How the Mavs Can Add Another Impact Player With $30 Mil in Cap Space

 

Photo Credit: CNBC

 

The Dallas Mavericks are quickly approaching one of the most pivotal offseasons in franchise history. No longer are the Mavs just roster churning with OJ Mayo and other players that you’ve probably already forgotten. Dallas is focused on building around a core of Harrison Barnes, Nerlens Noel, and Dennis Smith Jr.

Noel is the first priority. Dallas didn’t trade for the free-agent-to-be during a losing season just to watch him walk, but his restricted status allows us to look beyond him. Dallas has a few directions they can take with their new young core.

Do they want to simply maintain cap flexibility for next offseason in order to keep a rising Seth Curry? Or, do they want to try to lure an All-Star free agent this offseason?

Dallas lurks in the background of this year’s free agent class despite reports focusing on the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat’s ability to create max salary space. Dallas has the sneaky ability to create the space needed to sign a Blake Griffin or Paul Millsap level free agent while keeping their rebuilt roster mostly intact.

The Mavs are well known for their culture-first philosophy. Looking at their cap space you have to keep in mind how retaining “Our Kind of Guys” Devin Harris and J.J. Barea remain a top priority.

Unfortunately for this plan to work, the Mavericks will only be able to keep one of them. But even Donnie Nelson and Mark Cuban would, reluctantly, trade either of them for an All-Star. For this pipe-dream exercise we’ll also assume Dirk would be willing to re-sign at a bargain rate to add a win-now difference maker. We’ll look at the potential player fits later, but for now let’s look into how Dallas can create max cap space in the 2017 offseason.

 
1. Dirk Nowitzki’s team option is declined(as it already has been) and the Mavs renounce his $25 million cap hold. Dirk agrees to sign for the Mid-Level Exception. He will do this after Mavs are already over the cap so this is not included in the accounting of cap space.

2. The Mavs begin by declining the non-guaranteed money of Salah Mejri and Nicolas Brussino. This allows the Mavericks to replace their salaries with minimum cap holds and save about a half million per player.

3. Trade Dwight Powell’s contract using a protected first-round pick if necessary in the hopes of exchanging him for a non-guaranteed contract.

4. Below are the committed salaries of players Dallas would want to be sure to retain. For these six players the Mavericks will have a cap hit of $47,962,422.

Committed Salary – $47,962,422

Barnes – $23,112,004

Matthews – $17,884,175

Curry – $3,028,410

Yogi – $1,312,611

Finney-Smith – $1,312,611

Hammons – $1,312,611

Total So Far: $47,962,422

5. Next, add in the cap holds of Noel and Smith Jr.’s rookie contract. The Mavericks will have the ability to go over the cap to sign Noel’s new deal that’s been assumed to be anywhere from $18 million to $25 million per year. So, in creating max cap space Dallas will only need to account for his cap hold of $10,961,225. These two cap holds will total $14,179,505 and bring the Mavs roster to eight players.

Cap Holds – $14,179,505

Nerlens – $10,961,225

Smith Jr. – $3,218,280

Total So Far: $62,141,927

6. Now we need to figure in minimum roster charges. The CBA requires for teams to account for 12 players on the roster by placing holds of the rookie minimum on any spots under 12. The Mavs have eight players on the roster in this scenario so we need to add in four roster holds of $815,615 for a total of $3,262,460. 

Minimum Roster Charges – $3,262,460

(4) Holds – $815,615

Total So Far: $65,404,387

7. In order to get maximize their cap space the Mavs will have to decline their option on Devin Harris and place his $1,339,662 of guaranteed money onto the cap. The goal would be to sign Devin to a minimum contract or exception once all other free agent signing have been completed. This will allow him fill the Yoda or Gandalf mentor role for Yogi Ferrell and Smith Jr. The Mavs also have a dead cap space hold of $315,759 left from the forgettable Gal Mekel’s contract. That brings a dead cap total of $1,655,421.

Dead Cap – $1,655,421

Devin Harris – 1,339,662

Gal Mekel – 315,759

Total So Far: $67,059,808.

8. Dallas can then release J.J. Barea and use the stretch provision on his contract. The Mavs can release him and stretch his remaining guaranteed money of $7,614,750 over the next five seasons. That’d be a cap hit of $1,522,950 per season through the 2021-22 season. Total So Far: $68,582,758.

9. Dallas officially signs undrafted rookie Johnathan Motley to a two-way contract. Two-way contracts do not count against the salary cap.

All of the above would bring Dallas to $68,582,758.

Your updated depth chart after these moves is: 

PG: Smith Jr./Yogi/Harris

SG: Matthews/Curry

SF: Barnes/Finney-Smith

PF: Dirk/Motley

C: Noel/Hammons

You could see a realistic plan where the Dallas Mavericks can keep these 12 players on the roster and operate in free agency with around $31.2 million in cap space to lure a big fish. Dallas may be hesitant to add a player that uses their 2018-2019 flexibility and restricts them from re-signing Curry. Otherwise, they’ll be forced into choosing between dumping Wes Matthew’s salary and retaining Curry in 2018-2019 due to the fact that Dallas will not have bird rights on Curry in 2018-2019 and must re-sign Curry within cap space. Early bird rights won’t allow for the type of raise Curry deserves after last year’s breakout from Steph’s shadow. But would that Matthews/Curry reality in 2018-2019 really keep Mark Cuban from making a win-now move if a big fish said yes to Dallas?

Another option is for the Mavs to find an impact player that’s not signed beyond 2017-2018 to sign with a high salary one-year deal or to take on a large expiring salary in another team’s quest to clear cap space for their own signings. That would allow Dallas to get better in 2017 and maintain their flexibility to re-sign Curry in 2018.

Either way, don’t believe the pundits when they say Dallas can’t add a max free agent or significant salary in the offseason.(Even if they aren’t the darling Celtics or Heat.) Maverick’s management has turned Dallas into a much more attractive destination in the past 12 months with their no-frills rebuild.

In my next post I’ll take a look at the players that could be potential fits whether Dallas wants to take advantage of this potential cap space with a long-term max free-agent or a one year high-salary option.