The Mavs are expected to have conversations with Danny Granger about joining them once he clears waivers, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Dallas is joining a long list of teams that are reportedly interested in the former All-Star with a career average of 17.6 PPG. The Clippers, Rockets, Bulls, Heat and Spurs are also in on the Granger sweepstakes, with the Clippers and Spurs believed to be the favorites.
The Mavs would presumably have more room for Granger behind Monta Ellis at the shooting guard slot than his traditional small forward role, as Shawn Marion, Vince Carter, and Jae Crowder are all productive wings taking up minutes there. The Mavs have played well of late, climbing up into the Western Conference 7th seed slot for the playoffs at 12 games over .500. However, they are still just 2.5 games ahead of the Grizzlies, who are currently on the outside looking in for the playoffs with the 9th best record in the West. In the fiercely competitive West, no team is safe as we head into the stretch run.
Dallas sits at roughly $4.47MM under the luxury tax line, which could give them an edge against other teams near or already over the tax line, as the actual cost of adding Granger will be steeper than his salary for those teams. The Mavs are nonetheless limited to offering the minimum salary.