There Are Some NBA Teams To Watch

The Dallas Mavericks, Indiana Pacers, and LA Lakers all seem open to taking on contract money that flows into next season in exchange for first-round draft picks.

The Mavericks have several ending contracts and seem to be willing to move all of them if it yields a decent first-round draft asset.

The Pacers have been dangling Al Jefferson’s contract in a similar fashion, hoping to cash in his $9.76 million deal into a pick. Jefferson’s contract next season is only partially guaranteed for $4 million making him disposable for a team looking to shed dollars.

The Pacers look to be among the leaders in projected cap space next season and seem open to renting some of that space to get more options in the draft.

The LA Lakers seemed poised all season to dump cap money this week, but have changed course pretty dramatically. Word yesterday was the Lakers were dangling the ending deals of both Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Brook Lopez. They were also looking for draft picks or players on rookie scale deals and seemed open to taking on contracts that expire in 2019.

In the hours leading up to the deadline, the price to move money may come down, making one of these situations more likely than not to trigger a deal.

Source: Steve Kyler, Basketball Insiders