of Gwee, at that time, signing first and then replacing Gwee was the biggest reinforcement of the Mavericks in the offseason, the outside world looked good at this deal, and Gwee did play well in the early days of joining, but then for various reasons, Gwee and the Mavericks had a bad quarrel, and finally the Mavericks sent it away after only half a season.
The other signings didn't feel much at the time, but looking back now, they are basically the same as Gwee, which became the foreshadowing of the other two transactions later.
These two transactions should be familiar to everyone:
- Sent away Seth Curry, Gwee, and the 2027 No. 2 No. 2 pick to protect the first round and get PJ Washington and two second-rounders
- Sending Holmes, a 2024 first-round pick, and getting Gafford
It is worth mentioning that ESPN gave a D rating for a Washington deal, and ESPN gave a C- for a Gafford deal.
Obviously, both deals were a slap in the face.
PJ Washington became the No. 3 scorer on the way to the Mavericks' Finals, averaging 13.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game in the playoffs, shooting 43% from the field and 36% from three-point range.
Gafford has become the starting center for the Mavericks, averaging 9.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game so far in the playoffs, shooting 61% from the field.
Here is a mention of the Thunder, because in the Mavericks' trade for Gafford , the 2024 first-round pick is from the Thunder, for which the Mavericks paid a 2028 first-round swap right;
And, the Thunder could have chosen Washington, but instead they chose Hayward between Washington and Hayward, who played seven games for the Thunder in the playoffs without scoring a single point.
Back to the Mavericks, if the offseason operation allowed the Mavericks to get out of the quagmire and climb back into the playoff contention area from outside the play-offs, then the two operations before the trade deadline directly made the Mavericks a championship team;
Yes, although many media and fans are not optimistic about the Mavericks before the start of the second round and the Western Conference finals, one statistic is that the Mavericks' record after the trade deadline is 21-9, 4th in the league, which is definitely the performance of a championship contender.
Zoom in a little and look back, in 2022, the Mavericks will reach the Western Conference finals, and in 2023, the Mavericks will miss the play-offs, and at the same time, Brunson, who was let go by the Mavericks, shined in New York.
But the operation of the past year has re-established the heroes - it must have been wrong to let go of Brunson, but in any case, the Mavericks have been saved by these operations, and they have reached the finals after 13 years.
Bet on Irving, bet on draft picks, bet on the Thunder won't pick Lively, bet on Washington, bet on Gaford... These trade signings all have the possibility of being lost, but fortunately, they all succeeded in the end, and if they can win the championship this year, it is not just the Eastern European combination or any player who should be praised, and they can be applauded for a long time.