NBA rumors: Dallas Mavericks can’t afford to offer free agent max contract

The Dallas Mavericks are expected to be players in NBA free agency this Summer, though, maybe not as much as some would have figured, especially after the franchise decided to acquire Tyson Chandler from the New York Knicks earlier this week.

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Franchise star Dirk Nowitzki has been more than open about his desire to take a ‘pay cut’ to help the Mavericks in free agency and while it will certainly help, it unfortunitly won’t be enough to offer a max contract to a player like Carmelo Anthony or LeBron James.

That’s the word from Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban who stated such a sentiment on Saturday morning, this according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

While the idea of selling the franchise (which is among one of the best in the NBA) and the lure of a title is certainly intriguing for potential free agents, it’s not often we see high-level players decide to take a lesser contract (outside of the whole Miami Heat love-fest) in exchange for such.

Still, the Mavericks do have plenty to offer but in comparison to the Houston Rockets or the previously mentioned Miami Heat, you have to wonder if the lack of finances will hurt Dallas in their attempts to lure an All-Star level player to Big D.

It’s possible the Dallas Mavericks could attempt to shed a bit of salary with additional trades, but it won’t be nearly enough to put them in position to offer a max contract.

As for Nowitzki, he is still expected to crack a deal over $10 million at minimum.