FA: JaVale McGee 3yrs/$17.2M to DAL | will indeed start at center

[Kammrath]

The reality is that if we make that contract correctly, Jalen is a restricted free agent last year with NY desperate to get him and the Mavs not thinking he was worth a max extension (like most of this board).  Odds are they either make an offer we don't match or we trade him to them for very limited assets (not our 23 pick).  If there were mistakes with Brunson they were:

Not offering a max extension.  It was a tough decision last summer and I understand why the would not.  If they really could have signed him to the max extension in January, then that was a huge mistake, but Rick Brunson had a huge agenda and I don't really trust anything he has said through this process.  There is also a reasonable chance Brunson does not that that extension even in the summer.  There were thoughts even then that he wanted to be the PG on a team and wanted to test out free agency.

Not trading at deadline.  The question is what they could have gotten?  If NY thinks they already have Brunson in the bag in the summer and most other NBA teams have the same thought, then there might not have been that much on the table.

Not doing an S&T.  Burks and our 23 would have been a no brainer, but not sure that was on the table.  Did they have to pay anything to dump Burks?  Otherwise the only real option was to pay tax dollars for draft capital.  How often does a tax team take on more salary/tax for draft capital?  

Offer 5/125 for Brunson.  My understanding is that they would not go this high.  If this would have gotten him, then this is their biggest mistake.  At worst he is a neutral asset on that contract.  He is starting in the low 20s with the cap likely going up in.  I don't think he is the perfect fit on this team, and we most likely would have eventually traded him, but we should have offered that.  I'm not sure he takes it though.  I think his mind was made up to go to NY.

GREAT post.