As has been brought up on several occasions, Erick Dampier's contract is a nice trade chip for the Mavs. His salary for next season is a non-guaranteed $13 million -- meaning the Mavs can trade him, and the receiving team can cut the $13 million off their books like that. But according to Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas, the team could also waive him and then bring him back at a reduced rate. "Even if the Mavs fail to trade Dampier, they'll cut him to avoid paying the $13 million," writes Caplan. "Dampier would then become an unrestricted free agent. It has been something of a given that Dampier would then re-sign with the Mavs at a reduced rate. The Mavs love Dampier's screen-setting and his attention to detail as the defensive anchor, however, they don't want to touch the MLE, which last year was $5.85 million. They're likely more in line with the bi-annual exception, which was $1.99 million last season." So what's at issue here is Dampier appears to want more than the Mavs are willing to give. In any case, Brendan Haywood is a free agent this summer, and if the Mavs let him walk, they could target some more help at center outside of Dampier. There's been rumblings that Shaquille O'Neal could land in Dallas this offseason. Source: ESPN Dallas
