Buck agrees to deal with Sixers.

[Dooby]

Dwain Price should rename his column to "Tomorrow's Valade Article Today". He is consistantly a day ahead.
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MAVERICKS NOTES
Mavs seek deal for departing Buckner
By DWAIN PRICE
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

DALLAS - Mavericks guard Greg Buckner has agreed to sign a six-year, $18 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.

However, the Mavericks and Sixers are trying to work out a deal that could sweeten the pot for both teams.

The Sixers would have to take a slice out of their $4.5 million mid-level salary cap exception in order to pay Buckner, not an idea they're relishing. Meanwhile, the Mavericks are not relishing the thought of Buckner - an unrestricted free agent - leaving their nest without receiving compensation.

Thus, the Mavericks and Sixers are trying to involve Buckner in a sign-and-trade deal. That way the Sixers wouldn't have to dip into their mid-level exception and the Mavericks would receive a player and/or draft choices in return.

"If [the Sixers] were to sign him, they would have to eat into their $4.5 million exception," said Donnie Nelson, the Mavericks' president of basketball operations. "They want to maintain flexibility, and in order to do that they have to come to us and we have to agree to a sign-and-trade."

Buckner, 26, has played his entire career with the Mavericks, who chose him in the second round of the 1998 NBA Draft. The rugged 6-foot-4, 210-pound guard is one of the team's top defenders and averaged 5.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting 52.5 percent from the field in 44 games last season.

Wednesday, Buckner said he was "shocked" that he never received a contract offer from the Mavericks, which is why he agreed to sign with the Sixers.

"The Mavericks told me one thing, and nothing [happened]," Buckner said. "That's the way it is. But I'm happy with my situation in Philly."

Buckner said he is looking forward to playing in Philadelphia with controversial guard Allen Iverson, the 2000-01 league MVP.

"You can never replace a core group like you've got in Dallas," Buckner said. "But A.I. gets so much attention [from defenders] that it's going to open up things for guys, especially for guys like myself, to go to the boards."

The Sixers lost to the Lakers in the 2001 NBA Finals, and Buckner believes a rash of injuries prevented them from repeating as Eastern Conference champions this past season.

"I wanted to go to a contender, and my wish came true," he said. "I've just got to go out there and play hard for them.

"I had a lot of fun in Dallas. I will never trade that for anything in the world."

Tough negotiator

The Mavericks are bracing for some tough negotiations with one of the NBA's hard-line agents, Dan Fegan.

Fegan represents Mavericks restricted free-agent forward Eduardo Najera, a key figure in the team's advance to the second round of the playoffs last season. Fegan is expected to ask for a deal similar to the six-year, $34 million contract ex-Mavericks center Calvin Booth signed with Seattle last summer.

But since the NBA's economic climatic has taken a drastic change over the past year, owners and management teams are less inclined to offer top dollar to second-tier free agents like Najera. Especially since the salary cap has decreased - for the first time in league history - from $42.5 million to $40.271 million and the dollar-for-dollar luxury-tax threshold has been reduced from the expected $54 million to approximately $50 million.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said more than half of the 29 NBA teams will be over the luxury-tax threshold next season.

"That could mean players not getting signed," Cuban said, "and hopefully something interesting being available."

That also could mean a player like Najera not receiving what he believes he's worth.

"I do think it'll be a shame if it didn't work out, because Eddie's a perfect fit in the locker room and on the court," Donnie Nelson said. "He's a great guy, the guys really love him, and I think that he knows exactly what he has here as far as the expectations on the floor, the quality of teammates in the locker room, the situation with Mark and everything being first-class and the style of play here."

Harris leaving?

Mavericks assistant coach Del Harris is one of five finalists for the Nuggets' coaching job.

Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke will soon meet separately with Harris, Nets assistant Eddie Jordan and Jazz assistant Phil Johnson. Kroenke is also expected to meet with Nuggets assistant Clyde Drexler and Kentucky coach Tubby Smith.

The Nuggets hope to announce their new coach next week.

Briefly

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban will sing Take Me Out To The Ballgame during the seventh-inning stretch of Friday afternoon's game between the Cubs and Astros at Chicago's Wrigley Field.

Since NBA salaries and benefits from the 2001-02 season did not comprise more than 61.1 percent of basketball-related income, approximately $77 million of the $153 million that was automatically deducted from all players' paychecks and placed in an escrow account must now be given back to the players. That means, for example, the Mavericks must return $531,250 of the $1.0625 million that was deducted from guard Michael Finley's contract last season.