One of the Dallas Mavericks ' biggest needs heading into the offseason was guard depth behind an injured Kyrie Irving. While the Mavericks still have a lack of depth at the ball-handler spot, signing D'Angelo Russell in the opening hours of free agency on a team-friendly contract will, without a doubt, help the Mavericks. Still, they have a defensive problem, though.
A continual problem the Mavericks have run into this offseason is their lack of defense at the point of attack. There is no doubt that bringing back Dante Exum on a one-year contract was to help the Mavericks on the defensive end, but with a role not guaranteed, the Mavericks will need to rely heavily on Russell, which has been a trend that has continued to decline.