Heading into the year 2024, the Dallas Mavericks have the same goal as always: return to the NBA’s mountaintop. With generational talent Luka Doncic and star guard Kyrie Irving leading the way, this team has two foundational pieces to get them there.

Now it’s all about finding the right teammates to put alongside them. Unfortunately, that task has proven more difficult than Dallas would like, but this squad’s hot start to the 2023-24 campaign shows they’re on the right track.

As the Mavs hope to take that next step, it’ll lead to some roster tweaks. With that in mind, here are five players who likely won’t last on this roster.

Most Likely Mavericks Gone in 2024

1. Markieff Morris & 2. Richaun Holmes

One of the Mavericks’ biggest obvious weaknesses this season is their frontcourt depth. The team got a serious steal in rookie center Derick Lively II, but it’s veterans like Markieff Morris and Richaun Holmes who are letting Jason Kidd down.

Morris and Holmes have been blink-and-you’ll-miss-them players in 2023-24. Not counting the team’s two-way help, Morris (10.4) and Holmes (10.8) are second- and third-last in minutes per game this campaign.

Meanwhile, new arrival Derrick Jones Jr., who’d bounced the league over the past few years and never found a steady role, has suddenly emerged as an important part of Kidd’s rotation. That just shows how DJJ has seized the opportunity that was open for someone near the end of the bench to emerge as a consistent contributor.

For some reason, the Mavs sought out Morris to return after his brief 2022-23 stint. They also used their draft night trade exception to nab Holmes, who could’ve taken over as a key reserve big man. It’s safe to say both of these moves have already been busts.