With the Dallas Mavericks making the NBA Finals and playing all the way until June, the thick of the offseason is already almost here and Dallas’ season ended just a couple of days ago.
The Mavs enter next week’s NBA Draft with plenty of buzz surrounding them considering the rumors linking them to Bronny James, and free agency is just around the corner as well.
Dallas is in the position to contend for a title again next year, and a big part of making a deep playoff run again next year could directly be correlated to them signing this key player.
Mavericks reveal ‘priority 1A’ this offseason is re-signing Derrick Jones Jr.
Dallas signed Derrick Jones Jr. to a one-year veteran minimum contract last summer, and according to GM Nico Harrison, re-signing Jones Jr. is the Mavericks’ biggest priority this summer.
“He’s a priotity,” Harrison said at his end of the year press conference on Friday. “He’s 1A and 1B.”
Jones Jr. was a huge difference-maker all season long for Dallas, and he elevated his play once the playoffs hit and oftentimes guarded the opponent’s best player. He takes pride in guarding the best players in the world and doing whatever is asked of him, and that’s what makes him the perfect fit in Dallas.
Jones Jr. could care less about how many shots he gets. He just cares about playing his role and doing that to the best of his ability. Harrison signing him to a veteran minimum contract was one of the best moves from any team in the NBA last summer, but he will be way above that price this time around.
Signing Jones Jr. this summer won’t nearly be as easy as last summer considering that he is set to make much more money, and Harrison and the Mavs are limited when it comes to how much they want to pay him. It’s clear that Jones Jr. wants to re-sign with Dallas as well, and both signs seem set on a reunion going into next season.
If Dallas were to lose Jones Jr., that would be a major blow. He tremendously helped the Mavs defense and became a key starter for most of the season and the playoffs, and they’d have to find a way to replace his production elsewhere.
For all the latest on Nico Harrison and the Dallas Mavericks as they attempt to retain Derrick Jones Jr. this summer, stay tuned.
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