2023 NBA Offseason Recap: Southwest Division

Keith Smith
Keith Smith, Resident NBA ExpertAugust 08, 2023
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The NBA offseason is just about wrapped up. As of this writing, we’re still waiting on trades for Damian Lillard, James Harden and maybe Pascal Siakam. There are a handful of impact free agents left on the board, but every team has used almost all of their meaningful cap space. There are lots of exceptions left, but it seems as though teams are in wait-and-see mode, as the calendar moves into the dog days of August.

That means it’s time to reset where each roster stands. We’re going to look at who is returning, who was acquired and who has departed. We’ll also answer a few key questions about each team.

We covered the Atlantic Division, Central Division and Pacific Division already. Next up: The Southwest Division!

Dallas Mavericks

Players Returning (9)

Luka Doncic, Josh Green, Tim Hardaway Jr., Jaden Hardy, Kyrie Irving, Maxi Kleber, A.J. Lawson (two-way), JaVale McGee, Dwight Powell

Players Added (7)

Seth Curry, Dante Exum, Richaun Holmes, Dereck Lively II, Mike Miles Jr. (two-way), Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Grant Williams

Players Lost (8)

Davis Bertans, Reggie Bullock, Justin Holiday, Markieff Morris, Frank Ntilikina, Theo Pinson, Christian Wood, McKinley Wright IV (two-way)

Roster Openings

1 standard and 1 two-way spot.

Cap/Tax Status

Dallas is $4.1 million under the luxury tax line.

Spending Power Remaining

The Mavs have $5.4 million remaining of the Non-Taxpayer MLE.

Biggest Move of the Summer

Re-signing Kyrie Irving. The Mavericks did a lot of things this summer, but re-signing Irving has to be at the top of the list. Irving is a superstar and Dallas gave up quite a bit to get him in last season’s trade. The Mavs also got Irving for far less than the full maximum deal that he could have signed. Irving signed for more than $10 million less than his first-year max salary, and he signed a three-year deal too. All-around, this deal is a win for both the Mavericks and Irving.

Dallas also beefed up their frontcourt by signing-and-trading for Grant Williams, trading for Richaun Holmes and re-signing Dwight Powell. All three should be integral members of the Mavs big man rotation, along with the returning Maxi Kleber. Williams is effectively the replacement for Dorian Finney-Smith, who was traded to get Irving. And a bonus for Dallas is that Williams is making slightly less than Finney-Smith over the next few seasons.

Work To Do

Dallas has a couple of roster spots to fill. They’ve also been openly shopping Tim Hardaway Jr. and JaVale McGee. That’s about $23.6 million in matching salary that could bring back a rotation upgrade.

Josh Green is also extension-eligible. Negotiations on a extending his rookie deal could continue up to the start of the regular season. Green has become an important player on both ends of the floor for Dallas, so keep an eye on these discussions.

Houston Rockets

Players Returning (8)

Darius Days (two-way), Tari Eason, Jalen Green, Trevor Hudgins (two-way), Kevin Porter Jr., Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., Jae’Sean Tate

Players Added (8)

Dillon Brooks, Jeff Green, Aaron Holiday, Jock Landale, Jermaine Samuels (two-way), Amen Thompson, Fred VanVleet, Cameron Whitmore

Players Lost (9)

D.J. Augustin, Willie Cauley-Stein, Josh Christopher, Usman Garuba, Frank Kaminsky, Boban Marjanovic, Kenyon Martin Jr., Daishen Nix, TyTy Washington Jr.

Roster Openings

1 standard spot.

Cap/Tax Status

Houston is about $21.6 million under the luxury tax

Spending Power Remaining

The Rockets have the full $7.7 million Room Exception available.

Biggest Move of the Summer

Adding veterans to the roster. Houston made it clear months before free agency started that they would be attempting add veterans to the roster. Mission accomplished. The Rockets add over 30 years in combined veteran experience this summer.

The key guys are Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks. Both should start and will be good fits in upgrading first-year head coach Ime Udoka’s defense. Jeff Green and Jock Landale both have an opportunity to play key rotation roles off the bench, while putting pressure on Houston’s kids to play the right way.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Rockets summer is perhaps a good illustration of what happens when you have too many draft picks. You can’t keep everyone, while simultaneously adding outside talent. That saw Houston effectively salary-dump former first-round selections in Josh Christopher, Usman Garuba and TyTy Washington. None are major losses, but it’s a cautionary tale on hanging on to every draft pick you acquire while rebuilding.

Work To Do

The Rockets have one roster spot to fill. They’ve got four players on camp deals, so one of them could claim that spot. Or Houston could pick up a veteran that needs a home ahead of the season.

Beyond that, the work falls on Ime Udoka. In his first year with the Rockets, he has to meld the returning youngsters with the veterans into a cohesive rotation and team. The talent is there, it’s up to Udoka and the players to make it work.

Memphis Grizzlies

Players Returning (15)

Steven Adams, Santi Aldama, Desmond Bane, Brandon Clarke, Jacob Gilyard (two-way), Jaren Jackson Jr., Luke Kennard, John Konchar, Jake LaRavia, Kenneth Lofton Jr., Ja Morant, David Roddy, Xavier Tillman Sr., Ziaire Williams, Vince Williams Jr. (two-way)

Players Added (4)

Josh Christopher, Derrick Rose, Marcus Smart, Isaiah Todd

Players Lost (2)

Dillon Brooks, Tyus Jones

Roster Openings

None.

Cap/Tax Status

Memphis is $13.4 million under the luxury tax.

Spending Power Remaining

The Grizzlies have their full $12.4 million Non-Taxpayer MLE available, as well as the full $4.5 million Bi-Annual Exception.

Biggest Move of the Summer

Trading for Marcus Smart. Memphis didn’t have a lot of roster turnover, as they are returning a league-high 15 players from last season, but they did well with the few moves they did make. The Grizzlies added Smart to effectively replace the two rotation players they lost in Dillon Brooks and Tyus Jones.

Smart will likely start at point guard for Memphis to open the season, while Ja Morant is suspended. Then when Morant returns, Smart will likely start in the spot that formerly belonged to Brooks, while also functioning as the backup point guard. Smart’s defense and playmaking will be welcomed additions for the Grizzlies on both ends.

Memphis also did well to add Derrick Rose as a backup point guard. Rose will likely be needed in the first part of the year while Morant is out, then he can transition into a depth role.

Work To Do

The Grizzlies roster is so full that they’ll have to cut two players with guaranteed contracts. That may be two guys they acquired in trades this summer in Josh Christopher and Isaiah Todd. Memphis likes to keep their own drafted and developed players, so Christopher and Todd may not be long for the roster.

New Orleans Pelicans

Players Returning (13)

Jose Alvarado, Dyson Daniels, Brandon Ingram, Herb Jones, Kira Lewis Jr., E.J. Liddell, Naji Marshall, C.J. McCollum, Trey Murphy III, Larry Nance Jr., Dereon Seabron (two-way), Jonas Valanciunas, Zion Williamson

Players Added (2)

Jordan Hawkins, Cody Zeller

Players Lost (4)

Jaxson Hayes, Willy Hernangomez, Josh Richardson, Garrett Temple

Roster Openings

2 two-way spots.

Cap/Tax Status

The Pelicans are $2.9 million over the luxury tax line.

Spending Power Remaining

New Orleans has $10.6 million remaining of their Non-Taxpayer MLE and all of their $4.5 million Bi-Annuel Exception.

Biggest Move of the Summer

Re-signing Herb Jones. New Orleans acted a year early in re-signing Jones, but they now have him locked up for the next four years. He’s on the cusp of being a mainstay on the All-Defense team, and the offense is coming along. Jones is a perfect fit alongside the team’s stars, so retaining him was important.

The next biggest move was one the Pelicans didn’t make. They didn’t trade Zion Williamson. Was that a mistake? Only time, and Williamson’s health, will give us that answer. When healthy, he’s been a star. But…well…you know.

Work To Do

New Orleans needs to sign a couple of two-way players, but the roster is pretty well set. Jonas Valanciunas is extension-eligible and has made it known he’d like to extend. He’s also been rumored in just about any trade package involving the Pels this summer. We’ll see how that one plays out.

Also, this may go into the season, maybe as deep as the trade deadline, but expect the Pelicans to get out of the tax. They’re a minor move or two away from ducking under the tax line. Unless they’re a top-tier title contender, they’ll make the necessary moves to get out of paying the tax.

San Antonio Spurs

Players Returning (14)

Dominick Barlow (two-way), Charles Bassey, Khem Birch, Malaki Branham, Julian Champagnie, Zach Collins, Devonte’ Graham, Keldon Johnson, Tre Jones, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Doug McDermott, Jeremy Sochan, Devin Vassell, Blake Wesley

Players Added (6)

Reggie Bullock, Sidy Cissoko, Cedi Osman, Cameron Payne, Sir’Jabari Rice (two-way), Victor Wembanyama

Players Lost (3)

Keita Bates-Diop, Gorgui Dieng, Romeo Langford

Roster Openings

1 two-way spot.

Cap/Tax Status

The Spurs are $28.8 million under the luxury tax.

Spending Power Remaining

San Antonio has their full $7.7 million Room Exception available.

Biggest Move of the Summer

Drafting Victor Wembanyama. Did you really think it was going to be anything else?

Look, the Spurs don’t deserve a ton of credit for this one. It was lottery luck that delivered Wembanyama, but San Antonio didn’t overthink it or get cute with a trade. They now have their future superstar and franchise player in place around an exciting young core.

San Antonio also re-signed Tre Jones to a very fair contract and acquired a bunch of veterans in salary-shedding trades. And, arguably right behind drafting Wembanyama on the importance scale: the Spurs re-signed Gregg Popovich to a new contract. He’ll be around to shepherd this group through their early stages of development.

Work To Do

San Antonio is currently three players over the regular season roster limit. That means they’ll be eating some guaranteed salary, barring trades. And that may come in the form of useful veteran players, which means keeping an eye on trades. The Spurs don’t have to get into roster compliance until the end of the preseason. They might be able to see if a playoff contender has a need for one of their players, then swing a deal vs simply cutting them.

Beyond that, Gregg Popovich has to figure out how all of these pieces fit together. The Spurs have a little bit of everything in terms of wings, frontcourt players and on-ball scorers. They’re still a little light at point guard and in playmakers behind Tre Jones. That means ballhandling and on-ball playmaking duties will go to young players who can use the reps. That could get a little messy at times, but it will have long-term benefits for the players and the Spurs.


#nba #dallas mavericks #dallas mavericks #houston rockets #houston rockets #memphis grizzlies #memphis grizzlies #new orleans pelicans #new orleans pelicans #san antonio spurs #san antonio spurs
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