According to a new report by Mike Fisher of Scout.com, the Dallas Mavericks may consider making an offer to Pacers center Roy Hibbert, a restricted free agent, this summer. If the Mavs are not able to sign Deron Williams, Fisher writes, Hibbert may become Plan B. However, due to Dallas' financial situation, it may be difficult to fit Hibbert under the salary cap without making some additional moves.
As outlined by HoopsRumors.com's Offseason Outlook post recently, the Mavs have approximately $45.8MM in guaranteed money for the 2012/13 season, as well as an additional $47.7MM in free-agent cap holds and non-guaranteed contracts. Signing Williams to the max salary he is expected to command will deplete their cap flexibility, even if they use their amnesty clause on center Brendan Haywood. Given that Hibbert is expected to receive offers of at least $10MM annually, it would be very difficult for Dallas to fit both him and Williams under the cap without moving other pieces.
If Williams does not sign in Dallas, that makes signing Hibbert considerably easier. Due to the repeater tax present in the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban may be hesitant to spend big on players outside of Williams and potentially Dwight Howard. But if they lose out on Williams, the pressure will be on to take advantage of the last years of Dirk Nowitzki's prime, and they may look to sign an impact player like Hibbert.
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If the Mavs can’t get D-Will then Hibbert would be a great 2nd option.
Why would he leave Indiana to go to Dallas? Indiana can pay him top dollar and offers him a better chance to compete. Dallas is a team on the slide, Pacers on the rise.