Dallas Mavericks feel jilted as Yogi Ferrell signs with the Kings

The Dallas Mavericks thought they had a deal to re-sign Yogi Ferrell, but after a change of heart and a larger contract offer from the Kings, he will be heading to Sacramento.

The Dallas Mavericks thought they had their roster for the coming season figured out heading into Friday.  They had 12 players under contract before July 19 and agreed to deals to re-sign Yogi Ferrell and ink rookie Ray Spalding on Thursday.  That left the final roster spot for Dirk to set the Mavs roster, but things did not work out.

It started early Friday with this report from Shams Charania.

Flashback for Mavs fans

Dallas fans had been here before and the feeling felt all too familiar.  A player agreeing and then backing out of a contract does not happen that often in the NBA, but it famously happened to the Mavs with DeAndre Jordan three years ago.  That feeling crept back this morning with the Ferrell news.

Agrees with Kings

The Sacramento Kings, the team with most cap space to spend, swooped in quickly to secure Yogi Ferrell’s services.  It did not take long for the two sides to agree to a deal.  Ferrell got two-years and $6.2 million from the Kings.

Must Read: Players who must improve for the sake of the Mavs

More money for Yogi

Ferrell secured himself more money and a guarantee on the second year of his contract with the Kings.  Those are two things Dallas was not offering.  The switch happening in the 11th hour leaves Mavs fans with a sour feeling, but ultimately Sacramento made a higher offer and apparently the Mavericks front office was unwilling to match.

The Mavs mistake

The most significant error Dallas made in this whole saga was rescinding his qualifying offer.  The news looked insignificant at the time, but the Mavs had a $2.9 million qualifying offer attached to Ferrell.  They rescinded it because the two sides both seemed motivated to get a new longer-term deal done.

Had they kept that qualifying offer attached, the Mavs could have matched the Kings offer and still have Ferrell as their backup shooting guard right now.  No use crying over spilled milk, though.  Yogi is off to Sacramento and Dallas has a roster spot to fill in the coming days.

Where to go now

Where the Dallas Mavericks go now is perhaps the most interesting part of the Ferrell news.  It seemed like a foregone conclusion since the season ended that Yogi would be back and be in the guard mix for the Mavs.

The options on the free agent market have dwindled at this point, and the Mavs do not have a huge glaring hole on their roster.  Dallas has five players capable of logging minutes in the backcourt and a plethora of frontcourt options too.

The Mavericks have limited funds available also.  It will be interesting to see if they can convince a veteran to come to Dallas on a short-term cheap deal or if they keep that roster spot open heading into training camp.  Stay tuned.

Final thoughts

Yogi Ferrell agreed to a deal with the Dallas Mavericks before backing out and taking more money to play for the Sacramento Kings next season.  It was a disappointing turn of events for the Mavs and their fans, but they will move on.

Keep an eye out for what the Mavericks front office does from here.  Expect some rumors or a signing to happen in the coming days, and we will be here to bring it all to you.

Next: Will DeAndre Jordan be with the Mavs long-term?

The Smoking Cuban provides all the information that Dallas Mavericks fans desire, so please check back with us daily to never miss a moment.  Thank you for reading.