The Dallas Mavericks are utilizing the waive and stretch provision on 2023 first-round choose Olivier Maxence-Prosper, per ESPN’s Shams Charania, making the 22-year-old ahead a free agent for subsequent season. ‘O-Max’ is not a large title you’d acknowledge, however being a former first-round choose garners sufficient consideration to make you surprise why the Mavericks dumped him simply two years after buying him within the 2023 draft.

Let’s break down why the Mavericks made this transfer and what it means for them going ahead.

Why did the Mavericks waive Maxence-Prosper?

This primarily considerations Kyrie Irving’s standing for subsequent season. With the All-Star guard sidelined for at the least half of subsequent season attributable to an ACL tear, the Mavericks will want all the assistance they’ll get within the backcourt till he returns. They signed D’Angelo Russell in the summertime as their massive free company pickup, who will instantly slot in as the place to begin guard in Irving’s absence. 

However when wanting on the bench for Dallas, it would not have a dependable backup guard to eat up these second-unit minutes. There’s Jaden Hardy, who has struggled to seek out constant minutes in Jason Kidd’s lineup for years now, and is of course extra of a capturing guard than somebody who can orchestrate the offense. Past that, there’s the undersized Brandon Williams, who had just a few breakout performances final season, most notably a 17-point, five-assist outing within the Mavericks’ play-in win in opposition to the Kings. Williams confirmed promise in bursts, however was a two-way participant in every of the final two seasons, so counting on him considerably out of the gate could also be an enormous gamble for a Mavericks group with excessive expectations.

That is the place Dante Exum is available in. The 2014 lottery choose has spent the final two seasons with the Mavericks and has grow to be an vital piece off the bench for Dallas within the reserve level guard spot. He is a extra established participant, gives measurement and protection in a backcourt that severely wants it, and might arrange the offense whereas additionally getting you just a few baskets an evening. Waiving O-Max opens up a roster spot for Dallas to re-sign Exum, one thing they’ve lengthy been rumored to do since free company opened earlier this summer time. The Mavs had been hoping to discover a commerce to maneuver O-Max or Hardy first, however with the deadline to make use of the waive and stretch provision being 5 p.m. ET on Aug. 29, Dallas had no different possibility.

Selecting to waive Maxence-Prosper over Hardy turned a call born from Dallas’ present circumstance. If the Mavericks had extra high quality backcourt depth, they most likely would have saved O-Max and waived Hardy, only for the straightforward proven fact that Maxence-Prosper’s measurement makes him the extra versatile participant, particularly on protection. At 6-foot-8, he can slide between each ahead positions, and whereas his offensive sport is restricted, if he had been given extra alternatives, he certainly would have developed that a part of his sport. Hardy is a legal responsibility defensively, however can rating in bunches when he will get scorching.

There’s additionally the truth that the Mavericks now all of a sudden have an inflow of forwards with the No. 1 general choose on this 12 months’s draft, Cooper Flagg, being added to a rotation that already options P.J. Washington, Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall and Caleb Martin. O-Max is the odd man out, so this resolution is smart.

What does this imply financially for Dallas?

Waiving and stretching the remaining $3 million owed to O-Max means Dallas will probably be paying him about $1 million over the subsequent three years. That places Dallas roughly $3.6 million underneath the second tax apron, after they had been beforehand $1.6 million under it earlier than waiving him. That now provides the Mavericks sufficient wiggle room to signal Exum with out going above the second apron and triggering the penalties that come together with that.

It could not seem to be a lot, however Exum was making $3 million final season with the Mavericks, so liberating up that more money will guarantee Dallas is not forcing him to take a pay reduce to stay with the group. Had the Mavericks waived Hardy as a substitute, it will’ve offered extra cap reduction upfront, as he is assured $12 million over the subsequent two years with a group possibility on the third 12 months. However Dallas would’ve been paying that over 5 years as a substitute of three, and roughly $1.5 million greater than what they’re going to be paying Maxence-Prosper.

It isn’t probably the most supreme scenario to shortchange your future financially, particularly when practically each group within the league is looking for even the smallest quantity of cap reduction to keep away from the second tax apron. This can be a problem for Dallas a 12 months or two from now, nevertheless it’s a transfer they needed to make to be able to guarantee they’ve dependable backcourt depth for subsequent season.