Dallas Mavericks Rumors: 2 Players Who Definitely Won't Be Back

It was a disastrous finish to the season for the Dallas Mavericks. Their trade for Kyrie Irving backfired royally, as they fell from 4th in the Western Conference at the time of the deal, to 11th and out of the play-in when it was all said and done. 

There will be a lot of changes for the Mavs this summer. "A lot of people won't be back next season," head coach Jason Kidd said. "There will be a lot of new faces."

Let's have a look at two Mavericks who definitely won't be back in 2023-24. 

Christian Wood

Wood is an unrestricted free agent this summer, and with the way he was used down the stretch (i.e. sparingly), it's highly unlikely he'd want to return. At the same time, the Mavs aren't interested in giving him a long-term deal. 

Wood has proven to be a solid offensive player in this league, who can score at anywhere up to a 20 PPG pace, and rebound at close to 10 boards per game. He wasn't really given that chance in Dallas this season, first as a Sixth Man off the bench, and then later, after the Irving trade, as an afterthought. 

It's time for the 27-year-old to move on.

Markieff Morris

He only played in seven of 25 games after coming over in the Irving trade, and even when he did, it was only for just over eight minutes per game average. Clearly, the Mavericks never carved out a role for him. 

It's been a while since the 12-year veteran has been any kind of a factor in the league, and as an unrestricted free agent, he'll need to find another taker for his services, as he'll look for his 9th NBA stop. 

There are plenty of others who likely won't be back with the Mavs next year, ranging from bit players such as Frank Ntilikina, to more notable names such as Tim Hardaway Jr. and JaVale McGee. Moving on from the latter two will take some work, however, as their contracts run for a couple of more seasons. 

It's going to be a busy, likely drama-filled offseason in Dallas. 

Photo: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports