Trade & FA 2023-24: Stein-Ingram Trade Inevitable| LAL Want Lebron Back On Any Terms

[F Gump]

Right now the Mavs are right at the 1st Apron in 2024-25, with the commitments they already have and a roster of 14. That includes Holmes.

The cap is projected at 142M, and the corresponding MLE is projected at 12.95M. Holmes will be making 12.877M. So if you erase Holmes, you can pay a player making the MLE (or almost all of it). If Kleber is healthy, Holmes seems very expendable this season to swap for an expiring-contract player. (And if Kleber isn't healthy, wouldn't be and his 11M salary be shopped too?)

Where the cap actually lands does impact those numbers.

All of that assumes there are no other changes to the roster. But it's more likely that multiple moves happen between now and then, which changes all the math.

One of the bigger unknowns is the progress of OMax. Will he show enough this season where they don't feel compelled to chase a big wing or PF type? That is going to make a significant difference in their roster building and how they allocate future payroll, one way or the other.

I just noticed I made a mistake on this post. I mixed up the currently projected numbers, and the statement that "the Mavs are right at the 1st Apron in 2024-25, with the commitments they already have and a roster of 14" should have said Tax Line rather than 1st Apron.

That means they have more room to work with, as the 1st Apron (with its hard cap features) will be about 7.35M higher than the Tax Line. Obviously, if they erased Holmes salary between now and then, they can spend the big MLE on someone.

It doesn't give them room for the big MLE as is, however.