EXTENSION: Maxi Kleber to DAL for 3 yrs/$33M (thru 2025-26, age 34)

[mvossman]

We have talked about $1-2M here and there that could get us to this or that scenario. How can this be lost on you? If it comes out that there are incentives to get to the full number based on games or minutes played, I’m fully happy with the contract. Otherwise, just like Powell was an overpay, this is too. Over the cap is a great development, over the taxpayer threshold is not.

Those conversations have generally been when cap space was in play (like the Westbrook trade scenario) or salary matching.  They don't apply nearly as much now.  It's nice to be under the taxpayer threshold, but here are the payrolls of the contenders:

Clippers:   195 mil
Warriors:  194 mil
Bucks:      180 mil
Boston:     176 mil

Given this FOs ineptitude, I don't see any chance they are going to be able to seriously compete with these teams unless they are in the same neighborhood spending wise.  That means being a taxpayer.

Also, if you are comparing this contract with Powell's, then we are on different pages from a player evaluation standpoint.