Posted on Mon, Jun. 27, 2005
Mavs are expected to dump Finley
By Art Garcia
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
Barring the unexpected, Michael Finley's career with the Mavericks is effectively over. The financial implications of waiving the longest-tenured member of the team far outweigh keeping Finley, making his release "academic," according to a team source.
Finley is eligible to be waived under a one-time-only exception in the new collective-bargaining agreement recently agreed upon by the NBA and the players' association. Teams above the luxury tax threshold, such as the Mavs, are permitted to release one player this summer and avoid the luxury-tax penalty from that player's contract.
"Whatever decisions [we make] will be made in the best interest of the franchise," Mavs coach Avery Johnson said Sunday. "That's pretty much what we promised our players and our fans. The part of the business of losing anyone on our team isn't a good feeling, especially Finley."
A player released would still receive his full salary for the length of the contract and count against the salary cap, but that salary would not be used to calculate the luxury-tax penalty. In Finley's case, he's on the books for $51.8 million over the next three years.
"It's a process we're working through together," Mavs president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said. "We're sharing information and trying to address all the different options. We'll be working along with Michael and his representatives to figure out a win-win situation."
Assuming the Mavs remain above the luxury-tax threshold -- a safe assumption -- Finley's deal would cost the Mavs up to $103.6 million. Waiving Finley would save Mavs owner Mark Cuban up to $51.8 million in luxury-tax payments.
But that's only part of the savings for the next three years, because Finley's contract is substantially deferred. The Mavs would pay Finley approximately $5 million of next season's $15.9 million salary, with the remainder spread out over a number of years. It's a similar situation for the last two years of his deal, meaning the overall bottom-line savings for the next three seasons could fall in the $80 million range, a figure even the billionaire owner can't ignore.
Finley and Cuban were in Mexico over the weekend attending the wedding of Mavs equipment manger Al Whitely. Considering his value to the franchise for the last eight seasons, Cuban wanted the opportunity to address the situation with Finley face-to-face.
Finley, 33, would be the second member of the former "Big Three" to leave the Mavs in the past year. Steve Nash left for Phoenix via free agency last summer, leaving only Dirk Nowitzki from what was once considered the franchise's core threesome.
If waived, Finley is free to sign with any team except the Mavs. The market for Finley, an effective locker-room presence with a career 19-point scoring average, is expected to be good. His new salary also could lead to even more savings for the Mavs. The new CBA contains a formula that could offset some of what the Mavs owe Finley, though the details have yet to be finalized.
Finley can't officially be released until the final version of the CBA is ratified by both the league and the players. That's expected to occur in late July.
Trading the 10-year veteran -- a consideration after the season -- no longer makes sense. The Mavs have moved big contracts in the past, including Juwan Howard, Raef LaFrentz, Nick Van Exel, Antoine Walker and Antawn Jamison, but moving Finley in return for another big contract doesn't alleviate the luxury-tax penalty.
If Finley did return, his chances of being in the starting lineup would be remote. The tentative plan would be to use Finley to back up Josh Howard at small forward. Internally, the Mavs are considering Jerry Stackhouse and Marquis Daniels at shooting guard, although acquiring outside help is an option, as well.
Finley's health is also a concern. He has been plagued by injuries in recent seasons and underwent successful ankle surgery earlier this month, a procedure that wasn't done under the supervision of the Mavs' medical staff. Finley missed 18 games last season and averaged 15.7 points, his lowest output since joining the Mavs in the 1996-97 season.
