Why the 2003 free agent plan was abandoned - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

MFFL · 03-01-2002, 12:30 AM

Here's the link

Mavericks' big deal has financial implications
03/01/2002
By MARC STEIN / The Dallas Morning News

League rules against tampering preclude the Mavericks from publicly stating an interest in Tim Duncan, Antonio McDyess or Jermaine O'Neal until those All-Star big men officially hit the free-agent market in July 2003.

What the Mavericks could have said – but didn't – is that they weren't planning to wait until 2003 to make their big splash.
Instead of announcing their latest philosophy shift, the Mavericks quietly set about swinging for a more immediate home run. The club's most valuable trade asset – the soon-to-expire contract of Juwan Howard – was then shipped to Denver for two potential All-Stars (Nick Van Exel and Raef LaFrentz) and some pricey bench help (Avery Johnson and Tariq Abdul-Wahad).

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban offered a couple of quick justifications for his latest gamble:

• Cuban has known for some time, again without saying so publicly, that the Mavericks actually wouldn't have sufficient salary cap space to pursue a big-name free agent in 2003, after initial projections last summer suggested they would.

• Cuban believes the four newcomers, even though there isn't a single low-post presence among them, add up to more than any one big man can offer.

"When it's all said and done, I'd rather have Nick and Raef and Tariq and Avery than a Tim Duncan," Cuban said. "He's a great player, one of the two or three best in the league, and they beat our butts in the playoffs. But it takes more than that."

Mavericks coach/general manager Don Nelson, the other aggressive trade-meister in town, might now have the deepest team in the league because of Cuban's largesse.

The owner, meanwhile, will be dealing with the financial implications of last week's mega-deal for years – even if he and Nelson try to swing another one next February.

Here's a look at some of the monetary issues involved from last week's seven-player swap:There was a time the Mavericks thought, with Howard's $105 million monster pact expiring after the 2002-03 season, that they would have sufficient salary cap room to be a major free-agent player in the summer of '03. Every move they made last summer, as a result, was conceived with '03 in mind.

Calvin Booth, seeking a six-year deal, was offered a shorter contract to preserve '03 flexibility. The impasse hastened Booth's desire to leave, and Booth's agent, Mark Termini, managed to find an interested team (Seattle) that could extend a contract just above the six-year, $34 million maximum Dallas was permitted to offer. Much as Nelson longed to keep the promising center, the club's initial reluctance to provide Booth long-term security appeared to drive him away.

In response, the Mavericks added free agent Evan Eschmeyer (six years, $19 million) to the re-signed Shawn Bradley (seven years, $30.5 million). Yet in both cases, Cuban negotiated for his centers' salaries to dip in Year 3 to provide additional cap space for the pursuit of Duncan, McDyess and the other stars bound for the '03 market.

The landscape, however, changed quickly – mainly when details of the league's new television contract trickled out, indicating that the salary cap probably wouldn't rise much from the current $42.5 million over the next 18 months. Cuban realized he wouldn't have the '03 cap room necessary to sign a Duncan or a McDyess even if they wanted to come to Dallas.

So ...

Instead of waiting to find out if he would beat the competition to work out a trade for one of those stars, he pounced on this deal.

"You'll never see me say, 'This is the program and I'm sticking to it, no variations,' " Cuban said. "[But] it wasn't just the cap change. If the cap would have gone up $20 million, I still would have done this deal."Along with the financial impact of making moves comes a hidden cost for Cuban. The Mavericks, if they weren't already, are now firmly known as The Team Most Likely To Make A Change. The list of franchise untouchables appears to be down to Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash, given the constant trade speculation surrounding Michael Finley for the last month.

Cuban, though, disputes the notion that the heavy trade activity in his 25-month reign could damage his reputation as the league's most player-friendly owner.

"Our guys know I am loyal to bringing a championship," Cuban said. "There are risks involved for all of us. People get hurt, traded, don't work out. That's the nature of the industry.

"I had a long talk with Fin and explained to him the exact process we went through, which teams we talked to, how and why his name came up in the press. When you are a great player, teams want you. ... But Mike understands the commitment the organization has made to him, all of our players and the fans in doing what we can to get a ring. From our talks, I know he supports it."

Finley conceded Sunday that it had been a "difficult" period hearing his name tossed around in trade scenarios mere months after signing a seven-year, $102 million contract. He also acknowledged that, in the locker room, it's understood that change is a constant.

"I guess that's good and bad," Finley said. "It's bad in a sense that guys are somewhat playing on eggshells, scared to get too comfortable because if things aren't going too well they can get shipped out. On the other hand, it makes guys go out and play hard."

Said Cuban: "When you move up the ladder, you shuffle less. It's not just a revolving door here. We said we'd build around a nucleus of guys, and we have. You have three All-Stars [Nash, Nowitzki and Finley], and they maintain the culture."By the start of the 2003-04 season, the Mavericks will almost certainly have a roster of contracts worth more than $70 million annually – potentially forcing Cuban to pay $20-odd million in luxury tax.

That's because, after all the millions absorbed from Denver, this summer should also be costly.

Raef LaFrentz will be a restricted free agent, meaning the Mavericks can match any offer LaFrentz gets. Of course, given Cuban's proactive nature, they are expected to pre-empt suitors by immediately signing LaFrentz to an extension.

The Mavericks then have to deal with four more free agents of their own – Eduardo Najera, Wang Zhizhi, Greg Buckner and Johnny Newman – while deciding whether to pursue more new depth with the large salary cap exception ($4.5 million this season) afforded all teams over the cap.

Najera and Wang, like Calvin Booth last August, are eligible for six-year deals under the "Early Bird" provision. Both players, making $465,850 each in their second season, are expected to seek that long-term security.

It's unclear how much interest Wang will generate – not because of talent but because teams might not be as willing as Dallas to accept the center's frequent recalls home from Chinese authorities.

Najera, by contrast, should generate plenty of interest, given his rise into a steady rotation role. The 2002 free-agent class is also far weaker than 2003's, possibly increasing Najera's value.

If Cuban's worried, mind you, it doesn't show. He estimates that Mavericks revenue has doubled since he began running things in January 2000, and he thinks he can double it again before the projected arrival of the luxury tax after next season. It's a dollar-for-dollar tax on teams with payrolls more than an estimated $52-55 million.

"It's my job to generate revenue," Cuban said. "Wanna buy a T-shirt?"

MONEY TREE

How the Mavericks' roster looks after last week's big trade, listing the team's financial obligations to each player:

Player Age Contract status after this season
Tariq Abdul-Wahad 27 5 years, $33.75 million
Shawn Bradley 29 6 years, $26 million
Greg Buckner 25 Free agent in July 2002
Evan Eschmeyer 26 5 years, $16.1 million
Michael Finley 28 6 years, $91.6 million
Adrian Griffin 27 1 year, $637,435
Avery Johnson 36 2 years, $10.4 million
Raef LaFrentz 25 Restricted free agent in July 2002
Danny Manning 35 1 year, $1.65 million
Eduardo Najera 25 Restricted free agent in 2002
Steve Nash 28 3 years, $17.25 million
Johnny Newman 38 Free agent in 2002
Dirk Nowitzki 23 6 years, $90 million (estimated)
Nick Van Exel 30 4 years, $49.5 million
Wang Zhizhi 24 Restricted free agent in 2002

MikeFin4 · 03-01-2002, 12:41 AM

Wahad sucks and is way overpaid. Get rid of the guy if you can!!

MFFL · 03-01-2002, 12:49 AM

Wahad is the grease to get a deal done like Loy Vaught was. Wahad will be gone in the next round of trading.

TwoDeep3 · 03-01-2002, 01:30 AM

When you see Wahad play D on Kobe, I think you may change your mind. He may be the best defender on the team.

MikeFin4 · 03-01-2002, 01:32 AM

on Kobe? Is that what we made the trade for?

MFFL · 03-01-2002, 01:33 AM

He does get recognization for his D. We'll see. My point is that contracts like that are valuable in acquiring bigger and more valuable contracts (and the players attached to the contracts of course).

Murphy3 · 03-01-2002, 01:24 PM

yes, the mavs had to take on wahad's contract to get the deal done.. however, if he's healthy...i look for him to play 15-20 minutes against kobe and the lakers

Mavinator · 03-01-2002, 06:08 PM

Abdul-Wahad is NOT the best defender on this team. Griffin and Buckner are both better. If you want evidence, look at the Sac game, where Johnny Newman (!!!) held Peja Stojakovic scoreless in the first half, and then Wahad let him score 16 in the second half... Peja (of all people) took him to the hole on several occasions. Wahad is not in the future of the Dallas Mavericks...

Murphy3 · 03-01-2002, 06:23 PM

i disagree mavinator...
we'll see...newman is a good defender but i think by the end of the season, if wahad gets much of a shot, he'll show that he's the top defender.

when peja gets going, sometimes there's not much you can do.

let's not just completely knee jerk.

buck probably ranks below griff and wahad..but, we'll see as the season goes along

Hoopsmeister · 03-01-2002, 06:31 PM

Cuban was able to get the deal done in large part because he was willing to eat Abdul-Wahad's contract. Barring yet another blockbuster deal, Abdul-Wahad certainly is part of the Maverick's future. I won't put it past Cuban to find a way to dump that contract but it will be very difficult.

As far as Abdul-Wahad's defense, I want to see more than 2 games, particularly since he is apparently still recovering from knee surgery.

Hoopsmeister · 03-01-2002, 06:48 PM

Interesting:

If McKechnie can work his magic on Ratliff, who has played in only three games since joining the Hawks in the Dikembe Mutombo blockbuster trade last February, Atlanta could be fairly well-stocked going into next season. Buoyed by the return of Toni Kukoc and Alan Henderson, the Hawks recently went 3-3 on a grueling West Coast road trip, including a triumph over the Lakers. Atlanta also has its No. 1 draft pick if it falls in the top four, and GM Pete Babcock says he might be willing to use it in a trade, perhaps for a veteran point guard. --Marty Burns on CNNSI.com

And who is going to have a top point guard available for trade this summer?

The question, of course, is how badly we might want a top 4 lottery pick next year.

Drbio · 03-01-2002, 08:30 PM

I think MFFL make a valid point. Wahads contract, although outrageous, gives the Mavs a guy to ship off for a bigger contract on a player the Mavs really want. In the meantime, his defense is a plus. With minutes, he will make his mark on this team.

Doc

MavsFanFinley · 03-02-2002, 01:01 AM

Hoopmeister, that is interesting.

Problem is, would Dallas whether have NVE or a rookie that might not even get up off the bench?

Course, it does hold all kinds of possibilites.

Hoopsmeister · 03-02-2002, 02:13 AM

Yeah, I wonder about that too MFF. OTOH, a top 4 pick in next year's draft could have a lot of value and the Mavs have a lot of pieces (getting back to Abdul-Wahad, Buckner, etc) that with Van Exel might make possible an interesting 3-way with Atlanta and some other team. Depending on how the lottery balls bounce.