Mavericks Notes: Redick, Doncic, Brunson, Harrison

After finishing the 2020/21 season in Dallas, J.J. Redick had Early Bird rights with the Mavericks. The veteran sharpshooter ultimately ended up retiring, but he said on the latest episode of his Old Man and the Three podcast that it briefly looked like the Mavs might want to use those Early Bird rights to send him elsewhere in a sign-and-trade deal that would’ve resulted in a significant payday.

“About a week before free agency, my agent and I are talking, and I said to him, ‘I’m not ready to commit to anything right now,'” Redick said, per Dan Feldman of NBC Sports. “Teams were gauging interest. And I said, ‘I’m not ready to commit to anything, so on August 2nd, please just tell them I’ll talk to them later in the fall or early winter.’

“And he called me the next day, and he said, ‘Dallas has your rights. There’s a team that may do a sign-and-trade with them. If that’s the case, they’ve got to use you and your salary to make it work. You could make about $16 million.’ And I was like, ‘Alright, I’ll play another year.'”

Redick doesn’t offer any further details, so there are a lot of specifics we don’t know, as Feldman observes. It’s unclear which team the Mavs were talking to, which free agent they were targeting, and whether the discussed deal would’ve paid Redick a fully guaranteed $16MM in 2021/22. It’s a moot point now — as Redick notes, both teams ultimately “went in a different direction.”

Here’s more on the Mavs:

• Dallas came into the season that adding Reggie Bullock and Sterling Brown and getting a healthy Kristaps Porzingis back in the lineup would help push the team to the next level. However, Kevin Herrington of The Dallas Morning News is skeptical that the roster tweaks will make much of a difference, writing that the Mavs will still only go as far as Luka Doncic takes them.
• Jalen Brunson is averaging a career-high 28.6 minutes per game so far this season, and many of those minutes are coming alongside Luka Doncic. Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com takes a look at the thinking behind Jason Kidd‘s decision to have the two guards share the court more often, especially in closing lineups. “He’s learning how to play with J.B.,” Kidd said of Doncic. “You can see he’s not afraid to give J.B. the ball. There’s a good trust, good relationship between those two.” Brunson will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
• Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News conducted a brief Q&A with Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison, asking him about Brunson’s contract situation, Porzingis’ health, and more. Harrison didn’t specifically address potential extension talks for Brunson, but said the team is happy with his performance. “The fact that he’s playing great, we want that to continue,” Harrison said. “All that does is make it easier for us. And it makes it easier for him, too.” Brunson is extension-eligible, but can’t be offered more than about $55.6MM over four years prior to free agency.