When it rains, it pours. This highlights a grim reality for Dallas Mavericks fans as the latest news comes in from ESPN.
According to NBA insider Bobby Marks, due to salary cap rules and injuries, the Mavericks may be forced to forfeit games. The reasons for the potential forfeits are completely out of the Maverick’s control, as they have struggled all season to keep players on the court. The NBA has a league minimum of 8 players that need to be available to play, and Dallas has a total of eight active players to play, and could be fewer soon.
Dallas, due to their status as a first apron team in the salary cap, can’t make any signings to put bodies on the court. The rule, as mentioned by Marks, indicates that financial flexibility will keep them from signing players. Dallas, who is now $51,000 below the first apron, can’t sign players even to 10-day contracts. Dallas can’t sign players to the team until April 12th, even for veteran minimum players. Dallas has neither the financial flexibility nor the
Dallas, even with two-way contracts, is tied by the system. Dallas has three two-way players signed to their team, one of which is injured. By two-way contract laws, a player under this designation can only be active for 50 games. Their two active two-way players, Kessler Edwards and Brandon Williams, have been activated for 47 and 44, respectively, and as these activations draw near, so does the realization that they might not be available.
According to Marks, the day to watch is March 24th vs the Brookyn Nets. If the two-way contracts run out and nobody else returns from injury, the team won’t have the minimum eight players and will have to forfeit games. The only way this could be avoided is for the team to lie and say a player is available, but that could start another issue altogether.
This has been a nightmare of a season for Dallas fans. From potential NBA Finals aspirations, the team would trade their best player in Luka Doncic, then would lose star Anthony Davis in his first game, then Kyrie Irving for the season following a torn ACL. Dallas would continually lose players and now are stuck in a position that could force them to lose games without walking on the floor.
Dallas will play the Philadelphia 76ers on March 16th, but the next few weeks could be franchise-altering for the injury-riddled team.
