Well, well, well, if it isn’t the consequences of my own actions
Unprecedented times call for unprecedented action, or at least that’s what the Dallas Mavericks hoped for amid the roster crisis they are facing. With ten players on the injury report prior to Sunday afternoon’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Mavericks were once again forced to play with just eight players. With their two-way players quickly running out of availability, the Mavericks are approaching the point of no return. This has reportedly led the Mavericks front office to seek out other options.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst in Monday’s Hoop Collective podcast, the Mavericks “have asked the [NBA] for relief, and to this point, the league has not offered them relief.” What relief the Mavericks are seeking is unknown, however the league is not in a position to make an exception. The Mavs are hard capped at the first apron due to acquiring Klay Thompson via sign-and-trade. The rules are in place for a reason, and other teams would certainly be bothered if the Mavericks were granted an exception to exceed the cap.
Make no mistake about it, the Mavericks put themselves in this spot. Even with all the injuries, Dallas would have a full allotment of salary for their open roster spot if they didn’t trade for Caleb Martin, who makes roughly double what Quentin Grimes makes. That means they could also apply for and use hardship exemptions to sign 10-day players. But that avenue is closed because the team is up against the cap.
The Mavericks situation is so bleak that they might have to lie on their injury report and suit up a player who physically can’t play just to avoid forfeiting games. When Kessler Edwards and Brandon Williams run out of games on their two-way contracts in the next week or so, the Mavericks will have no option other than to let them go and hope that they can get a couple guys back from injury to make sure they have eight players available.
Frankly, this dire situation the Mavericks find themselves in is the result of a blatant dereliction of duty by Nico Harrison and the front office’s brain trust. The Luka Doncic trade was idiotic simply for the fact that it was the worst trade in NBA history. But it’s the incompetence of the Grimes trade, which combined with the injures have put the Mavericks so close to the hard cap that they can’t field a full roster, that should ensure that Harrison and company don’t get the chance to see this through.