The Dallas Mavericks, entering the offseason, seemed to have a championship roster on their hands. Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson are veterans with a winning track record, and Daniel Gafford, PJ Washington, and Naji Marshall are proven veterans.
The only thing left to do was formally add Cooper Flagg and find a stopgap point guard to conduct the offense while Kyrie Irving recovers from his torn ACL.
Jason Kidd joked that Flagg could run point for the Mavericks, and he likely will have his fair share of facilitating responsibilities, although adding a proven point guard remained a priority.
To kickstart NBA free agency, the Mavericks signed a former All-Star. D'Angelo Russell spent last season with the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets and joins the Mavericks on a two-year, $13 million deal.
While Russell has taken a step back from his All-Star prowess in 2019, he is a capable floor general and solid scorer, and will be an excellent replacement until Irving can return to action.
By adding Russell, Spencer Dinwiddie's tenure in Dallas will likely come to an end, although Russell is certainly an upgrade.
In 58 games last season split between two teams, he averaged 12.6 points and 5.1 assists. His shooting efficiency left a lot to be desired, although with Flagg, Washington, Thompson, and Davis surrounding him in the starting lineup, he likely won't need to take nearly as many shots as he has in the past.
For a team looking to open a title window in the post-Luka era, the future is now, and Russell was likely the most talented option, perhaps second only to Chris Paul.