5 NBA teams that could benefit from an increased salary cap

. . Cleveland Cavaliers. 1. player. 156. <p>Heading into the 2016-2017 season when the cap will jump to $89 million, the Cavaliers will have just a little over $27 million on the books with the contracts of Kyrie Irving and Anderson Varejao.</p><p>The assumption is that LeBron James will re-sign with the Cavaliers for the new max. Assuming the max is around $30 million as reports suggest, that would put the Cavaliers around $57 million or so with just enough for another max contract.</p><p>While that might not sound different than their current situation, the kicker is that when the salary cap leaps to an expected $108 million the following season, the team could add more valuable pieces around James, Irving and whatever superstar they could potentially land alongside them.</p><p>The average value of contracts will probably rise with the new cap, but the added bonus of the $100 million season is that they will be able to add more attractive pieces to an already dominant roster.</p>

. Washington Wizards. 2. player. 142. <p>The Washington Wizards are in a unique position for when the increase in the salary cap comes. They have John Wall under the current max til the 2018-2019 season, which is about $10 million plus lower than what the new max contract will be under the increased salary cap.</p><p>Heading into the 2017-2018 season when the cap is expected to hit $108 million, the Wizards will have just a little over $30 million on the books <a href=.

player. 79. <p>The Mavericks are in a bit of an interesting situation going forward. While their will be many moves and draft picks made before the salary cap rises to $108 million, the Mavericks currently only have the $4 million plus on the books for 2017-2018 with the contract of Devin Harris.</p><p>Dirk Nowitzki will be 39 going on 40 and it will be interesting to see if he will still be playing by the time the new cap comes around. The Mavericks will also have to decide this off-season the futures of both Tyson Chandler and Rajon Rondo.</p><p>Both Chandler and Rondo are currently unrestricted free agents. If the Mavericks do re-sign both, it’s likely their new contracts will take up a bit of the 2017-2018 space unless they both sign short-term deals.</p><p>While trying to determine what an empty roster will look like three years from now, it’s no secret that Mark Cuban has a great reputation around the league with players and takes care of his own. With such a longstanding reputation and a willingness to bring in top talent, the Mavericks will be a very appealing destination to players looking to get paid.</p>. . . Dallas Mavericks. 3

4. player. 27. <p>When it comes to spending money, the New York Knicks are always willing to enter the conversation. When the 2017-2018 season rolls around, the Knicks already have one max piece in place on the roster in Carmelo Anthony.</p><p>After their horrid season this year, the Knicks will also have a likely top pick in a talented draft. If the Knicks can hit on that pick and have a talented young player on an affordable deal to pair with Anthony, all of a sudden a team that many write off, could be one of the top destinations for talent to come too.</p><p>Sure, the moves the Knicks make this free agency and next will have some cap holds on that $100 million season, but if Phil Jackson and co. can smartly manage the cap, they are in one of the best positions of any team to strike big in free agency.</p><p>The thought of Anthony, a talented 2015 draft pick and potentially enough room for two max contracts is one that could finally reverse the fortunes of the Knicks franchise.</p>. . . New York Knicks

. Minnesota Timberwolves. 5. player. 86. <p>When it comes to thinking of where super teams can form and max contracts, the Minnesota Timberwolves are probably not the first team that comes to mind. They probably aren’t even the 10th or 15th team that comes to mind.</p><p>However, the Timberwolves have a leg up on the competition thanks to the acquisition of Andrew Wiggins. Currently, the Wiggins only have close to $40 million on the books heading into 2017-2018. Those contracts include the $11.6 million contract of Nikola Pekovic, the $14.2 million contract of Ricky Rubio and team options for Wiggins, Zach LaVine and Adreain Payne.</p><p>More space could be made if they decline those team options, but as a young building team it doesn’t make sense to do so. The big coup here for the Wolves here, is that Wiggins will be in the final year of his rookie deal with the team option. Now, the Wolves and Wiggins could certainly come to terms on an extension before then and take away some of the $60 million+ in space that they will have, but still they could have a potentially intriguing roster.</p><p>The thought of Wiggins, solid pieces in Rubio and Pekovic, a talented 2015 draft pick and whatever other draft picks plus cap space could be very enticing to free agents, especially if the Wolves hit on their draft picks and Wiggins joins the ranks of the top superstars in the league.</p><p>The future in Minnesota is bright and if things continue to progress, they could become a major player for the services of top players.</p>.