1996–97 Dallas Mavericks season

The 1996–97 Dallas Mavericks season was the 17th season for the Dallas Mavericks in the National Basketball Association.^[1] The Mavericks received the ninth overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft, and selected power forward Samaki Walker from the University of Louisville.^[2][3][4] During the off-season, the team signed free agents Chris Gatling,^[5][6][7] Oliver Miller,^[8][9] and former Mavericks guard Derek Harper,^[10][11][12] acquired Eric Montross from the Boston Celtics,^[13][14][15] and signed undrafted rookie point guard Erick Strickland. The team also hired Jim Cleamons as their new head coach.^[16][17]

Under Cleamons and with the addition of Gatling, Harper, Montross, Miller and Walker, the Mavericks continued to struggle losing 10 of their first 14 games of the regular season in November. In late December, the team traded All-Star guard Jason Kidd, Tony Dumas, and second-year center Loren Meyer to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for second-year star Michael Finley, Sam Cassell and A.C. Green.^[18][19][20] The Mavericks lost 11 of their 15 games in January, and later on held a 16–28 record at the All-Star break.^[21] Gatling played a sixth man role off the bench, averaging 19.1 points and 7.9 rebounds per game during the first half of the season.^[22]

At mid-season, the Mavericks traded Gatling, Cassell, Montross, Jim Jackson and George McCloud to the New Jersey Nets in exchange for Shawn Bradley, Robert Pack, Khalid Reeves and second-year forward Ed O'Bannon;^[23][24][25] the team also traded Jamal Mashburn to the Miami Heat in exchange for second-year guard Sasha Danilović, second-year forward Kurt Thomas, and rookie power forward Martin Müürsepp,^[26][27][28] while Miller was released to free agency, and re-signed as a free agent with his former team, the Toronto Raptors.^[29][30] In February, former Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors head coach Don Nelson became the team's General Manager.^[31][32][33] The Mavericks posted a seven-game losing streak between February and March, then suffered an 11-game losing streak between March and April, and lost 16 of their final 18 games of the season. The Mavericks finished in fourth place in the Midwest Division with a 24–58 record, and missed the NBA playoffs for the seventh consecutive year.^[34][1]

Finley averaged 16.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in 56 games after the trade, while Danilović contributed 16.6 points per game in 13 games, and Bradley averaged 14.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game in 32 games. In addition, Pack provided the team with 11.5 points, 6.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game in 20 games, while Strickland contributed 10.6 points per game in 28 games, Harper provided with 10.0 points and 4.3 assists per game, and Green averaged 7.9 points and 9.1 rebounds per game in 56 games. Meanwhile, Reeves contributed 7.8 points and 4.3 assists per game in 13 games, and Walker provided with 5.0 points and 3.4 rebounds per game in 43 games.^[22]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, and before the mid-season trade, Gatling was selected for the 1997 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Western Conference All-Star team; it was his first and only All-Star appearance.^[35][36][37] Meanwhile, Finley participated in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest for the second consecutive year,^[35][38] and Walker was selected for the NBA Rookie Game, as a member of the Western Conference Rookie team, but did not participate due to a knee injury.^[39][40]

The Mavericks finished 24th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 619,178 at the Reunion Arena during the regular season.^[22][41] Following the season, Harper and O'Bannon were both traded to the Orlando Magic, who released O'Bannon to free agency,^[42][43][44] and Danilović was released after only two seasons in the NBA. One notable game of the regular season occurred on April 6, 1997, in a road game against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Great Western Forum. After leading 51–37 at halftime, the Mavericks struggled only scoring just two points in the third quarter, as the Lakers outscored them 23–2 in that quarter; the Mavericks lost to the Lakers by a score of 87–80. The Mavericks' two points were the fewest points scored in a quarter of a game in NBA history.^[45][46][47]