Unsatisfied with the production the team has received from the point guard spot so far this season, the Mavericks have reportedly reached an agreement to sign Derek Fisher, as we heard last night. Although the Mavs have yet to officially announce the move, the club is expected to finalize the signing of Fisher and add him to the 15-man roster today.
Of course, Fisher isn't expected to be the Mavs' true 15th man. According to Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News, head coach Rick Carlisle indicated last night that the veteran point guard could step into the team's starting lineup almost immediately. Still, with 15 players already under contract, the Mavs will need to make a cut in order to make room for Fisher on the roster.
Most NBA teams have stood relatively pat so far this year, moving forward with the rosters they finalized at the end of the preseason, unless injuries have made that impossible. The Mavs, on the other hand, have been very active, making multiple signings and waiving at least one player with a guaranteed contract. Here's a look at the team's roster turnover since the season got underway, including how it affects Dallas' cap figure:
- October 29th: Delonte West released. Having claimed Eddy Curry on waivers just days before, the Mavs made the somewhat surprising decision to waive West and keep Curry in advance of the regular season, in large part due to West's off-court conduct. The point guard had a guaranteed contract, so he'll earn $1,223,126 this season, with the Mavs taking the minimum-salary cap hit of $854,389 for him.
- November 2nd: Troy Murphy signed, Eddy Curry released. Because Curry's deal was non-guaranteed, the Mavs only took a small cap hit for his salary -- $55,678, which represents 7/170th of his full-season $1,352,181 salary. Murphy received a non-guaranteed contract of his own with Curry gone.
- November 29th: Derek Fisher to be signed. With Fisher's deal expected to be finalized today, the Mavs will have to waive another player to make room for the 38-year-old. Murphy's is the only non-guaranteed deal, so he'd be a candidate to go, particularly if the Mavs feel like Dirk Nowitzki is close to returning, as Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets. Having been under contract for nearly a month, Murphy would still have earned a six-figure salary if he were released today. If the Mavs decide to waive another player, such as Dominique Jones, who is earning a guaranteed $1,276,560, the team will already be on the hook for $2MM+ in salaries for players cut within the last month.
