The NBA offseason has officially begun following the conclusion of the NBA Finals.
Multiple franchises have been making early moves to improve their teams ahead of the 2024-2025 season.
The Sacramento Kings opened the offseason with a significant move to re-sign Malik Monk to a four-year contract worth $78 million. The guard is coming off his best season in the NBA since being drafted in 2017, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.
Monk finished the year averaging 15.4 points and 5.1 assists while also being selected as the runner-up for the Sixth Man of the Year award.
Another significant move came from the Dallas Mavericks’ rival, Oklahoma City Thunder, whom the Mavericks defeated 4-2 in the NBA Playoffs.
Oklahoma City traded for Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso, one of the best defensive guards in the entire NBA, while only giving up guard Josh Giddey in return.
Although the Mavericks have not made any significant roster moves since losing in five games to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, General Manager Nico Harrison discussed how the team could improve during a press conference on Friday.
Harrison said that the majority of the team would remain the same, with many of the changes coming around the edges and from players whom many people may not initially think of.
“I think we have the pieces. We need to get better ourselves … the core is intact. If you look at the top seven or eight players, I don’t see anything happening with that,” he explained, per The Dallas Morning News’ Mike Curtis.
One move expected to take place later in the offseason is a trade for Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr., who has been a key contributor to the team in previous years but fell out of the rotation near the end of this season.
Josh Mazur of 214 The Win reported on Friday that Hardaway is “preparing himself to be traded this offseason,” as both sides believe they would benefit from a “fresh start” leading into next year.
Another significant change that could come is an impending decision about whether to retain forward Derrick Jones Jr., who played a significant role for the Mavericks in the playoffs but is now a free agent.
Jones signed with the Mavericks last offseason on a one-year $2.7 million veteran’s minimum contract, meaning he is set to receive a large pay increase this year.
While other teams will likely pursue Jones, Harrison said Friday that re-signing the veteran forward is “priority 1A and 1B.” He added that while he does not know how it will be done, it will be the team’s largest focus, according to Landon Thomas.
Dallas also possesses the 58th pick in the NBA Draft, which will be used to select a player who may not contribute in their rookie season but could be a valuable asset in the coming years.