Hoops Rumors is looking ahead at the 2020/21 salary cap situations for all 30 NBA teams. Due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the NBA, it’s impossible to know yet where the cap for 2020/21 will land. Given the league’s lost revenue, we’re assuming for now that it will stay the same as the ’19/20 cap, but it’s entirely possible it will end up higher or lower than that.
While the Mavericks were expected to take a step forward in 2019/20, few expected the team to come out of the gates by winning 16 of its first 22 games, with Luka Doncic playing like a legit MVP candidate. Dallas slowed down from there, but still entered the NBA’s hiatus comfortably holding a playoff spot in the West, at 40-27.
Having installed Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis as the two cornerstones of the franchise, the Mavs will be looking for ways to continue finding help for those young stars, whether that means adding more complementary role players or trying to find a way to land a third impact player.
Here’s where things stand for the Mavericks financially in 2020/21, as we continue our Salary Cap Preview series:
Guaranteed Salary
- Kristaps Porzingis ($29,467,800)
- Dwight Powell ($11,080,125)
- Delon Wright ($9,000,000)
- Maxi Kleber ($8,250,000)
- Luka Doncic ($8,049,360)
- Seth Curry ($7,834,449)
- Justin Jackson ($5,029,650)
- Dorian Finney-Smith ($4,000,000)
- Boban Marjanovic ($3,500,000)
- Jalen Brunson ($1,663,861)
- Total: $87,875,245
Player Options
- Tim Hardaway ($18,975,000)
- Willie Cauley-Stein ($2,286,357)
- Total: $21,261,357
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- None
Restricted Free Agents
- Antonius Cleveland (two-way qualifying offer / $1,445,697 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Josh Reaves (two-way qualifying offer / $1,445,697 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Total (cap holds): $2,891,394
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- Courtney Lee ($19,139,505): Bird rights
- Dirk Nowitzki ($9,500,000): Bird rights 1
- No. 18 overall pick ($2,816,760)
- J.J. Barea ($1,620,564): Bird rights
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights
- Devin Harris ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights 1
- Salah Mejri ($1,620,564): Bird rights 1
- Total: $37,938,521
Offseason Cap Outlook
Hardaway had a strong season in 2019/20, but is unlikely to be offered a starting salary of $19MM if he opts out, so he’s a good bet to pick up his player option. Assuming he does, the Mavericks will enter the offseason without any cap room available.
Still, regardless of where the cap ultimately ends up, Dallas should have its full mid-level exception available to use in free agency. The club won’t have its bi-annual exception this time around, since it was used during the summer of 2019.
Cap Exceptions Available
- Mid-level exception: $9,258,000 2
Footnotes
- The cap holds for Nowitzki, Harris, and Mejri remain on the Mavericks’ books because they haven’t been renounced after going unsigned in 2019/20. They can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.
- This is a projected value.
Note: Minimum-salary and rookie-scale cap holds are based on the salary cap and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and Early Bird Rights was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Mavs need one stretch big for the starting lineup to move Powell to the bench and they r set.
Luka, Curry/Hardaway, DFS, (insert stretch big here) and Zinger…. with the bench of: Brunson, Wright, Hardaway/Curry, Kleber and Powell.
Who would look really good there next to Porzingis would b Obi Toppin but he won’t get outside the top 8
Mavs need to replace Dwight Powell with a defensive rebounding center that can score on the pick and roll. For his career, Powell averages less than 9 rebounds per 36 minutes. Powell is a finesse pick and roll scorer. If I were the Mavs, I’d trade him. I’d be willing to part with this years first round draft pick to dump his salary.
Noah Vonleh, Willy Hernangomez, Kyle O’Quinn, Dwight Howard are all upgrades to Powell that should be easily available for the MLE. Might be able to get two of those guys for the MLE.
The Mavs don’t have 1 tough guy rebounder and they need at least 1 guy like that on the roster.
If the Mavs can free up a max slot in the next few years, they should probably try and get an all star level wing 3 and D player. A Paul George type. I think that’s probably just about impossible tho so I really have no advice on what they should do with a max slot.
Mavs have a lot of great role players with affordable contracts.
Dorian Finney Smith is an excellent 3 and D type combo forward. He’s not an all star but he’s solid.
Delon Wright and Seth Curry are excellent combo guards.
Kleber is an excellent stretch 4.
Hardaway is overpaid but he’s also a strong role player. Maybe he’ll resign for a fair number after next year.
But, the Mavs need a tough guy. A role playing rebounding tough guy that can catch lobs and dunk the ball of pick and roll plays.
The other thing they need to do is build a second team offense around Porzingis. This season we saw what KP can do when Luka was out injured. The Mavs need to build a second unit around KP that can carry the team for 15 minutes a game when Luka is on the bench. Luka should rule the starting team, but KP should lead the team when Luka sits.
OQuinn sounds good. FA coming up.