TRADE: Tyus Jones to DAL | Branham to CHA

[F Gump]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned here is that if you're penciling in Bagley as your backup Big or Jones as you backup Guard in next years depth chart and you think it will take more than the VetMin, the Mavs would have to use part of the MLE to bring them back. Are you as excited for them to be in the plans next year, if it means you're using the MLE on those guys? Jones current salary is $7M. Bagley is VetMin. If both want a raise, are you ok with splitting the MLE and bringing Jones back for ~$9M and Bagley ~$6M. Something to think about...

Re Jones and Bagley ....
1 I am far from being sold on whether they are a priority ro bring back. They both have MAJOR issues in their game, and we will get a chance to see more over the next 2 months.

2 You assume they will command MLE money, or at least healthy slices, but I do not. In addition, each of them has signing rights!. I think the Mavs would be more likely to use those if they wanted to sign them, over any part of the MLE.

To address the specifics of roster building cap management on them, the reality is that after you include draft picks, the Mavs will be doing very little external shopping. The picks will bring them to 12. They will have 7 players with signing rights - Jones, Bagley, Middleton, Nemby, Cisse, Powell, Williams. 

Besides the resigning rights with each, they will have MLE, BAE, TPE 20M, TPE 6M, and sign and trades to fill up those 3 slots. Since those are presumably end of roster guys, we dont want big salary being spent anyhow. They have an unlimited number of minimums to offer.

TO THE SPECIFIC YOU ASKED
At those numbers (which I think are way too much, but I will play) you pay Jones with his NQ rights of 8.4m iirc, and you pay Bagley with BAE. If they are forcing more than those numbers to something you need elsewhere, you say no. Both are of limited utility.