Mavericks will be over the cap next summer so how can they improve?

How can Mavericks improve roster without cap space? 2. Sign and trade

Fans have seen this maneuver being used a lot more in recent years as a way for free agents to go to their preferred destinations. The Mavericks were burned by this in their pursuit of Kyle Lowry during the 2021 offseason. The six-time All-Star ultimately landed in Miami via a sign and trade that featured Goran Dragic going to Toronto and eliminated a second Mavs target.

There were multiple sign and trades over the summer, including DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, Lauri Markkanen, Evan Fournier, and Doug McDermott. It is a way for the free agent to make additional money and play for the team of his choosing. Completing a sign and trade does hard cap the team for that year, meaning they cannot exceed the tax apron at any point.

The Mavs hard-capped themselves this season by using their full mid-level exception and their bi-annual exception.

It is unclear where the tax apron will land next season, but it sits at $143.0 million this season. Dallas already has $136.2 million committed in salaries, according to Spotrac, so their flexibility will be limited in using both their mid-level exception and acquiring players via sign and trade. Even more so, if they plan on re-signing Jalen Brunson and Dorian Finney-Smith.