02-24-2024, 01:03 PM
One point about the idea of trades and better players: even with the owners with deep pockets, the Mavs have to be careful (and limited) with the contracts. The point being, that eliminates a lot of ideas for upgrades.
If they simply keep and develop this same set of players, and the players all want to stay, they are over apron 1 already this summer, and will edge near and maybe above apron 2 as deserving players get re-signed. Having and maintaining a roster at greater than Apron 2 harms your draft assets, so staying under Apron 2 is probably the target.
Re staying under the 2nd apron (~$189.5M), here are the broad parameters of their payroll.
SUPERSTARS (2) - total $85M
Luka Kyrie
NON-ROTATION SCRUBS (4) - total $8M
anyone, including rookies, longshot veterans
ROTATION (9) - total ~$97M
notice the average is about $10.8M, less than MLE
In the hypothetical scenario where the roster stays the same, this summer DJJ gets re-signed to $5M (TxP MLE being the most they can offer), and with 2 minimums filling out the roster they are over Apron 1. They will also have 2 TPE's that they could use to add a player (instead of minimums), one for about $4.95M and the other for $4M, and still stay below Apron 2.
It gets harder in the summer of 2025. THJ contract expires (if they don't extend him before then) and theoretically they try to sign him for a number a bit closer to MLE, but Hardy, Exum, and perhaps DJJ would also be FAs and needing a raise. Just keeping the players they have, while staying under Apron 2, would be a challenge.
The point being, if you add a player making $20M, you will effectively have to thin your rotation, and is that really a plus? In some ways there's value in the defensive player who can hit a shot but isn't a primary scorer (Exum, Green, DJJ, PJW), in the fact they are affordable enough to allow you to fill out your rotation fully.
If they simply keep and develop this same set of players, and the players all want to stay, they are over apron 1 already this summer, and will edge near and maybe above apron 2 as deserving players get re-signed. Having and maintaining a roster at greater than Apron 2 harms your draft assets, so staying under Apron 2 is probably the target.
Re staying under the 2nd apron (~$189.5M), here are the broad parameters of their payroll.
SUPERSTARS (2) - total $85M
Luka Kyrie
NON-ROTATION SCRUBS (4) - total $8M
anyone, including rookies, longshot veterans
ROTATION (9) - total ~$97M
notice the average is about $10.8M, less than MLE
In the hypothetical scenario where the roster stays the same, this summer DJJ gets re-signed to $5M (TxP MLE being the most they can offer), and with 2 minimums filling out the roster they are over Apron 1. They will also have 2 TPE's that they could use to add a player (instead of minimums), one for about $4.95M and the other for $4M, and still stay below Apron 2.
It gets harder in the summer of 2025. THJ contract expires (if they don't extend him before then) and theoretically they try to sign him for a number a bit closer to MLE, but Hardy, Exum, and perhaps DJJ would also be FAs and needing a raise. Just keeping the players they have, while staying under Apron 2, would be a challenge.
The point being, if you add a player making $20M, you will effectively have to thin your rotation, and is that really a plus? In some ways there's value in the defensive player who can hit a shot but isn't a primary scorer (Exum, Green, DJJ, PJW), in the fact they are affordable enough to allow you to fill out your rotation fully.
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