In the wake of their season-ending loss to Golden State on Thursday, the Mavericks will soon shift their attention to offseason roster moves, and no decision this summer will be bigger than the one they make on point guard Jalen Brunson.
Brunson will be an unrestricted free agent, so if he wants to leave, the Mavericks won’t necessarily get the opportunity to match an offer he gets from another team. But team owner Mark Cuban is confident in both the Mavs’ ability to make a strong offer and in Brunson’s desire to remain in Dallas.
“We can pay him more than anybody,” Cuban told Marc Stein on Bally Sports Southwest (video link), referring to the fact that Brunson’s Bird rights allow the Mavs to give him more years and more money than any other team. “And I think he wants to stay and that’s most important.”
Cuban went on to highlight the impact that Jason Kidd had on Brunson this past season, suggesting that the 2018 second-round pick “blossomed” under Dallas’ new head coach.
In 79 regular season games (31.9 MPG), Brunson established new career highs in PPG (16.3), APG (4.8), RPG (3.9), and a handful of other categories, while posting an impressive shooting line of .502/.373/.840. He had a strong postseason too, putting up 21.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 3.7 APG on .466/.347/.800 shooting in 18 games (34.9 MPG).
The Mavs’ team salary for 2022/23 is already approaching the tax line and will blow past that threshold if they re-sign Brunson to a deal in the range of $20-25MM per year, so there has been some speculation that he could pried away from Dallas. The Knicks, Pistons, and Pacers have frequently been cited as teams with interest in the 25-year-old.
However, dating back to before February’s trade deadline, the Mavs have been steadfast in their insistence that they want to bring back Brunson, and Cuban’s post-game comments on Thursday showed no sign that stance has changed. Now, it’s a matter of seeing how aggressive they’ll have to be to ward off his rival suitors.
In before folks come in with their terrible trade ideas…
Brunson will be severely overpaid ($20M is crazy but NBA teams overpay everybody they can) and Dallas will most likely regress next season. I don’t think they were that good so much as Phoenix just crumbled with no-heart Paul being exposed. Suns went out pathetically
You sure are angry lol
Suns took a nap for sure. Brunson will get his 20 mil and it won’t be an overpay though. That’s just simply what it will cost.
How do you think Dallas will regress though? Have you watched Luka Dončić?
@slimmy
West will be better. Mavs over achieved. Look at the Hawks last year. Came back to earth this year
Let me get this straight, Tim Hardaway Jr, Dinwiddie and Bertans make almost 20 million yet that’s a gross overpay for Brunson who’s younger and better than all of them?
@QB1: Correct. They’re all overpaid as well. That’s why none of them are with the original teams that signed them.
Lol. Thank you @Padam
As a mavs fan and just a fan in general, I don’t like signing players to 23+ million if they arnt an all-star.
You putting too much stock into all-star status. Don’t matter if a guy makes all-star team as much as his ability to help his team win games
I agree. As seen with wiggins this year, the all-star game has turned into a popularity contest. Helping your team win is more important than putting up “all-star” statistics.
How? Who is the winner?
Wiggins is two-way
Which F/C should replace Wiggins?
All stars starter
Trae Young is one-way
Don’t use All Star as the criteria just use your own eyes and realize because a few bums make +20M, you have an argument for a better player to make that much.
In reality there’s probably like 10 vet Max level players, 10 to 20 baby max level players and 50 dudes worth 20 or more.
But we know that there are 62 dudes making 20M before new contracts are inked. That number will only increase.
But you have guys like Buddy, Horford, Kemba technically, Lowry, Hayward, Brogdon, and Randle that should be under that 20M mark like no higher than 18, but that’s the NBA. It’s an overpay league. Like the 40+ dudes making 10-19.9M you scratch your head on some.
$23 million doesn’t get you an all-star
I got to give him he’s better than I gave him credit for but still he’s not franchise plays like one knicks fan preached
next to Doncic even dinwiddie playes exceptionally in the playoffs
Brunson undersized 25
Market value
4 year $110 million
True value – he is worth
4 year $$70 million
Harden
Market value
4 year $160 million
True value
4 year $100 million
It’s a shame that Dallas is going to have to overpay Brunson when they could have locked him up earlier (I believe $15-20MM is the sweet spot for his value, BUT he will now get significantly more in free agency – sounds like $20MM-$25MM). However, the Mavs also got a sweetheart of a deal on the Finney-Smith extension, so it all balances out if looking at the situation with rose colored glasses.
If I’m the GM, I attempt to:
(1) Re-sign Brunson.
(2) Trade Tobias Harris’ pricey contract for Tim Hardaway Jr (3 yrs left at $19MM, $18MM, $16MM) and Dwight Powell (1 yr left at $10MM). Harris is a great defender and would be a solid starting PF to slot in. Philly gets their backup center for Embiid, and a rotational scorer and more cap flexibility.
(3) Use my exception to add Serge Ibaka, Montrezl Harrell or Bismack Biyombo.
(4) Use my late 1st round draft pick to draft a 3&D player. From mocks I have seen, the Mavs should have a couple options there that fit that bill.
Tobias Harris was a great defender for like 10 days. He has always been known as a notoriously weak defender. Either not tall/strong enough to bang with tough 4s or not quick enough to guard quick 3s.
I do like the idea of a package of Harris for THJr. Dallas wants put of the contract anD Philly needs some cap space. But for taking those 3 years of THJr I’m going to need a better sweetener than just Powell. Maybe Josh Green as well.
NYK is going to overpay for yet another very good but not elite/superstar player most likely. Brunson is a very good player, but this team doesn’t have ANYONE who is elite or even on the cusp of being elite. Does signing Brunson really place them closer to contending in the East? I see them realistically going after Kyrie and doing a S&T possibly involving Rose ($14M), Noel ($8.2M), Kemba ($9.1M), that’s $31M that is off the books next year. I expect NYk going after Kyrie and he will want closer to $35-40 AAV, so you can package Taj with his $5.1M or make a play for Gordon Heyward ($30M), without using Taj in the trade offer. Obviously since NYK is sending expired contracts, I think a future Top 10 protected pick is needed by NYK to sweeten the pot.
Kyrie
Barrett
Heyward
Randle
Sign a center for cheap.
Burks/Obi/Reddish/Quickley/McBride is your bench.
Still not a GREAT team, but it should battle for the 5th seed in next year’s East.
No money to do Hayward and Kyrie would have to want to sign with the Knicks, which will 99.99% not happen. Thibs wouldn’t even know what to do with that starting lineup since none of them play well on the defensive end.
I think a trade with Heyward is a realistic possibility.
Rose – $14M
Noel – $8M
Kemba – $9M
That’s $31M in expiring deals, then you attach a future Top 10 protected pick and can get Heyward. They need to extend Ball soon and also pay Bridges this offseason. I think them acquiring a boat load of expiring deals helps this team next year salary cap wise and can make a splash next season. I agree with the defense for that lineup but if you have a solid rim protector (Whiteside), and I think Barrett will make strides on defense I think you can be a serviceable defensive team. Randle needs to play with hunger and passion on both sides of the ball in order for this lineup to work.
Hayward isn’t all NBA defense level but when…I said when!..he plays he’s a smart team defender.
Knicks use Wiggins as trade assets
Cavs G.M. Mike Gansey is going to make the Warriors an offer they cannot refuse, Andrew Wiggins will be returning to Cleveland.
4 teams deal
Cavs get Wiggins
Knicks get Brunson and filler
Mavs get Sexton, Okoro and filler
Warriors get a rookie contract, picks and salary ….
DAL’s situation has always meant that they’re all in. Brunson has sort of indicated the same on his end, so, unless he’s done an incredible acting job, this will be over before it starts. Of course, he wants as much $$ as he can get. As a non-max guy, in this spot, he can’t fully tip his hand (only a consensus max player can do that), and should use the NYK family connection (and anything else in his quiver) for leverage. NYK FO will likely go along. But NYK fans need to realize, in all likelihood, NYK would be a stalking horse here, not a real suitor.
Don’t know what will happen, but JB played well enough without Luka to deserve the starting #1 spot – with the ball in his hands. He won’t get that with Luka.
THJ no longer fits – those two need to be traded for scoring and rebounding help. Or Dallas won’t make it out of the 1st round next year. IMO.
Hayward is broken goods. And is on downhill of his career. Kyrie is a wanderer so jus go away. Why must We serve as the dumping ground of your worthless trade ideas. You sound like espn. Oh wait that’s all you watch.
Knicks are REBUILDING. What part of that don’t you understand. It’s about YOUTH and young vets. Not hasbeens.
All about the draft. Then we will assess and go from there. We are getting closer to really getting a solid FA or young vet.
Well, with that attitude, you can just keep Randle.
Why aren’t you the Knicks GM? You clearly know more than everyone else. You tell everyone how stupid they are everyday. Al for commissioner!
Al, was this directed towards me? I’m not sure so just wanted to ask.