DAL OFFSEASON: Trade & FA | Mavs "mostly done...but you never know."

[loki]

I really think you've missed the big picture, dating all the way back to the signing. They were ALREADY planning for the summer of 2021 back THEN, which logically means that they signed the contract thinking they would (in their ideal scenario) move him at some point between the signing and this upcoming trade deadline. Yes, the injury makes that more difficult, but definitely not impossible. And yes, they ALSO believe that should they choose not to move him, he could play an important role here effectively. 

THIS NEXT PART IS NOT DIRECTED AT STEPBACK, AS HE'S ONE OF THE FEW THAT BUYS INTO THE 2021 SPACE IDEA

So, basically, what they did with Dwight Powell PROVES that they're approaching this cap space situation differently than the way that makes everyone crazy. They DID sign a player they thought could help them, but who they were confident they could move if/when they needed. Powell. Last year, they did the same thing with Curry, Wright and Boban. They would've done it with Kemba, too. They WILL do that again this off-season, if they find an opportunity they LIKE. 

It's not the strategy that you guys are disagreeing with, it's their evaluation of who would actually make a difference here. They DO think Powell is a good player. They think he's movable, AND they think he's a fit here if they don't need to move him. This, in a nutshell, is exactly what everyone has been screaming for them to do. YOU JUST DON'T LIKE THE SAME PLAYERS THEY DO.

I'm not certain they intended to move Powell. Before covid hit, the expected 2021 cap was $125M. Dallas handed out contracts to Curry, Wright, Powell, Kleber, and Finney-Smith, and managed to maintain almost exactly $37.5M (a max slot for Giannis) in projected 2021 cap space. I don't think that was a coincidence. They structured the contracts to hit that number by having some increase in value, some decline, and some stay flat from year to year. 

I have to think they would have approached things differently if they had known that the cap would not reach anywhere near the original projection. But it's hard for me to guess who they would have prioritized signing. It's possible they felt strongly enough about Powell that he would have received the same extension and they would passed on Wright.