Mavericks: 2013 Buy or Bye
Brandan Wright
Brandan Wright would like to be back with the Mavericks.
The Mavs would like to keep Wright, a young, athletic center/forward who took advantage of his return to the rotation in the final month and a half, averaging 11.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks as a 24-minute-per-night part-time starter in the final 23 games. Wright was a major reason why the Mavs went 15-8 during that stretch and probably earned millions in the process.
“The truth is Brandan is a very unique player. He fits in with us. He fits in with our personnel,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “There’s some teams that he really plays great against. That’s been consistent for both years. There’s other teams where it’s tougher for him because of the physical strength, some of the bruising type teams. But we like him. He has continued to get better.
“We met with him (the day after the season ended) and told him that we definitely wanted him back here. These decisions are going to come down to the money and the market and so on and so forth, but he’s a guy that we like.”
It could be more complicated than just the money. Timing of negotiations with Wright could be tricky, too.
Wright feels a sense of loyalty to the franchise that picked him up off the scrap heap after the lockout, but he’s facing the first major business decision of his career. He understands, however, that he won’t be the Mavs’ top priority this summer.
What if Wright gets an offer he likes while the Mavs are pursuing Dwight Howard or Chris Paul or whoever their Plan C, D, E, etc. might be? Wright might not have the luxury of waiting to see whether the Mavs would be able or willing to match.
There is strong mutual interest in Wright returning to the Mavs. Now, it’s a matter of whether the business of basketball gets in the way.
2012-13 stats: Averaged 8.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks while shooting 59.7 percent from the floor in 18.0 minutes per game. His player efficiency rating (PER) of 21.03 ranked 20th in the league.
Age: 25
Comps:
Brandon Bass – Averaged 8.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 0.8 blocks while shooting 48.6 percent from the floor in 27.6 minutes per game. Signed three-year, $19.4 million deal in 2012.
JaVale McGee – Averaged 9.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocks while shooting 57.5 percent in 18.1 minutes per game. Signed four-year, $44 million deal in 2012.
Ed Davis – Averaged 7.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.0 blocks while shooting 53.9 percent in 20.1 minutes per game. Has one season remaining on rookie contract.
Amir Johnson – Averaged 10.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks while shooting 55.4 percent from the floor in 28.7 minutes per game. Signed five-year, $30 million deal in 2010.
Estimated contract: Bass got $18 million over four years after his two-season stint with the Mavs. Ian Mahinmi, another two-year Mavs project, got $16 million over four years. The bidding for Wright figures to start in that range.
Anthony Morrow
Anthony Morrow’s remarkable shooting range never made a difference for the Mavericks.
Morrow, who was billed by Donnie Nelson as one of the best “stretch shooters” in NBA history after Dallas acquired him in a deadline deal, made a grand total of one 3-pointer during his brief tenure with the Mavs, attempting only five shots from long range.
Morrow played only 82 minutes for the Mavs, getting much of his time in mop-up situations. In fairness, it’d be tough for any role player to crack Rick Carlisle’s rotation after joining the Mavs in the middle of a desperate fight to make the playoffs.
While you’ll often hear around the American Airlines Center that you can never have enough shooters, re-signing Morrow certainly won’t be a summer priority. He’s a one-trick player (42.4 percent from 3-point range for his career) the Mavs might consider for one of their final roster spots after addressing other areas.
2012-13 stats: Averaged 4.0 points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.3 assists in 9.3 minutes per game for the Atlanta Hawks and Mavs. Shot 44.1 percent from the floor and 37.2 percent from 3-point range.
Age: 27
Comps:
Roger Mason Jr. – Averaged 5.3 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 17.7 minutes per game. Shot 43.3 percent from the floor and 41.5 percent from 3-point range. Played for veteran’s minimum this season.
Jodie Meeks – Averaged 7.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 21.3 minutes per game. Shot 38.7 percent from the floor and 35.7 percent from 3-point range. Signed a two-year, $3.05 million deal in 2012, with the second season a team option.
Dorell Wright – Averaged 9.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 22.6 minutes per game. Shot 39.6 percent from the floor and 37.4 percent from 3-point range. Completed rookie contract this season.
Mike Miller – Averaged 4.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 15.3 minutes per game. Shot 43.3 percent from the floor and 41.7 percent from 3-point range. Amnesty clause candidate signed five-year, $29 million deal in 2010.
Estimated contract: Morrow is likely to end up getting the veteran’s minimum.
O.J. Mayo
After opting out of the second year of his contract, O.J. Mayo declared that he hoped to sign a long-term deal to stay in Dallas.
Coach Rick Carlisle, who had vented his frustration with Mayo just a few days earlier, made it clear that he’d welcome the shooting guard back.
“I like O.J. a lot,” Carlisle said. “I think he fits into what we’re doing. Like everything else in this world, this is probably going to come down to money.”
In relative terms, there wasn’t much of a market for Mayo last summer, when the former third overall pick hit free agency after struggling as a sixth man during his final two seasons in Memphis. He took a little less money to come to the Mavs, hoping that a year of work with Carlisle would boost his value.
We’ll see this summer whether that happened after a hot-and-cold season for Mayo that ended with an icy stretch.
The Mavs won’t break the bank to keep Mayo. They consider him capable of starting for a contender, but they don’t view him as a cornerstone player.
If Dallas doesn’t keep Mayo, the Mavs will have to address a major hole in the lineup. He led the Mavs in points, was second in scoring and second in assists.
But the free agent market will be flooded with starting-caliber shooting guards. Reasonably priced alternatives could include Monta Ellis, J.J. Redick, Kevin Martin, Tyreke Evans, Randy Foye, Tony Allen and Nick Young. (Not listed due to price/probability of staying with their current contenders: J.R. Smith, Manu Ginobili and Andre Iguodala.)
2012-13 stats: Averaged 15.3 points, 4.4 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 2.6 turnovers in 35.5 minutes per game. Shot 44.9 percent from the floor and 40.7 percent from 3-point range.
Age: 25
Comps:
DeMar DeRozan – Averaged 18.1 points, 2.5 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 1.8 turnovers in 36.7 minutes per game. Shot 44.5 percent from the floor and 28.3 percent from 3-point range. Signed four-year, $38 million deal in 2012.
Jamal Crawford – Averaged 16.5 points, 2.5 assists, 1.7 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 1.9 turnovers in 29.3 minutes per game. Shot 43.8 percent from the floor and 37.6 percent from 3-point range. Signed four-year, $21.4 million deal in 2012.
Eric Gordon – Averaged 17.0 points, 3.3 assists, 1.8 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 2.8 turnovers in 30.1 minutes per game. Shot 40.2 percent from the floor and 32.4 percent from 3-point range. Signed four-year, $58 million deal in 2012.
Joe Johnson – Averaged 16.3 points, 3.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds, 0.7 steals and 1.7 turnovers in 36.7 minutes per game. Shot 42.3 percent from the floor and 37.5 percent from 3-point range. Signed six-year, $123.7 million deal in 2010.
Arron Afflalo – Averaged 16.5 points, 3.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 0.6 steals and 2.2 turnovers in 36.0 minutes per game. Shot 43.9 percent from the floor and 30.0 percent from 3-point range. Signed five-year, $38 million deal in 2011.
Wesley Matthews – Averaged 14.8 points, 2.5 assists, 2.8 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.6 turnovers in 34.8 minutes per game. Shot 43.6 percent from the floor and 39.8 percent from 3-point range. Signed five-year, $26.8 million deal in 2010.
Estimated contract: How many millions did Mayo cost himself by struggling down the stretch? At the All-Star break, it appeared that Mayo might get a four-year deal in the $40 million range. Now, $25 million over four years sounds more likely. The Mavs might not want to go above the midlevel exception (four years, $21.4 million).
Chris Kaman
Let’s put it this way: Chris Kaman isn’t going to invite coach Rick Carlisle to join him on one of his beloved hunting trips any time soon.
Unless, well ... never mind.
It’s an understatement to say that Kaman’s season in Dallas didn’t work out as well as anticipated. His frequent defensive lapses didn’t endear Kaman to Carlisle, resulting in Kaman spending much of the second half of the season on the fringe of the rotation, failing to get off the bench in several games.
“Frustrating,” was the politically correct way that Kaman often put it. Needless to say, that feeling was mutual.
While Kaman has repeatedly said he’d like to return to Dallas, it smacks of a veteran with precious little leverage who isn’t going to publicly close any doors. The Mavs’ quest to replace Tyson Chandler needs to move on to another big man.
The simple fact of the matter is that Kaman and German Olympic teammate Dirk Nowitzki don’t fit well together in an NBA frontcourt. With that duo playing, the Mavs were outscored by 59 points in 492 minutes this season.
As the Mavs rebuild around Nowitzki, they must find a starting center who is a better complement to him.
2012-13 stats: Averaged 10.5 points on 50.7 percent shooting, 5.6 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 0.8 blocks in 20.7 minutes.
Age: 30
Comps:
Nene Hilario – Averaged 12.6 points on 48.0 percent shooting, 6.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 0.6 blocks in 27.2 minutes per game. Signed five-year, $65 million deal in 2011.
Robin Lopez – Averaged 11.3 points on 53.4 percent shooting, 5.6 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.6 blocks in 26.0 minutes per game. Signed three-year, $15.4 million deal (last two seasons not guaranteed) in 2012.
Spencer Hawes – Averaged 11.0 points on 46.4 percent shooting, 7.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.4 blocks in 27.2 minutes per game. Signed two-year, $13.1 million deal in 2012.
Byron Mullens – Averaged 10.6 points on 38.5 percent shooting, 6.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.6 blocks in 26.9 minutes per game. Rookie contract that paid him $2.25 million last season expires this offseason.
Andray Blatche – Averaged 10.3 points on 51.2 percent shooting, 5.1 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.7 blocks in 19.0 minutes per game. Played this season for veteran’s minimum salary.
Estimated contract: It’s hard to imagine Kaman getting anything more than one-year offers. He might get half of the $8 million he made this season.
ESPNDallas.com will estimate the market value for each of the Mavericks' eight free agents and examine their worth to the Mavs in a once-per-day series.
Mike James
Mike James was a heck of a pickup off the scrap heap for the Mavericks. But he certainly isn’t a long-term solution for their glaring hole at point guard.
Give the journeyman credit. He worked his way back into the NBA via the D-League for the second consecutive season and contributed much more to the Mavs -- the 11th team of his NBA odyssey -- than anyone other than himself anticipated.
James actually started the last 23 games of the season and was relatively productive during that span, averaging 8.2 points and 4.2 assists while shooting 41.9 percent from 3-point range. The Mavs went 15-8 in that stretch, keeping their slim playoff hopes alive until the final week.
James has said he hopes to play two more years for the Mavs. However, the odds of him being given a two-year deal are significantly less than the Mavs’ puny chances of winning the lottery.
Maybe James can be an insurance policy again for the Mavs, but there’s no good reason to guarantee a roster spot to a player who has been available in the middle of the season each of the last four years.
2012-13 stats: Averaged 6.1 points, 3.1 assists, 1.6 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 1.2 turnovers while shooting 37.3 percent from the floor and 38.4 percent from 3-point range in 19.2 minutes per game.
Age: 37
Comps:
Derek Fisher – Averaged 5.3 points, 1.4 assists, 1.1 rebounds, 0.6 steals and 0.9 turnovers while shooting 34.2 percent from the floor and 37.5 percent from 3-point range in 17.4 minutes per game. Played this season for prorated veteran’s minimum salary.
Pablo Prigioni – Averaged 3.5 points, 3.0 assists, 1.8 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 1.1 turnovers while shooting 45.5 percent from the floor and 39.6 percent from 3-point range in 16.2 minutes per game. Played this season for the league minimum.
| PODCAST |
|---|
| Rick Carlisle joins Chuck Cooperstein and Tim MacMahon to discuss the Mavericks' disappointing season and what needs to happen for them to get back to the playoffs. Listen |
Jeremy Pargo – Averaged 6.8 points, 2.4 assists, 1.3 rebounds, 0.3 steals and 1.3 turnovers while shooting 39.6 percent from the floor and 33.8 percent from 3-point range in 16.8 minutes per game. Played this season for prorated veteran’s minimum salary.
Estimated contract: If James gets invited to a training camp, it’s likely to be for a nonguaranteed veteran’s minimum deal.
ESPNDallas.com will estimate the market value for each of the Mavericks' eight free agents and examine their worth to the Mavs in a once-per-day series.
Darren Collison
Darren Collison has made it clear he considers himself a starting point guard. The Mavericks have made it clear they see him as an off-the-bench sparkplug.
That difference of opinion doesn’t necessarily ruin any chances of Collison returning to Dallas, particularly if the rest of the NBA agrees with the Mavs’ evaluation of him.
“We’ll see,” Collison said. “I’m not going to say no because I definitely experienced it and I’m capable of playing off the bench. At the same time, I just know who I am as a person and as a player. I know I’m capable of playing for any team as a starter.”
If Collison gets paid starter money, it won’t be from the Mavs, whose top offseason priority is upgrading at point guard.
Nevertheless, coach Rick Carlisle called Collison “definitely a guy going forward who is one of the pieces of the puzzle here, potentially.” The Mavs appreciated Collison’s positive attitude while he dealt with being demoted behind geezer point guards Derek Fisher and Mike James. They’re also enamored with the speed and quickness that can make Collison a threat, especially against second units.
There could be a place for Collison in Dallas. It’d be coming off the bench, preferably behind a starting point guard who has proven capable of closing games.
Ranking among the league’s best backup point guards isn’t Collison’s goal. It’s just his reality as he enters free agency after finishing up his rookie contract.
2012-13 stats: Averaged 12.0 points, 5.1 assists, 2.7 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 2.1 turnovers while shooting 47.1 percent from the floor and 35.3 percent from 3-point range in 29.3 minutes per game.
Age: 25
Comps:
J.J. Barea – Averaged 11.3 points, 4.0 assists, 2.8 rebounds, 0.4 steals and 2.0 turnovers while shooting 41.7 percent from the floor and 34.6 percent from 3-point range in 23.1 minutes per game. Signed a four-year, $18 million deal in 2011.
Luke Ridnour – Averaged 11.5 points, 3.8 assists, 2.5 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 1.6 turnovers while shooting 45.3 percent from the floor and 31.1 percent from 3-point range in 30.2 minutes per game. Signed a four-year, $16 million deal in 2010.
Nate Robinson – Averaged 13.1 points, 4.4 assists, 2.2 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 1.8 turnovers while shooting 43.3 percent from the floor and 40.5 percent from 3-point range in 25.4 minutes per game. Played this season on a one-year, $1.15 million deal (veteran minimum).
| PODCAST |
|---|
| Rick Carlisle joins Chuck Cooperstein and Tim MacMahon to discuss the Mavericks' disappointing season and what needs to happen for them to get back to the playoffs. Listen |
Isaiah Thomas – Averaged 13.9 points, 4.0 assists, 2.0 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 1.8 turnovers while shooting 44.0 percent from the floor and 35.8 percent from 3-point range in 26.9 minutes per game. Entering final year of rookie contract that pays him the league minimum salary ($884,293 next season).
Estimated contract: Collison should be one of the NBA’s best-paid backup point guards. Figure he gets a four-year deal in the $15 million range.
ESPNDallas.com will estimate the market value for each of the Mavericks' eight free agents and examine their worth to the Mavs in a once-per-day series.
Elton Brand
Elton Brand feels like he has a lot of unfinished business after his only season in Dallas.
“I’d like to be back,” Brand said. “Like I said, .500 for this organization is definitely a failure. I don’t want to be a part of that and leave a bad taste. I definitely want to be here on a winning team and try to rectify what happened this season, if possible.”
Brand held up his end of the bargain as a $2.1 million amnesty waiver claim. His numbers were career lows, but Brand was a consummate professional who accepted a part-time role, provided a physical presence and an excellent influence in the locker room.
It’d certainly be understandable if Brand decided to chase a championship ring with a contender that could use a quality backup big, but he says his preference is to return to the Mavs.
The Dallas decision-makers have tremendous respect for Brand, but the Mavs’ level of interest in him could depend on several other factors. For instance, if they re-sign Brandan Wright and acquire a starting center, the Mavs might be better off utilizing their remaining cap space/exceptions to address other areas.
2012-13 stats: Averaged 7.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 assists while shooting 47.3 percent from the floor in 21.2 minutes per game.
Age: 34
Comps:
Kendrick Perkins – Averaged 4.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 1.4 assists while shooting 45.7 percent from the floor in 25.1 minutes per game. Signed five-year, $40.25 million deal in 2011.
Jason Maxiell – Averaged 6.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 0.8 assists while shooting 44.6 percent from the floor in 24.8 minutes per game. Four-year, $20 million deal expires this offseason.
Samuel Dalembert – Averaged 6.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 0.4 assists while shooting 54.2 percent from the floor in 16.3 minutes per game. Two-year, $13.7 million deal expires this offseason.
| PODCAST |
|---|
| Rick Carlisle joins Chuck Cooperstein and Tim MacMahon to discuss the Mavericks' disappointing season and what needs to happen for them to get back to the playoffs. Listen |
Zaza Pachulia – Averaged 5.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 0.2 blocks and 1.5 assists while shooting 47.3 percent from the floor in 21.8 minutes per game. Four-year, $19 million deal expires this offseason.
Estimated contract: Brand has made more than $145 million during his career, so it’s not as if he needs to go to the highest bidder. For a contender, he could be a fit for the taxpayer midlevel exception ($3.18 million salary next season). Maybe the Mavs could convince him to accept the bi-annual exception ($2.016 million).
ESPNDallas.com will estimate the market value for each of the Mavericks' eight free agents and examine their worth to the Mavs in a once-per-day series.
Rodrigue Beaubois
Remember after Rodrigue Beaubois' rookie year, when there was such strong hope that he could be part of the Mavericks’ foundation for years to come?
That, unfortunately, was the peak of the slight combo guard’s career.
Beaubois had more than his share of bad breaks. He fractured his foot while practicing with the French national team the summer after his rookie year, an injury that required two surgeries to fix and essentially wiped out his second season. His Mavs tenure most likely ended when he broke his hand in mid-March.
There were flashes of brilliance the last few seasons, but Beaubois mostly floated around the fringe of the Mavs’ rotation when he was healthy enough to play. He struggled to handle the mental responsibilities of playing primarily point guard and never was nearly as efficient scoring as he was as a rookie, when he played mostly shooting guard alongside Jason Kidd.
Beaubois never developed the type of toughness required to earn coach Rick Carlisle’s trust. His lack of development was a major disappointment in Dallas, where draft picks have rarely become contributors over the last decade.
Maybe Beaubois can benefit from a change of scenery. It’s probably in everybody’s best interest if he moves on from the Mavs.
2012-13 stats: Averaged 4.0 points, 1.9 assists, 1.3 rebounds in 12.2 minutes per game. Shot 36.9 percent from the floor and 29.2 from 3-point range in 45 games.
Age: 25
Comps:
John Lucas – Averaged 5.3 points, 1.7 assists and 1.0 rebounds in 13.1 minutes per game for Raptors, shooting 38.6 percetn from the floor and 37.7 percent from 3-point range. Made $1.5 million last season with a team option to pay him $1.57 million next season.
Patty Mills – Averaged 5.1 points, 1.1 assists and 0.9 rebounds in 11.3 minutes per game for the Spurs, shooting 46.9 percent from the floor and 40 percent from 3-point range. Paid $1.09 million this season with a team option for $1.13 million next season.
Darius Morris – Averaged 4.0 points, 1.6 assists and 1.2 rebounds in 14.2 minutes per game for the Lakers, shooting 38.8 percent from the floor and 36.4 percent from 3-point range. Made $962,195 in second season of rookie contract.
Nando de Colo – Averaged 3.8 points, 1.9 assists and 1.9 rebounds as a 25-year-old rookie for the Spurs, playing 12.6 minutes per game and shooting 43.6 percent from the floor and 37.8 percent from 3-point range. Has two-year, $2.86 million deal.
Jamaal Tinsley – Averaged 3.5 points, 4.4 assists and 1.7 rebounds in 18.5 minutes per game for Jazz, shooting 36.8 percent from the floor. Played on one-year deal for $1.35 million (10-plus-year veteran’s minimum).
Estimated contract: A short-term deal for the veteran’s minimum, which will be $1.03 million for a fifth-year player.
103.3 FM ESPN PODCASTS
Play Podcast ESPN.com senior NBA writer Marc Stein joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to touch on the storylines in the NBA playoffs and offer a Mavs perspective.
Play Podcast Rick Carlisle joins Chuck Cooperstein and Tim MacMahon to discuss the Mavericks' disappointing season and what needs to happen for them to get back to the playoffs.
Play Podcast Donnie Nelson joins Chuck Cooperstein and Tim MacMahon to discuss the Mavericks' season and the importance of this summer.
Play Podcast Rick Carlisle joins Galloway & Company to discuss the Mavericks playing after being eliminated from playoff contention, whom he wants to keep for next season and much more.
Play Podcast Marc Stein joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss the Mavericks' 12-year playoff streak coming to an end.
Play Podcast Rick Carlisle joins Galloway & Company to discuss changing up his starting lineup, Brittney Griner possibly playing for the Mavericks and much more.
Play Podcast Marc Stein joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss the Mavericks-Lakers game Tuesday night. If the Mavs lose, are their playoff hopes over?
Play Podcast Rick Carlisle joins Galloway & Company to discuss getting Dirk Nowitzki more involved in the Mavericks' game plan and much more.
TEAM LEADERS
| POINTS | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Dirk Nowitzki
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| OTHER LEADERS | ||||||||||||
| Rebounds | S. Marion | 7.8 | ||||||||||
| Assists | D. Collison | 5.1 | ||||||||||
| Steals | D. Collison | 1.2 | ||||||||||
| Blocks | E. Brand | 1.3 | ||||||||||









