After the Mavericks disappointingly missed out in the Deron Williams Sweepstakes, they were initially quiet in free agency and the trade market. This led to some consternation from Mavericks fans wondering what the heck the team was doing to make up for failing to execute Plan A of this offseason, and then appeared to be striking out on Plans B, C and D as the likes of Steve Nash, Goran Dragic, Eric Gordon, and others found new homes (or stayed put).
The Mavericks eventually put those fears to rest with a couple of shrewd moves, picking up some undervalued assets while staying out of the cash frenzy which was the first week of free agency. Following the addition of Chris Kaman, Darren Collison, Dahntay Jones, and Elton Brand, the Mavs rounded out their offseason with the addition of former Memphis Grizzlies shooting guard OJ Mayo. Exact terms of the deal have yet to be announced, but it has been reported that the contract is to be a 2 year deal with a player option for the second year. As the Mavericks had roughyl $4-4.5 million in cap space remaining, the starting salary should look to be around that number, as the team has said the acquisition was not via a sign and trade.
With this acquisition, the Mavericks now have 11 players under contract. When you include the 3 draft picks, that brings the number up to 14, and observers believe that the Mavs will try to bring back guard Delonte West with the $2.5 million “room” exception for teams with cap sapce to round out their 15 man roster.
