Dallas will reportedly pursue Jrue Holiday in free agency this summer, though, as Luke Adams of Hoop Rumors noted earlier today, fitting in a max-salary contract will require the front office to make some changes. The Mavericks have nearly $60MM in guaranteed salaries on the books, a figure which does not include Dirk Nowitzki‘s $25MM team option.
Nowitzki has previously taken a discount to help the club, though it’s unclear if he’s willing to make a similar sacrifice this offseason. Dallas could simply opt not to pick up the future Hall of Famer’s option, but it’s likely that the power forward is involved in any decision that the team makes. Adding Holiday wouldn’t make the team a title contender, but it would certainly increase the team’s chances at making the postseason and perhaps Nowitzki strives for that reachable goal.
The UCLA product is just two years older than Harrison Barnes and building around those two players, along with 23-year-old Nerlens Noel and their 2017 first-round draft pick, makes for a sound strategy. It’s worth noting that Noel will be a restricted free agent in July. However, I suspect that the team will come to a verbal agreement with the center, use its available cap space to bring in talent, and then circle back to signing Noel akin to how Detroit handled Andre Drummond‘s restricted free agency last summer. That’s merely speculation, yet it’s the route that would allow the Mavericks to maximize their resources.
As we wait to see what additions the team will make, check out some notes from Dallas:
- The Mavericks believe Barnes can be the team’s power forward once Nowitzki retires, so the team should look to avoid drafting a four, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News argues. Sefko notes that there are not many power forwards ranked high enough to take at No. 9, so it may not be an issue for the team.
- Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News believes the Mavericks can’t pass up on Jonathan Isaac should he slide to No. 9 in the draft. The scribe notes while Dallas needs point guard help, it could use talent anywhere and it should simply take the best player available.
- The Mavericks tanked late in the season and it didn’t work out as well as they planned, Sefko writes in a separate piece writes. Sefko notes that the team won its final regular season game, something that cost the team at least one spot in the draft.