Why Cuban Won’t Seek Compensation From Mavs ‘Trade’ of Coach Carlisle

Former Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle resigned with two years left on his contract in the beginning stage of the offseason.

DALLAS - Despite having two years remaining on his contract, former Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle opted to resign from his position. The team still holds the rights to his deal as a result. 

According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, the Mavericks will 'not seek any compensation' from a team that hires Rick Carlisle.

The Mavericks will not seek any compensation from a team that hires Rick Carlisle despite the coach resigning with two years remaining on his contract, sources told ESPN. Mark Cuban does not want to complicate Carlisle’s quest for a new opportunity.

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) June 22, 2021

While it's unclear the value of the hypothetical asset(s) that could have been attained by the Mavericks, not pursing such an option is certainly a less than ideal outcome. Keep in mind, Dallas has no picks in the 2021 NBA Draft.

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One instance that stands out is that back in 2013, the LA Clippers acquired Doc Rivers from the Boston Celtics via trade. In order to do so, the Clippers sent the Celtics a 2015 first-round pick with no protections. 

The Clippers ended up shouldering the remainder of Rivers' contract, which at the time had $21 million left over the span of the following three seasons. 

The focus for the Mavericks is currently on making front office hires after the decision to move on from former general manager Donnie Nelson. After that, the priority will naturally shift to a head coaching hire. 

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There have been a variety of potential landing spots mentioned for Carlisle in his job search, including the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics. The Bucks were even mentioned as a possibility before Carlisle's resignation to which he denied at the time. 

There will be some intriguing candidates for the Mavericks to consider but it will be important their front office search doesn't take too long. There are many coaching vacancies around the league will stable front offices. 

One name that has been mentioned at times is current Mavericks assistant coach Jamahl Mosley. He is well-liked in the locker room and particularly so by Luka Doncic, which was a point of contention with Carlisle. 

There are expected to be other candidates that emerge as possibilities for the Mavericks coaching vacancy. It's almost certainly not going to occur until after front office personnel is hired and settled into the job. 

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