MAVS NEWS:

[F Gump]

So they may need to waive and stretch?  That would be disappointing
Jake Fischer reports that a resolution on finding a new home for O-Max Prosper or Jaden Hardy is expected to happen by 5 PM ET tomorrow.
Reason being that is the deadline to waive-and-stretch contacts, which is what the Mavs may ultimately have to do with Prosper or Hardy…

In this case a stretch-waive is a nothing burger. OMax is what makes most sense, or Powell. Each is only 1 year of salary, at a small number, and 1/3 of the salary gets moved into each of the next 2 seasons. For OMax, that's only about 1M per season. 

I can't imagine they would have any interest in s-w Hardy because the cap hit in future years would be much bigger and last much longer (2.4M each year for this year and 4 years after this one). The mention of Hardy would have to do with finding a taker, and perhaps it being more likely with Hardy.

A s-w is merely the default option if they can't find a REASONABLE price to get rid of OMax or Hardy (being speculated by media) or Martin or Powell (which imo should also be on the table), since it is a choice they control (it doesn't take the cooperation of another team). I'm sure they will trade either, if the other team will take them and it's not going to cost much. It shouldn't take more than a 2nd R.

Isn't anyone else but me yet seeing how bad Nico's player evaluation and GM work is, even beyond the terrible Luka trade? OMax was a Nico 1st R pick, Hardy was a Nico 2nd R pick and also has an absurd contract that the Mavs didn't have any good reason to offer, Martin was a player considered to be on a bad contract and Nico took him AND gave up a pick to get him for an expiring contract player (which an awful understanding of the economics of salaries). Taking on Martin doomed the Mavs to multiple years of really bad tax consequences for a player who has little use and where they were offering a player whose contract would expire in 2 months. In every case, as well as with Luka, doing nothing was the right thing, but Nico applied his "magic" and boom it's years of struggle instead.

I am one who thinks BW is worth the cost of a 2nd, or a small s-w, to keep. And they need players like him while Kyrie is out, and perhaps even longer imo. He is EXACTLY why you do player development, to find guys like him with promise and be able to get value from them in upcoming years.

EDITED TO ADD -- By the way, the Mavs would have the ability to send enough cash along with either OMax or Hardy, and even more besides, to more than cover their full salary due this season. That might be a way to minimize or even eliminate the need for sending a pick. They can send up to 8M-ish, and the salaries that could be more than covered are Hardy 6M, Powell 4M, and/or OMax 3M.