Balancing when to cash in and when to stay patient is one of the hardest things for an NBA team. As we’re learning with these very Dallas Mavericks, growth is not always a linear path — sometimes there are giant spikes, weird lows, and some up-and-down spurts.
While the team will tell you otherwise, Dallas shouldn’t be in the spot they are now. The team won 33 games a year ago in Luka Doncic’s rookie season and made minimal moves to the roster last summer. Their big move occurred at last year’s trade deadline, when they acquired Kristaps Porzingis.