Why The Dallas Mavericks Should Extend Josh Green Immediately

October 23rd represents the deadline for teams to extend players on rookie contracts, which means it’s about that time to get a deal done.

For the Dallas Mavericks, and soon-to-be fourth year player, Josh Green, everything remains up in the air, which begs the question: Why?

Green, who turns 23 in November, really came alive last season, when he netted 9.1 points and three rebounds, hitting almost 54% from the field, and proving himself to be a reliable shooter, canning 40.2% of his three-point attempts.

The stats are misleading, however, as Green outplayed his statistical production. The 6’5 wing has underappreciated passing chops, is a highly switchable defender, and he oozes “full-time starter” potential, which isn’t just something you can pick up off the street.

Offering Green a deal in the range of $20 million per year – or even a smidge more – should be perfectly suitable for his continued stay in Dallas, as he’s only going to improve, and refine his game.

Furthermore, $20 million per season will in a few years’ time roughly add up as being close to the league’s Non-Tax MLE, a contract Green has currently already overshot due to his two-way production, and future potential.

Another argument for Green is his ability to fit into a team consisting of Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving. Green doesn’t need 15 shots per game, and is fully capable of providing quality minutes without being a high-volume shot-taker.

However, Green can scale up his scoring when needed, and do so in a way that fits alongside the two aforementioned ball-handlers, who frankly don’t leave a lot of possessions for the rest of the team.

And, of course, by extending Green the Mavericks lock in his services for the future – which they are going to need if they wish to for Dončić to stick around – and they make him instantly tradeable (via non-poison pill status) on July 1st 2024.

That last part is a major advantage for Dallas, which allows them to ship him out on the first day of free agency if they so choose, totally foregoing both restricted free agency and poison pill complications.

If Green somehow disappoints, and Dallas wish to cut bait, he’s still young enough for another team to be interested, and act on it. It’s even possible to argue that extending Green now – pending he doesn’t ask for a near-max deal – heavily outweighs the alternatives of not doing it.

Should Green break out in his fourth season, to the tune of an increased point average, improved defense, and a reputation as a high-end starter, Dallas will have to fork over more money next summer, and do so under the restriction of a system that technically allows Green to pick up the one-year qualifying offer, and leave after his fifth season as an unrestricted free agent.

Granted, that is the worst-case scenario, but the point remains: Dallas can avoid all of it, by extending Green now, and likely should do so even if the initial money will hurt their pride for a year or two.

As the salary cap increases, Green’s deal will look better and better, meaning there is little downside to squeeze him next summer, as that can lead to discontent.

As such, the message to the Mavericks seems clear: Unless Green is asking for unrealistic monopoly money, be willing to pay outside your comfort zone to make the future easier on yourself.

Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.