[Underdog]

If we’re trying to prognosticate how the Mavs are going to rebuild this summer, then I thought it would be best to start by figuring out our assets. This is our first full summer under the new CBA (draft and all), so I’m still a bit sketchy on some of the details...

Here’s what I’ve worked out so far - please feel free to add to this list, correct anything that’s wrong or debate my player assessments (even though you’re probably retarded):


1) ~$20M cap space: the Mavs have ~$41M in guaranteed contracts next season with a projected salary cap of ~$61M.

2) #17 draft pick: can be packaged in a trade or used to add a decent player in a deep draft.

3) Amnesty Clause: goodbye, Brendan Haywood… Also, other teams will probably be amnestying players worth keeping an eye on.

4) Shawn Marion: one of the best defenders in the NBA, excellent rebounder, crafty scorer. The guy can still be a fantastic contributor to certain teams in this league, especially perennial playoff contenders. He has 2 seasons left on his contract; $8.6M in 12/13, then he becomes a $9.3M expiring in 13/14… Worth the price to any team that could use his skillset (including the Mavs).

5) Lamar Odom: probably still has value as a player if he lands on the right team, but the Mavs obviously aren’t that team. He has an $8.2M contract that can be bought out for $2.4M, but that amount still counts against the cap (so a buyout shouldn't be our first option)… We could trade him to a team that has the cap space to absorb the $2.4M hit, then they’d get to save the additional $5.8M with no repercussions – or they might even value him as a player and keep him. That should be worth at least a draft pick, if not a decent player in return.

6) Vince Carter: we can buy out his $3.1M contract for $800k(?) and pay it at any point over the next few seasons (I think), so it wouldn’t necessarily count against the cap next season… Or we can re-sign him if we can’t figure out a better way to spend $3.1M.

7) Brandan Wright and Kelenna Azubuike: the Mavs hold a team option on both players and can save a little bit of money if they choose not to exercise it, but they cost under $1M each, so I fully expect the Mavs to bring both of them back… Of course, that doesn’t mean they won’t possibly be traded.

8) Rodrigue Beaubois: a highly athletic player who can score and defend pretty well, but not consistently. Still has a ton of potential, but it’s starting to look like his potential will never be realized. He’s cheap and might still have value to a team that has the time and patience to continue to try to develop him. At this point, he’s probably only valued as trade filler/sweetener.

9) Dominique Jones: take anything that you can get for him and don’t look back, otherwise he makes a decent towel-waiver at the end of the bench.

10) MLE: I’m a bit shaky on this one - I know we gave it to Vince Carter this season, but do we get it back if we trade or waive him?


Is that everything - what am I missing here?