The Dallas Mavericks are unafraid to eat into this summer’s salary-cap space ahead of the Feb. 8 deadline. And no, this isn’t mere speculation. It comes from owner Mark Cuban himself.
From the Dallas Morning News‘ Eddie Sefko:
“I would say we are looking to use our cap space actively,” Cuban said Monday. “We will take back salary to get picks or guys we think can play.”
As Cuban is quick to clarify, this doesn’t mean the Mavericks are itching to make a huge move. It just shows they’re keeping their options open—which is smart.
The Mavericks can get to around $13 or so million in cap space right now. Bake in the expiring contracts of Josh McRoberts, Devin Harris and Nerlens Noel, and they have the ability to absorb some larger salaries without sending back any money in return. That’s bound to pique the attention of free-agent hopefuls looking to make a splash this summer.
Cuban’s Mavericks, of course, figure to be among this offseason’s most aggressive buyers. They can get to $20-plus million in room without doing a damn thing, and it won’t take much maneuvering for them to sniff max-level spending power. At a time when few squads project to have that much room, said flexibility could prove invaluable.
But the Mavericks are also rebuilding. They have Dennis Smith Jr. and, presumably, another top-five pick on the way. They don’t need to accelerate the process by spending on free agents.
If they can amass first-round picks and prospects by helping another team duck the tax or by swallowing a longer-term contract, they should absolutely do it. This isn’t to say they must take on a Luol Deng or an Evan Turner, but when they’ve got no obligation to compete, even with Dirk Nowitzki closing in on retirement, they have every reason to leverage their protracted timeline against what could be a lucrative salary-dump market.
