The Dallas Mavericks took the first step in freeing potential cap room to sign a major free agent after withdrawing their qualifying offer to forward Doug McDermott, less than 24 hours after extending it to him, along with teammates Yogi Ferrell and Salah Mejri.
The move could clear a cap hold of $10 million, money that could be used to sign the likes of unrestricted free agents like DeMarcus Cousins and DeAndre Jordan, or restricted free agents like Texas native Julius Randle, Aaron Gordon, or Clint Capela, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Mavs like their chances at making a run at a talent like Cousins, who is unlikely to get a max-level offer sheet from the New Orleans Pelicans, despite putting up some of his best numbers in 2017-18.
Cousins' season-ending injury poses some level of concern, as the team has been able to operate capably without him, and arguably played better when he was on the bench — making it tough to justify such an arduous expense with other impending free agents like Rajon Rondo and Nikola Mirotic.
If Cousins doesn't work out, the Mavs will try to making the second time a charm with DeAndre Jordan, after he infamously pulled out of his verbal agreement with the team after he was barricaded in his home next to his teammates.
Randle and Capela represent real opportunities as restricted free agents, as the Mavs can make substantial offers that could put the Lakers and Rockets in a conundrum if they are unable to match an offer. Gordon is expected to reach an agreement with the Magic, as the lone franchise player.
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