NBA Free Agency: 10 teams facing most pressure to succeed

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Apr 23, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (right) and center Zaza Pachulia (left) react during the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in game four of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks don’t necessarily spring to mind when thinking about free agency. They did well with a depleted team to make the playoffs and did their best with a rotation full of veteran point guards and the DeAndre Jordan consolation prize that is Zaza Pachulia. He over performed and almost became an All-Star starter due to some wild voting, but the truth stands that the Mavs still failed to get Jordan last summer, they don’t have the pieces to support the timeless Dirk Nowitzki in another playoff run, and Mark Cuban will probably be happy to give big deals to players already past their prime.

Like Dwight Howard. Why not give Howard a max contract?

With Pachulia becoming a free agent this summer, that could be a real possibility. At the very least, you can count on Chandler Parsons to keep on recruiting.

In fairness to Howard, though, he’s still one of the top centers in the NBA. He’s received so much criticism after his time with the Lakers and the collapse of the Rockets, leaving people overlooking the fact that he can still be a major contributor and defender.

However, looking for an upgrade over Pachulia isn’t the only thing the Mavs need to consider.

Parsons and Deron Williams have player options for 2016-17, while David Lee, Raymond Felton and Pachulia are all free agents, potentially leaving the Mavs — an already borderline playoff team — heavily depleted if a few of them leave.

Yet, beyond the need to keep a few key pieces such as Parsons and possibly Williams, the need to actually upgrade is extremely urgent for the Mavs. Along with looking for a new center to give them some much needed interior defense, more pieces are needed to complete a deeper, younger roster that can actually support Dirk.

He may only have one more playoff run left. And for the Mavericks, the city of Dallas, and his fans all over the world, his last season(s) needs to be worth something while he can still swish home 18.3 points per game.

Next: 3. Los Angeles Clippers

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