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

[sterlingmallory]

The Maxi contract looks worse with every passing day.  Tha Mavs roster is a cautionary tale.

Oh stop being dramatic, this roster has a lot of issues but Maxi's contract is not one of them. He was extended for 11 million a year, barely over MLE money. He is well worth that. It's not like he's Javale McGee and totally unplayable. Just the opposite. He's absolutely key for this team. This injury sucks but he'll be back. I will not tolerate any Maxi slander on this board.

[KillerLeft]

Oh stop being dramatic, this roster has a lot of issues but Maxi's contract is not one of them. He was extended for 11 million a year, barely over MLE money. He is well worth that. It's not like he's Javale McGee and totally unplayable. Just the opposite. He's absolutely key for this team. This injury sucks but he'll be back. I will not tolerate any Maxi slander on this board.

It’s a bargain contract, even with the hindsight knowledge of this injury.

[ItsGoTime]

The bargain contract of Maxi Kleber!

[cow]

Let's see how he looks next year further removed from the injury.

[loki]

Let's see how he looks next year further removed from the injury.

Hopefully as the backup 4 in 20 mpg.

[dirkfansince1998]

Next season Maxi will earn less than MLE money. No reason to blame him because the Mavs are relying on him to play starter minutes and rushed his return to save the season. He is injury-prone. But when he is healthy and rested he is among the most versatile defenders in the legue. A valuable asset. Especially in the playoffs.
Mavs have a problem because he is the number one big in the rotation. Closing most games. But that´s not on Maxi. He is paid like the third big on most teams.

To a lesser degree the same can be said about Powell. I certainly hope that he won´t get more than the minimum but it´s not his fault that the Mavs are beyond bad when it comes to drafting/signing/trading bigs.

Going to be the main task of the offseason. The never ending search for a reliable starting center.

[ItsGoTime]

Next season Maxi will earn less than MLE money. No reason to blame him because the Mavs are relying on him to play starter minutes and rushed his return to save the season. He is injury-prone. But when he is healthy and rested he is among the most versatile defenders in the legue. A valuable asset. Especially in the playoffs.
Mavs have a problem because he is the number one big in the rotation. Closing most games. But that´s not on Maxi. He is paid like the third big on most teams.

To a lesser degree the same can be said about Powell. I certainly hope that he won´t get more than the minimum but it´s not his fault that the Mavs are beyond bad when it comes to drafting/signing/trading bigs.

Going to be the main task of the offseason. The never ending search for a reliable starting center.

Nobody is blaming Maxi for anything. The contract value is the only thing being attacked and there’s no doubt in my mind that it won’t age well. I really hope he has value to a team and we capitalize on it this offseason. He will not play in half the regular season games and wouldn’t have been ready for the playoffs if we were to make them.

[ItsGoTime]

I’m sitting here just happy he hasn’t reaggrivated the hamstring myself.

[dirkfansince1998]

Nobody is blaming Maxi for anything. The contract value is the only thing being attacked and there’s no doubt in my mind that it won’t age well. I really hope he has value to a team and we capitalize on it this offseason. He will not play in half the regular season games and wouldn’t have been ready for the playoffs if we were to make them.

I actually had high hopes for the playoffs. Last season he missed a lot of games in the last month of the season. Giving him the necessary time to recover. Leading to great playoff performances. Outplaying Ayton and Gobert.

I get that he isn´t the kind of player that you want to play for a 30 minutes per game role in the regular season. And sadly that´s what the Mavs are missing right now. When they extended his contract I imagined a Iguodala like role for him. 15 minutes of the bench in the regular season. 25 minutes in the playoffs.
Speaks volume about the Mavs front court that he closed almost all games and was on pace to play more minutes than Wood prior to his injury. More minutes than Powell+McGee combined.

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I’m sitting here just happy he hasn’t reaggrivated the hamstring myself.

That´s the worst possible outcome for a couple of players. With Luka, Kyrie and THJ playing 40+ minutes when the team should have been tanking since at least february.

[ItsGoTime]

I actually had high hopes for the playoffs. Last season he missed a lot of games in the last month of the season. Giving him the necessary time to recover. Leading to great playoff performances. Outplaying Ayton and Gobert.

I get that he isn´t the kind of player that you want to play for a 30 minutes per game role in the regular season. And sadly that´s what the Mavs are missing right now. When they extended his contract I imagined a Iguodala like role for him. 15 minutes of the bench in the regular season. 25 minutes in the playoffs.
Speaks volume about the Mavs front court that he closed almost all games and was on pace to play more minutes than Wood prior to his injury. More minutes than Powell+McGee combined.

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That´s the worst possible outcome for a couple of players. With Luka, Kyrie and THJ playing 40+ minutes when the team should have been tanking since at least february.

Sure, but this injury wasn’t him missing a few weeks at the end of the season (after he went a FULL month producing zero 3’s btw). I’m not fully sure bringing him back was the right call with so many instances of hamstrings being reinjured after recovery. 

If he becomes a 15 mpg regular season player (he won’t, the contract dictates that) I don’t see how that is a player worth $11M per year. Gotta make the playoffs to play in them.