The Mavericks have spent the offseason reshaping the roster around Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving, and new general manager Mike Schmitz says the changes go beyond just adding names.
Schmitz pointed to a group that has gotten “bigger,” “longer,” “taller,” and “rangier,” with rookie Morez Johnson Jr. and 6’6″ guard Sergio De Larrea among the new pieces, along with Santi Aldama and Zaccharie Risacher. He said the club believes those additions have strengthened the talent base and created a better fit around the team’s main creators.
“ We definitely feel like we’ve upgraded in a variety of ways with the size and the length and the skill level,” Schmitz said. “ We’ve got almost two months to opening night, and … we’re constantly evaluating ways to get better.
To this point, we feel like we’ve added to our talent base, added some skill sets that help complement several of our players. And I’m so excited about where we’re at and the direction we’re heading.
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“ We’ve gotten bigger. We’ve gotten longer.
We’ve gotten taller. We’ve gotten rangier,” Schmitz said.
“ We feel we’ve gotten more athletic and more skilled, creating more space for our primary ball handlers and creators to operate.”
The Mavericks also made Dusty May their head coach, giving him his first NBA job after a long run in the college game. Schmitz said he sees May’s background as a major asset, even if this is a different level for him.
“ He’s been around the game for a long, long time, and has expertise in various roles - whether that was as a video guy coming up, whether that was as an assistant coach, a head coach, a national champion,” Schmitz said. “ So I think his experience, although it may not be as an NBA head coach, has really prepared him for this.
My job is to best support him and be there to help with any of the challenges that arise, and continue to collaborate with him, with obviously Masai leading the ship here.” May is the first coach to jump from the NCAA to the NBA since John Beilein went to the Cavaliers in 2019, and Schmitz said the goal is not only to make Dallas more competitive, but also more fun to watch.
Elsewhere in the Southwest, the Pelicans are largely running it back after another rough season. New head coach Jamahl Mosely is the biggest change on the roster sheet, and the franchise is leaning on Zion Williamson to stay healthy while also counting on internal growth from second-year players Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears, neither of whom appeared in Summer League. Herbert Jones could end up being the swing piece if the Pelicans are going to get more out of this group than they have in recent seasons.
And in another move around the division, former Spurs grassroots scouting director Charlie Stevens is headed to UCONN as the program’s new general manager. Forbes’ Adam Zagoria confirmed the move after Hardwood Intel first reported it, and Stevens arrives after rising through the Spurs’ scouting ranks over five years with the organization.
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