Prediction: We will Start a Traditional Center

[mavsluvr]

I have not idea of knowing this, but just reading the tea leaves I think the mavs were caught off guard with Miami picking up Goran's option.    

I think clearly plan A was to get Lowry's commitment and then work with Toronto to see if they could have figured out a way for both Lowry and Hardaway.  Although looking back, this would have been a tough challenge with Toronto.  

When that didn't happen, I think the plan was to resign Hardaway, Look for a three and D wing like Batum or Bullock ( I think it was reported Dallas was interested in Batum).  Then use the rest of the money in the MLE range to sign Goran.    
When Miami picked up the option for Goran, Dallas was left without a dance partner and had to scramble as most player already had informal agreements.   WCS was picked up because they determined he was more valuable at 4 million than trying to find a better player at 4 million...not really as a guy who they have grand plans for.  Plus, maybe he could eventually be used in a trade.    Moses Brown was picked up as he may be a low cost asset on a cheap deal.   And Sterling Brown was signed for a small # with the BAE or the room they had left over.  

That is how I am reading the tea leaves.  Maybe it is wildly off, but it makes sense to me.  Dallas would have improved around the edges (something I was against at end of the season), but kept flexible moving forward.

That could well be a pretty close approximation of what happened. 

A few other things around the edges I saw reported from sources I consider credible --

Plan 1A was to take a shot at Kawhi. Kawhi, however, was disinclined to lead his suitors on a merry chase LeBron-style, and early on, told the teams he had no interest in (including Dallas) that they should move on. Good on him, I guess. 

Ideally, they hadn't really hoped to re-sign Willie or Boban. Willie may have been the situation you describe, as the player they considered the best guy realistically available for the price at that point. I don't know what the Boban signing/contract was about -- maybe they got spooked by having to rely on him heavily in the playoffs, and thought they needed a guy of his ilk? At any rate, his signing wasn't considered as something that was likely to prevent them from doing whatever else they wanted to do. 

Moses Brown was not a guy they intended to pick up -- was just a price of dumping J Rich. They were intending to hold Moses out, pending a determination of whether he could be used as trade filler. 

They had a degree of interest in some other guys, but either didn't have the assets to get them, or considered the asking price too high. 

All told, they improved the team slightly around the edges at best, but maintained flexibility going forward, as you point out.