Dallas

Mavericks

Prosper made the most of his limited scoring opportunities, but he didn’t offer anything else in his summer league debut. During an in-game interview on ESPN, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said that the team is hopeful that O-Max can provide the wing defense and perimeter shooting that they lost when Dorian Finney-Smith was sent to Brooklyn in the Kyrie Irving trade. Prosper made strides offensively throughout his college career and was one of the Big East’s best defenders last season. If O-Max and Josh Green can step forward, the Mavericks will have a better chance of rebounding from a disappointing 2022-23 season.

Lively had an inauspicious debut in Las Vegas, logging just 16 minutes despite not dealing with an injury or foul trouble. The lottery pick out of Duke has been compared to Tyson Chandler, who was the anchor in the middle for the Mavericks in their run to the NBA title in 2011. It will take some time for Lively to approach that level, especially defensively, so he isn’t a player single-season fantasy managers should look to rely on right away.

Mavericks summer league coach Jared Dudley said before the team arrived in Las Vegas that “summer league is about Jaden Hardy,” even though the team was also working in two first-round picks. Dallas did all that it could to make the second-year guard the centerpiece of this summer squad, and he dominated the team’s scoring. While the role that Hardy is playing in Las Vegas may not match what he’ll be asked to do during the regular season, the Mavericks will need his scoring off the bench to supplement the efforts of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Depending on how the bench rotation looks, Hardy could be worth taking a late-round flier on in drafts.

Restricted free agents aren’t allowed to sign offer sheets until July 6, but the sign-and-trade is a way to work around that. Williams has reportedly agreed to a contract worth $54 million over four years, with Boston receiving two future second-round picks. Also involved in the trade is San Antonio, which receives Reggie Bullock and an unprotected pick swap with the Mavericks in 2030, and Dallas will pick up two future seconds. Williams’ fantasy value in Boston wasn’t all that high due to the inconsistent nature of his place within the team’s rotation. That will change in Dallas, even with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving being the focal points of that offense. Williams shot nearly 40% from three last season on 3.7 attempts per game, which included a 43% clip on corner triples. He isn’t a big steals/blocks guy, but the percentages, 3-point shooter, and rebounds stand to make Williams a worthwhile target in the later rounds of standard leagues.

The veteran journeyman has played for nine different teams over his 10-year NBA career, and he’ll make it an even 10 by joining Denver. Holiday should see some playing time off the bench, but it’s unlikely to amount to substantial fantasy value as he chases a title. Hey, it worked for Ish Smith, right?

The fifth overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, Exum struggled with injuries throughout his six seasons in the NBA. After helping lead Partizan to its first league title in a decade this past season, he’s back in the NBA. The versatile Exum is capable of giving the Mavericks depth at multiple positions on the perimeter, and there’s also the connection to recent Mavs front office hire Dennis Lindsey. Lindsey was the top executive with the Jazz when Exum was drafted in 2014.

Powell has been a starter from time to time over the past few seasons, but that hasn’t guaranteed him minutes or fantasy value. He returns on a team-friendly deal, but he’ll likely just be a depth piece behind Dereck Lively, since Dallas selected him with the 12th pick in the draft.

After two seasons with the Nets, Curry is headed back to Dallas for his third stint with the franchise. Last season, he accounted for 9.2 points and 1.5 3-pointers in nearly 20 minutes per game in 61 appearances. Curry’s 3-point shooting ability is his best asset, especially for a team that needs consistent shot-makers to play off of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. At best, he’ll be a fantasy specialist for managers needing 3-point production.

Even with it being reported earlier Friday that Irving would be meeting with multiple teams, this was the expected conclusion as the Mavericks were able to pay him the most money. The third year of the deal is a player option. While the addition of Irving didn’t push Dallas into the postseason, the perimeter tandem of him and Luka Doncic will be one of the NBA’s best. The goal for Dallas now is to surround those two with the talent needed to contend, as last year’s rotation wasn’t good enough to do so. Look for Irving to again provide first-round value in fantasy leagues when he’s on the court, but availability has been a concern in recent years.

Irving now has a total of six meetings lineup up for the beginning of free agency. According to CBS Sports’ Bill Reiter, the star guard will meet with both Los Angeles-based teams and Houston, be it in person (in L.A.) or remotely. While Reiter reported that Miami would also get a meeting, Heat beat writers reported that they are not scheduled to meet with Irving on Friday. Dallas can pay Irving the most as far as a new contract is concerned, but Miami, the Lakers, and the Clippers could be attractive due to the perception that those teams are closer to being title contenders right now. As for Houston, Irving would likely be “the man” for a young, rebuilding squad, but the Rockets are nowhere near title contention.