After a dismal season where they finished with one of the worst records in the NBA last year, the Dallas Mavericks have made some impressive offseason dealings that should see them make a marked improvement. 

They ended with a 24-58 record but they could significantly increase their number of wins this season after landing talented young Slovenian Luka Doncic in the draft and All-Star DeAndre Jordan in free agency. 

There's a real excitement for the campaign ahead in Dallas but head coach Rick Carlisle will have some tough decisions to make regarding his starting line up, especially in the frontcourt. 

The addition of Jordan means he'll definitely start at center but Carlisle must decide if he can trust the ageing Dirk Nowitzki to play alongside him at power forward. 

Sacrifice

This could be a huge risk as many teams in the league like to go small by putting small forwards at the four or possess quick and athletic players in this position that Nowitzki won't be able to guard. 

But the German is prepared to make life easier for his coach by recently declaring that he'll be happy to come off the bench for the sake of the team. 

"Hey, if that's the role, and we play great with it, then I'm all for it," Nowitzki told the Dallas Morning News' Eddie Sefko.

"But that's what camp is for - to see what works, who works best with each other.

"So I don't think we necessarily need to answer that question now. But it's definitely something to look at as we go deeper into camp."

Throughout his 20-year career with the Mavs, the 40-year-old has shown that he's always willing to make a sacrifice. 

Heading into his 21st season and coming off ankle surgery, the NBA champion is aware that a reserve role may be the best option for him. 

With a younger and more athletic Jordan now at their disposal, Nowitzki is happy to step aside to allow him to man the middle. 

"Obviously, DeAndre's going to be our starter at the five position and the rest will just kind of fall in place after that," he said.

"If (Harrison Barnes) goes back to the four or we start other ways, I have no idea as of yet. But it's a great problem to have.

"We want to be a franchise that is back in the playoffs and plays well and has fun again."

The 13-time All-Star has started 1,440 of his 1,471 regular-season games since entering the NBA, which included 77 starts at center last year. 

The veteran averaged 12 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.6 assists while shooting 40.9 percent from three-point range.

A postseason berth may be hard to come by in a loaded Western Conference but the Mavericks should be capable of being in the mix.

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