Mavericks waive Prosper! Use the extension clause to pay $8.2 million and free up space to sign Exum

On August 30th Beijing time, as reported by Shams, the Mavericks applied the "extension clause" to waive Prosper, spreading out his remaining $8.2 million salary over two years. The move to cut the 24th pick from the 2023 NBA Draft was primarily to open a roster spot for Dante Exum and assist the team in staying below the second luxury tax line.

With Irving expected to miss most of next season recovering from an ACL tear, the Mavericks are eager to find a backup point guard for offseason addition Russell. Their top priority is to re-sign Exum, who has been with Dallas for the past two seasons but only played 20 games last year due to wrist surgery. The team aims to sign him to a veteran minimum deal.

The issue is that even signing Exum at the minimum salary would push the Mavericks’ payroll above the second luxury tax threshold. Previously, Dallas had been trying to trade forward Prosper. Although Prosper was traded to the Mavericks on draft night by the Kings, he never secured a stable role in Kidd’s rotation. Ultimately, the Mavericks failed to trade him and had to waive him before the extension clause deadline at 5 p.m. Eastern time on Friday.

Reports indicate the Mavericks would have needed to include at least a second-round pick to successfully trade Prosper. Unwilling to give up draft assets, Dallas chose to waive the young player via the extension clause to clear salary cap space.

Last season, Prosper appeared in 52 games for the Mavericks, averaging 11.2 minutes, 3.9 points, and 2.4 rebounds per game, with a shooting percentage of 40.2% and a three-point accuracy of 23.5%.