Rumor Mongering: Baron Davis, the Cap Space Killa

Posted by Rob Mahoney on February 16, 2009 under Rumors | 4 Comments to Read

From the New York Daily News:

The Mavs recently rejected a deal that would have sent them the Clippers’ Baron Davis. Looking to move Davis, who they signed last summer to a free-agent contract in excess of $60 million, the Clippers wanted Jason Kidd in return. But Dallas doesn’t want to move the former Net, whose contract comes off the books in July.

I’ve tackled these trade rumors once or twice on a more informal basis, but I wanted to get this on the record.  This deal doesn’t make much sense.  It puts 2007′s public enemy #1 in a Mavs uni and completely destroys any plans for future cap flexibility.  Chris Kaman is a good player, but his contract isn’t Mav-friendly either and his medical history reads longer than his resume.  Meanwhile, Kidd can be re-signed on the cheap for a one-year deal and help maximize the Mavs’ potential assets going forward.

Y’know, if Baron Davis were insanely, off-the-charts talented, I might be able to see my way around this one.  But he isn’t getting any younger, and aging, supposedly disgruntled, oft-injured point guards with lengthy contracts that could make Scrooge McDuck fantasies come true aren’t exactly my cup of tea.  Capiche?

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  • David

    I think Baron Davis would be a small upgrade in PG WHEN HEALTHY, but only a small upgrade. When you figure in his heath and his contract I do not like the deal either. I think there are other possibilities out there, such as the Shaq deal.

  • Alex

    Have you heard any grumblings about a possible trade for Tyson Chandler? I know what the Mavs need right now is offense, but it seems like Chandler would be a good way to improve the interior D. Maybe some variation of Stack and co.?

  • wacc_attack

    I would hate to see Baron come over here, and it has nothing to do with the fact the man played 6 games at 165% of his all-time potential against us that one fateful summer series. His contract and health-status are what do him in, and the same hold true for Kaman. I would welcome Kaman on the cheap, but definitely not a guy I would like to overpay for. We have a good thing going-cap space wise-with Kidd’s expiring deal; hopefully we can get him for a 1-2 year deal at considerably less this offseason. I agree with Alex, Tyson Chandler would be a very welcome addition.

  • http://www.thetwomangame.com Rob Mahoney

    If there is any connection between Chandler and the Mavs, I haven’t seen it. New Orleans is trying to clear salary, and they don’t want to take back any kind of extended salary commitments (read: expiring deals). Since Chandler’s deal is >$11 million for this season, Stack’s ‘expiring’ deal wouldn’t be enough to make the trade work numbers-wise, and the Mavs don’t have enough expiring salary to fill the gap. The only way the Mavs could get Chandler and the Hornets could get their coveted salary dump would be a trade of Jason Kidd for Tyson Chandler and Peja Stojakovic, which wouldn’t bode well for Dallas (not to mention New Orleans would be liquidating some pretty important assets for a positional redundancy). If the cost of getting Chandler is also getting Peja (and his ridiculous contract) and giving up Kidd, I’m not interested.

    Beyond that, Chandler might be a bit of an awkward fit for the Mavs. His contract is a big commitment that would definitely compromise our cap plans. His defensive skill is unquestionable, but he needs to be spoon-fed baskets if you want him to score; if Dampier’s offense (or lack thereof) infuriates fans then Chandler will surely disappoint. Adding a player with that kind of contract would hopefully come with the ability to at least take the scoring burden off of Dirk’s back for stretches. Chandler’s solid as a rock, but he’s shown little offensive improvement in his time in the league and the defensive boost comes at a considerable cost.

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