Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2019 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2019/20 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Dallas Mavericks.
Signings:
- Standard contracts:
- Kristaps Porzingis: Five years, maximum salary ($158.25MM). Fifth-year player option. Re-signed using Bird rights.
- Maxi Kleber: Four years, $34MM. Includes incentives. Fourth year not fully guaranteed. Re-signed using Early Bird rights.
- Seth Curry: Four years, $32MM. Signed using mid-level exception.
- Delon Wright: Three years, $27MM. Includes incentives. Acquired via sign-and-trade using trade exception.
- Dorian Finney-Smith: Three years, $12MM. Re-signed using Bird rights.
- Boban Marjanovic: Two years, $7MM. Signed using bi-annual exception.
- J.J. Barea: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using Bird rights.
- Two-way contracts:
- Non-guaranteed camp contracts:
- Yudai Baba: One year, minimum salary (Exhibit 10).
- Dakota Mathias: One year, minimum salary (Exhibit 10).
Trades:
- Acquired the draft rights to Isaiah Roby (No. 45 pick), the Jazz’s 2020 second-round pick, and the Trail Blazers’ 2021 second-round pick from the Pistons in exchange for the draft rights to Deividas Sirvydis (No. 37 pick).
- Acquired Delon Wright in a sign-and-trade from the Grizzlies in exchange for the draft rights to Satnam Singh, the Trail Blazers’ 2021 second-round pick, and either the Mavericks’ or Heat’s 2023 second-round pick (whichever is less favorable).
Draft picks:
- 2-45: Isaiah Roby — Signed to four-year, $6.73MM contract. Third year non-guaranteed. Fourth-year team option. Signed using mid-level exception.
Waiver claims:
- Aric Holman (from Lakers). One year, minimum salary contract (Exhibit 10). Claimed using minimum salary exception.
Contract extensions:
- Dwight Powell: Three years, $33.24MM. Starts in 2020/21; runs through 2022/23.
Departing players:
- Kostas Antetokounmpo (two-way; waived)
- Trey Burke
- Devin Harris
- Daryl Macon (two-way; waived)
- Salah Mejri
- Dirk Nowitzki (retired)
Other offseason news:
- Hired Jason Terry as assistant GM of Texas Legends.
- Mark Cuban fined $50K for leaking information from NBA’s Board of Governors meeting.
Salary cap situation:
- Remained over the cap.
- Carrying approximately $120.39MM in salary.
- Hard-capped.
- $297K of mid-level exception still available ($8.96MM used on Seth Curry and Isaiah Roby).
- $123K of bi-annual exception still available ($3.5MM used on Boban Marjanovic).
- $11.83MM traded player exception available (expires 2/7/20).
Story of the summer:
The 2019 offeason was similar to most other recent offseasons in Dallas for one key reason: The Mavericks entered free agency armed with enough cap room to sign a maximum-salary player, but struck out on their top target(s).
Nikola Vucevic and Al Horford were among the players cited as possible options for the Mavericks. But it was Horford’s decision to opt out and become a free agent in the first place that actually indirectly cost the team its presumed No. 1 target. With Horford and Kyrie Irving leaving Boston, the Celtics suddenly had the cap flexibility to box out the Mavs in the Kemba Walker sweepstakes. Team owner Mark Cuban acknowledged in mid-July that his team had been eyeing Walker and had to “adjust” when the C’s snatched him up.
Still, while there was nothing new about the Mavs missing out on their preferred veteran star in free agency, there was one important difference this time around — the franchise had already acquired a potential cornerstone in a trade earlier in the year. And since Kristaps Porzingis was a restricted free agent, Dallas had no problem locking him up to a five-year, maximum-salary contract.
While the Mavs certainly would’ve liked to add a veteran All-Star like Walker to the mix to form a Big Three with up-and-coming stars Porzingis and Luka Doncic, they’ll have more opportunities to go that route. Doncic won’t get a huge raise until 2022, and the club should have major cap flexibility again in 2021. By that time, perhaps the allure of joining Porzingis and Doncic will strengthen the Mavs’ position in free agency, allowing them to secure the big fish that has eluded them in recent years.