Maybe the Mavericks failed to bring in the pair of All-Stars they meticulously cleared cap for, but the team quickly recovered to have a successful off-season.
Dallas began the summer with aspirations to immediately restore itself as one of the top contenders, but after missing out on the bigger names available, it was restored as a contender, this season and beyond.
As teams scrambled to improve their rosters once free agency began on July 1, Dallas was desperate to bring in premier talent to make another title run with 34-year-old forward Dirk Nowitzki.
The original target was point guard Deron Williams, an unrestricted free agent from Dallas that narrowed his choices between the Mavericks or returning to the Nets earlier in the summer.
If Williams was paired with Nowitzki, the next move would be to acquire Orlando center Dwight Howard in a trade, forming a talented trio that could rival any other in the league.
Once Williams resigned with Brooklyn while simultaneously eliminating the Mavericks as a destination for Howard, the prospects for the 2011 champions to recover appeared bleak.
For the second consecutive summer, Dallas allowed a key contributor from its title run to walk away.
Defensive anchor Tyson Chandler only received a one-year offer to comeback to the team. Chanlder left for New York and was named Defensive Player of the Year last season.
Elton Brand averaged 11 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game with Philadelphia last year.
High scoring sixth man Jason Terry signed a three-year $15 million deal with Boston but said he would have remained in Dallas if the Mavericks had simply matched the contract.
Dallas reached out to free agent Steve Nash, but any hopes for a reunion with Nowitzki were dashed as he was traded to the Lakers.
Veteran point guard Jason Kidd left the Mavericks to sign a three-year contract in New York.
Center Brendan Haywood was bought out of his contract as Dallas exercised its amnesty clause to clear further cap space.
The Mavericks spent their summer carefully rebuilding to remain competitive next season while also providing plenty of flexibility to improve through trades or free agency next summer.
To start, Dallas paired Nowitzki with a former Olympic teammate, signing Chris Kaman to a one-year deal for $8 million.
The Mavericks then submitted the winning bid for Elton Brand, the former Philadelphia forward became a free agent after the 76ers used their amnesty clause on him.
Brand and Kaman were teammates with the Clippers and provide a shot blocking combination to protect the rim beside Nowitzki.
After missing out on Williams, Nash, Jeremy Lin and Goran Dragic, Dallas landed its point guard by trading backup center Ian Mahinmi to Indiana. In return, the Mavericks acquired Darren Collison and swingman Dahntay Jones.
The Mavericks are counting on O.J. Mayo becoming a prolific scorer next season.
Collison had shown flashes while serving as an injury replacement in New Orleans, posting 14 double-doubles along with an 18 point, 13 rebound and 12 assist performance as a rookie in 37 starts.
To retain flexibility for the future, in five days Dallas added Brand, Jones and Collison, as each is in the final year of his contract.
Dallas completely revamped its back court this summer, signing O.J. Mayo to a two-year contract.
During his first two seasons, Mayo scored over 30 points on nine occasions, including a 40 point outburst against the Nuggets during the third game of his sophomore campaign.
Memphis had tried to trade Mayo on numerous occasions and his play suffered as a result, as he notched just six 20-point scoring performances last season.
With the second year of Mayo’s deal being a player option, Dallas can enter next summer with only Nowitzki’s $22.7 million as the only guaranteed contract on its roster.
The Mavericks have been perennially the team with the highest payroll, but even after their off-season acquisitions, remain nearly $8 million under the salary cap.
While it may not have brought in the superstars it anticipated this summer, Dallas was able to rebuild by remaining patient, a strategy not employed by many teams.
The Mavericks added talent to their roster, but if it isn’t enough to claim a championship next season, the team can easily hit the reset button and still pursue a title by once again building around Nowitzki.
