The Mavericks only made one small trade at the deadline, sending Dahntay Jones to the Hawks in exchange for Anthony Morrow. However, according to owner Mark Cuban, the team was close to making a much larger splash, as Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com outlines.
"It was crazy," Cuban said on 103.3 FM in Dallas. "We thought we had a bunch of things done, literally a bunch of things done. We had teams get cold feet at the last minute…. Things that would have used cap room next year, would have had money next year, that were high-dollar guys, difference-maker guys."
While we consider what sort of players the Mavs might have been discussing, let's check in on a few more links from ESPNDallas.com….
- During his appearance on ESPN Radio, Cuban also suggested that the Lakers may have to think about amnestying Kobe Bryant this summer (link via MacMahon). While it's highly doubtful the Lakers would ever consider that move, clearing Kobe's $30.45MM cap hit from next year's books could take the Lakers out of the tax, saving the team a ton of money on their end-of-year bill.
- As MacMahon notes, trading for Morrow, who is friends with Dwight Howard, doesn't improve the Mavericks' chances of signing Howard this summer, since the club would have to renounce Morrow's Bird Rights to make a bid for D12.
- MacMahon also wonders whether Dallas would even appeal to Howard as a free agent destination this summer, based on the current roster.
- The Mavericks' hopes for the future are still based more on financial flexibility than the team's current collection of players, writes MacMahon in another ESPNDallas.com piece.