Best guards Dallas Mavericks could target in free agency if Jalen Brunson leaves

Top restricted free agents Dallas Mavericks could target to replace Jalen Brunson

Restricted free agents are always difficult to acquire because their current team has the right to match any offer, and they can exceed the salary cap to do so. Often, they are young players with upside that their current team has no design of letting get away. It also slows down the team that inks the offer sheet as the current team has two days to match the offer.

Collin Sexton is the top restricted free agent guard this summer. Despite suffering a season-ending knee injury after just 11 games this season, the Mavericks have zero chance of landing him in a free agency. Sexton will get significantly more than the taxpayer mid-level of just $6.149 million.

Dallas could work out a sign-and-trade, but that would hard-cap them, which is expected to be around $155 million in salary. The Mavericks have $151 million committed before re-signing Jalen Brunson, so pulling off any sign-and-trade would mean losing Brunson and trimming their roster further to stay under that number.

The top restricted free agents Dallas could sign for under the taxpayer mid-level are Aaron Holiday and Facundo Campazzo. Neither moves the needle for the Mavericks, and both offers would likely get matched by their current squads.