Analyzing the Maverick’s Current Title Odds

During this offseason, the Dallas Mavericks have been making an aggressive effort to shift from a team in the lottery into a title contender. They have freed up cap space, re-signed a star player, drafted key prospects and signed many quality role players. While the Mavericks have certainly improved upon their roster from last year, the question as to whether they are title contenders requires further analysis.

According to the current FanDuel Sportsbook rankings, the Maverick’s title odds rank as the 10th favored team to win it all. Based on the Sports Illustrated Sportsbook, the Mavericks tie with the Grizzlies as the 11th favored team to win the championship. Both Sportsbooks place five teams in the Western Conference above the Mavericks. Based on these two major Sportsbook sites, it can be reasonably concluded that the general perception of the Maverick’s current title odds is that they are a playoff team, but not strong title contenders. Why is this?

While the Mavericks have made a handful of great moves during the offseason, the fact of the matter is that many teams, particularly in the Western Conference, have gotten better as well. The Suns made a blockbuster trade in order to acquire Bradley Beal and form a big three, while also signing good roleplayers such as Eric Gordon and Yuta Watanabe. The Warriors re-signed Draymond Green and added Chris Paul to their roster. The Lakers re-signed most of their best roleplayers and added Gabe Vincent.

While the Nuggets did not make significant moves, they are still reasonably ranked above the Mavericks because they are the defending champions with an already dominant roster. The Clippers have also not made significant improvements, but they also already have a deep and talented roster, so their main concern is staying healthy rather than making improvements. Due to these facts, many think that Mavericks’ improvements are not substantial enough to compete with other talented rosters.

Another likely reason for the Maverick’s current title odd outlook is concerns over how their defense will look. Last season, the main reason why the Mavericks missed the playoffs was because they had major struggles when it came to defense, including defensive rebounding. While the Mavericks have made some draft selections and free agent signings that should address that, many people probably still have questions as to whether it is enough to significantly improve their defensive issues.

While the Mavericks did acquire Dereck Lively II in the draft, he is only a rookie and may not provide enough of a defensive and rebounding impact to shift the Mavericks into strong title contenders. Likewise, the addition of good defenders like Grant Williams and Dante Exum may be enough to improve their defense to a more competent level, but not enough to compete with the top contenders in the league.

Despite their general title odds ranking, the Mavericks still have a good shot. Sportsbook title predictions can frequently be wrong. Beyond that, the offseason is not over. The Mavericks still have a lot of time to continue improving their roster and raising their chances at winning the title.

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