2020 NBA Free Agency
The Dallas Mavericks only brought in one new face to the organization in free agency but brought back three familiar faces to fill out their roster. Wesley Iwundu, J.J. Barea, Trey Burke, and Willie Cauley-Stein all agreed to terms with Dallas this offseason and all should hold value for the Mavs this upcoming season.
Wesley Iwundu comes over from the Orlando Magic where he has been a reliable three-point shooter and decent wing defender. Iwundu has shot over 34% from deep the last two seasons and while none of his statistics blow you away, he is a guy that gives effort out on the court and is a solid rotation guy that can come off the bench and provide key minutes. The Mavs signed him to a two-year, $3.5M deal this offseason and intend on using him off the bench this year.
Burke, Caluey-Stein and Barea all return to the Mavericks this season and all with different roles. Trey Burke was not even on a roster last year after getting waived by the Philadelphia 76ers early in the season, but when Jalen Brunson went down with an injury that kept him out of the NBA bubble, the Mavericks signed Burke to fill his role and he became the Mavericks third best scorer in the playoffs.
In the Mavericks’ 6 playoffs games against the Clippers, Trey Burke averaged 12.3 points and shot 50.8% from the floor, 47.1% from three-point range. Over the course of his 7-years in the NBA, Trey Burke has always been a threat on the perimeter and his playmaking abilities should give the Mavericks a reliable back-up point guard to lead the second-unit.
Willie Cauley-Stein was traded to the Mavs last season near the trade deadline from the Golden State Warriors. Due to a lower leg injury, WCS did not play in the NBA bubble with the Mavs, but will be a key player for them this upcoming year. His rebounding and ability to play in pick-and-roll sets is what the Mavs value so highly and the 27-year old center should have a field day catching lobs from Luka Doncic.
J.J. Barea is to the Dallas Mavericks like what Udonis Haslem is to the Miami Heat. He is beloved by Mavs fans and the entire organization. This will be his 12th season in a Dallas Mavericks uniform and while he does not play as much as he used to, he can still provide solid minutes off the bench if someone was to get injured. He has seen his minutes decline over the last few seasons, but from 2015-2019, he was still averaging double-digit scoring.
All of the offseason additions via free agency for the Dallas Mavericks have a role within this organization and while they are not the star players like Luka and Porzingis, they will all take a lot of pressure off of Dallas’ stars. Each player brings something unique to this organization and should make an impact on this team and its chances of making a run in the Western Conference this upcoming season.
