After the opening of the NBA free market this year, the Dallas Mavericks are definitely one of the most active teams. They have made multiple trades in a row, sending away many players while also signing many players, which can be said to have further optimized the team's lineup. To sum up, the players who left the Mavericks are Tim Hardaway Jr., Derrick Jones Jr. and Josh Green, while the players who joined the Mavericks are Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall and Quentin Grimes.

On the surface, Klay replaced Hardaway's role. Considering that Hardaway's performance last season was very bad and he lost the chance to enter the rotation in the late playoffs, Klay's ability must be much better than Hardaway's; Marshall replaced Jones' role. Marshall is a player with a relatively balanced offense and defense. Although his athletic ability is not as good as Jones's and his defensive ability is also a little worse, Marshall is more comprehensive on the offensive end. His scoring ability and his shooting ability are much better than Jones'. The two players only have different styles. It is hard to say who is stronger or weaker; Grimes replaced Green's role. Green's role in the team is actually not very high in the playoffs. If Grimes can regain his confidence and find the level when he played for the New York Knicks, his ability will at least not be much weaker than Green.

Therefore, on the surface, after this series of operations, the Mavericks have significantly improved in strength. The team has obtained a high-quality pitcher (Klay), an all-around forward (Marshall) and a 3D wing player (Grimes), but the actual situation is much more complicated than everyone imagines. Last season, the Mavericks' starting small forward was Jones Jr., who can balance the offense and defense of the lineup on the court, and his presence can also provide defensive support for the two backcourt cores. However, in the next season, it is Klay who will replace Jones Jr. as the starter. Klay's defensive ability is not as good as before, and he needs more ball possession on the offensive end. He may be quite compatible with the team on the offensive end, but he will definitely cause more trouble to the team on the defensive end.

Once Klay enters the starting lineup, it means that the defensive pressure on PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford will increase greatly, and the team will directly lose a player who can lead the defense in the starting lineup. Once encountering a strong scorer, the Mavericks will not even have a defender to match. In fact, there is a solution. If Marshall is put in the starting lineup, although his defensive ability is not as good as Jones Jr., he is at least better than Klay, and his demand for the team is not that high. However, Klay's status is there. If he is willing to accept the role of substitute, he may not leave the Warriors. Therefore, after careful analysis, the Mavericks will still face some challenges next season. The team lineup does seem to have been upgraded, but the extreme imbalance on both offense and defense may also directly affect the team's overall performance.