Mark Cuban wasn’t able to make Nerlens Noel commit long-term in Dallas as they were on different pages during the negotiation process, but the Mavericks' owner said that he’s still “satisfied” with how things turned out.
It was rumored that Cuban and the Mavs initially offered Noel a deal in the range of $17.5 million per year, but the 23-year-old center was reportedly seeking the max or a contract in the region of $20 million a year — an amount that the Mavs thought was too much for his value.
As a result, Nerlens Noel chose to bet on himself this year and signed the one-year, $4.1 million qualifying offer from the Mavs that would make him an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Mark Cuban admitted that it wasn’t the ideal result as he would have preferred Noel signing an extension. However, he said that they did their best and gave the big man a significant offer which they felt was right.
Cuban told ESPN Dallas:
“I’m satisfied with it. I wouldn’t call it happy.”
“We made what we thought was a significant offer. Nerlens decided to bet on himself, and now we’re in a position where, if everybody comes out ahead this coming season, he’ll get paid, we’ll be happy, and we’ll go on with life. He’s not going to be the first player to bet on himself, and he won’t be the last.”
The Shark Tank star also explained that Noel, as well as a lot of players, misjudged the current NBA market, expecting the cap to go up. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen and Cuban said “everybody got squeezed.”
Nerlens Noel will now have the chance to prove himself and show that he’s worthy of the money he’s demanding. For Mark Cuban and the Mavs, however, they know that losing Noel in free agency next year is a possibility, especially if his gamble pays off.
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