So they dealt him to the Lakers for Anthony Davis in a Saturday night stunner that caused social media users to wonder whether some NBA insider accounts had been hacked by a clever jokester. There were no jokes. The Mavericks weren’t fully committed to paying Doncic the max, despite being a generational talent with the ability to take over games at any moment, primarily because of his history of conditioning issues. The Kings decided to part ways with De’Aaron Fox on Sunday evening when it was apparent he wouldn’t commit to a long-term deal. They had to be uncertain whether to offer the point guard so much money when they have never been past the first round in his tenure. When he didn’t show desire to re-sign, it was time to start over with draft picks and solid veteran additions such as Zach LaVine. There will be plenty of further action this week, led by the future of Jimmy Butler, who has requested a trade out of Miami but won’t commit to picking up his $52 million option for next season with teams not on his preferred list, making him more difficult for Miami to move. The Heat have zero interest in the contract of Bradley Beal, who is owed $110.8 million over the next two years and has a no-trade clause. The Heat and Suns will have to find a third or even fourth team to take on Beal’s contract; Beal also will have to approve whatever they come up with. Chicago’s Nikola Vucevic, New Orleans’ Brandon Ingram, Washington’s Kyle Kuzma, Toronto’s Bruce Brown , Brooklyn’s Cameron Johnson, Washington’s Malcolm Brogdon, Atlanta’s Clint Capela and Bogdan Bogdanovic, Chicago’s Lonzo Ball, Memphis’ Marcus Smart, Phoenix’s Jusuf Nurkic, Toronto’s Chris Boucher, and Milwaukee’s Pat Connaughton (an Arlington native) could be on the move. Of course, with the second apron a factor for Phoenix, Minnesota, Boston, Milwaukee, and New York, there are heavy limitations on what those five teams can do at the deadline. For example, the Celtics can only trade one player in a deal, meaning they cannot aggregate salaries, nor can they add cash or use any trade exception. Such restrictions have deterred teams from adding salary unless they are championship caliber, and it makes it more difficult to deal with teams who are making desired players available because the salaries do not match. Butler and Beal, among others, could stay put because teams do not have enough attractive assets to offer the Heat. Miami is a in a difficult position because Butler has power with that player option. He has told the Grizzlies and Bucks, if not others, to acquire at their own risk because he has no intention of exercising his player option. And these NBA salaries have become so exorbitant, the concept of renting a player for 30-plus games and a playoff run is truly a poor long-term investment. In the case of Doncic, the Mavericks only dealt seriously with the Lakers because general manager Nico Harrison coveted Davis, and the salaries were comparable with Davis having a player option for 2027-28. There has never been a better era for player empowerment in the NBA, but teams are beginning to draw more defined limits on what players they’re willing to pay maximum salaries. Ingram reportedly wants $50 million per season. New Orleans has chosen not to reward a player who has never played more than 65 games, nor made an All-Star Team, a potential salary cap crippling deal just because he feels worthy. The Celtics have invested more than $600 million in Tatum and Jaylen Brown , but that duo produced a championship and another NBA Finals appearance. With the league’s escalating salaries, teams are less likely to fork over hundreds of millions if they are not absolutely sure that player is a franchise cornerstone. The Wizards decided to dump Beal on the Suns for a mediocre return after making the mistake of signing a five-year, $251 million deal at the risk of losing him to free agency. Regardless, there will certainly be plenty of action in the next few days. The Lakers are seeking a center, the Bulls are looking to move more veterans, the Heat are still dangling Butler, and several teams in tank mode are looking to unload veterans and contracts for draft capital.
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