Mavs and the cap

[uberfan]

Mavs are and will be over the cap for years to come. AJ's expiring contract does not give us cap relief, just goes to help extend Nash probably when it comes off the books.

That means to only way we get top-level FAs is through S&T. All others will have to come via MLE every year and occasionally the LLE. All the vet minimum does is help fill the roster.

That implies that we will have a constant turn-over on the bench every year under our current situation of people like Popeye, Walt, etc. Occasionally we will find a potential "keeper" like Raja Bell, if we can sign and keep the "keeper" away from another team. It will be interesting to see what would do with Raja.

If we sign him to the LLE as has been suggested by most, then the LLE is not availalbe next year.

NVE has a player opt-out AFTER the 2004/2005 season, but if he chooses not to exercise it, he will have one year left at 12,000,000+. Do you think he will exercise is opt-out, I don't. I can't see another Team two years from now trying to max out NVE, can you? Waiting until after 2005/2006 for NVE's contract to expire will not help under the cap, we will still be over I believe. However, he might be a good trade asset during the season of 2005/2006 if he is still on the roster to another team who CAN use his expiring contract.

I don't think we can hope to get a true center in the later part of the first round over the next 3 years by standing pat. Does anyone else think that we will?

Everyone believes we cannot trade small for big, and most of the time that is correct. You might be able to trade small for a big older player who has a large contract. Dale Davis for instance has a year left with a large contract. But Portland may want to use his contract to trade for other pieces they need, after all, they are basically in the same boat as the Mavs.

Expecting that Miller will not be an option, who do you all think we should target for the next 3 years at center? You can do it on a year-by-year basis if it makes sense to you to do so (each one signed to a one year contract at the vet minimum or all/part of the MLE each year).


BTW: Instead of trading AJ, I am more in favor of keeping AJ and let him work with Marquis Daniels on the point everyday in practice for a year, with Daniels being our 3rd PG unless we lose Nash/NVE in a trade.

[Rod1975]

AJ will be an assistant somewhere after this season hopefully here.

We definitely need to try to move some of our dead-weight contracts, i.e. Esch

We better re-sign Raja we all know we need him. If we do sign him to the LLE, then we have the best possible value for it.

NVE should only be traded after we win a championship.

The only way we can land a big man worth his salt is in an S&T. Other than the outside possibility of signing Kandi to the MLE.

[signoftimes]

What happens with the expansion draft?
Doesn't the salary of the player chosen by Charlotte come off the books?
With only 8 protected players on the roster. I would think that the expansion draft would come in nicely for some cap relief next year. There are so many Dallas players Charlotte will pick up if left unprotected. This should open up some options for the Mavericks. Especially when teams can only protect 8 players, contracts will play a major role of who is left unprotected.

As far as NVE's contract is concerned, you are correct. He does have a player option at the end of next year. The way Cuban has been talking, you'd think his contract was defintiely over next year. Isn't that the reason Cuban said he didn't pull the trigger on the Travis Best-Brian Grant/Van Exel deal? Because Grant's salary was too high and NVE's lesser salary would be running out next year.

[uberfan]

Yes, but do you expect NVE to opt-out? Why would he? He is not going to get another contract for $12MM/year, so better take one more year at $12MM then get what you can when the contrct runs out.

Charlotte, sure any one they take in the expansion draft will come off the books. How many do they HAVE to take off of each team? They will be subject to the cap just like everyone else, so they won't be loading up on big contracts just to give us cap relief.

We protect:
1. Dirk
2. Nash
3. Fin
4. Howard

at least, agreed?

Say we expose NVE, Raef, TAW, Esch as our big contracts. I don't know how many they HAVE to take, but I can see them taking a flyer on Raef unless they fill that need from another team. I don't see them taking NVE unless they think he will take the player option and opt out. If TAW plays his heart out this year, Mavs will add him to the protected list. If he doesn't would Charlotte take him if they didn't have to?

[Ummmmm Ok]

I don't see them taking NVE unless they think he will take the player option and opt out. If TAW plays his heart out this year, Mavs will add him to the protected list. If he doesn't would Charlotte take him if they didn't have to?

Actually if they was smart they might take a chance on NVE. There is only so much talent that will be available to them that will be guys that will be available, they could take NVE's big contract and trade it off to a team needing cap relief and they would be able to get some pretty good solid players.

I would do it.

[uberfan]

Originally posted by: Ummmmm Ok

Actually if they was smart they might take a chance on NVE. There is only so much talent that will be available to them that will be guys that will be available, they could take NVE's big contract and trade it off to a team needing cap relief and they would be able to get some pretty good solid players.

I would do it.

I was thinking that if NVE was exposed and taken by Charlotte, he would opt-out rather play on an expansion team (remember him in Denver?).

Playing on a winner he is a different person.

[signoftimes]

I was thinking that if NVE was exposed and taken by Charlotte, he would opt-out rather play on an expansion team (remember him in Denver?).

Either way, we get his salary off our roster, which I thought was a main concern in this post. That would free up some cap room to go after a big man. Expectations for this year have already been wiped out, but with the expansion draft next year, we could have the room to go after a Big man FA instead of trying to trade small for big. I think the Charlotte expansion is going to shake things up in the league next year and I think the mavs can capitalize off of it.

[Mandyahl]

even with nick off the books, we would still be over the salary cap, signoftimes.

[signoftimes]

I didn't know that mandy, how much would we still be over?

I thought the original post was saying that NVE's contract was putting us over the cap.

[curtwalk]

It's no way the Mavs will give up NVE in an expansion draft. Even though his salary is big if the Mavs lost him they would still be over the cap. They would still be limited to the exception in trying to find a replacement. Here is what the Mavs expansion protection list will look like with no FA Moves.

1.Dirk
2. Nash
3.Finley
4.NVE
5.Raef
6.Bradley
7.Najera
8.Howard

Definately Off the List
1. Esch
2. Abdul Wahad

I see Raef and Bradley protected unless they find a better center. I couldn't see them letting them go unless a replacement is already here. Abdul Wahad is not worth his salary and his contract goes on too long to protect him. Every team is only gonna expose bad contracts and Charlotte is gonna be forced to help somebody out. Mavs might as well throw theirs out there and hope they get lucky.

[Rod1975]

Originally posted by: uberfan
Yes, but do you expect NVE to opt-out? Why would he? He is not going to get another contract for $12MM/year, so better take one more year at $12MM then get what you can when the contrct runs out.

Charlotte, sure any one they take in the expansion draft will come off the books. How many do they HAVE to take off of each team? They will be subject to the cap just like everyone else, so they won't be loading up on big contracts just to give us cap relief.

We protect:
1. Dirk
2. Nash
3. Fin
4. Howard

at least, agreed?

Say we expose NVE, Raef, TAW, Esch as our big contracts. I don't know how many they HAVE to take, but I can see them taking a flyer on Raef unless they fill that need from another team. I don't see them taking NVE unless they think he will take the player option and opt out. If TAW plays his heart out this year, Mavs will add him to the protected list. If he doesn't would Charlotte take him if they didn't have to?

Let's not forget Bradley...expose,expose,expose (if possible)

[Mandyahl]

bradley has a very good contract for what he gives you. there is no reason to expose him considering our personnel and salaries as of right now.

[uberfan]

Originally posted by: Mandyahl
even with nick off the books, we would still be over the salary cap, signoftimes.

Absolutley correct. I forgot to finish my earleir post on Mavs protected. Dirk/Fin/resigned Nash puts you there almost by themselves.

[uberfan]

Originally posted by: signoftimes
I didn't know that mandy, how much would we still be over?

I thought the original post was saying that NVE's contract was putting us over the cap.

The point of the original post is that we are over the cap period--and will be there as long as we have the big 3 under contract.

[SpursFan72]

Speaking about the salary cap check this out: http://espn.go.com/nba/news/2003/0715/1580996.html

Seems like teams have more cap space to play with after all.

[Mandyahl]

yeah, someone posted that in around the nba. it doesn't really help us though.