Was 22 years old and was sacked in the first round? Do you understand the Mavericks’ operations?

According to ESPN reporter Shams, the Mavericks have decided to cut off 2023 first-round pick Prosper and share his contract with three years to pay.

This means that the 22-year-old forward swinger will become a free agent next season. Shortly after being laid off, the Grizzly took decisive action and picked up Prosper.

As a first-round pick, he was given up in less than two years. As for why the Mavericks made such a decision? It is actually not difficult to understand behind this.

is mainly directly related to the injury of the team's leading defender Irving. At the end of last season, Irving suffered an ACL torn and is expected to miss at least half a season. During the period when he was recovering from his injury, the Mavericks must find a suitable backcourt substitute as soon as possible.

The team has signed Russell before and plans to choose him to replace Irving and temporarily serve as the starting point guard, but the team's back line has not been completely resolved. With the Mavericks bench spread out, they are currently missing a truly reliable ball-handling substitute option.

From the current list, 23-year-old Jaden Hardy is talented, but she has not performed stably for many years, and her overall attributes are more inclined to score rather than organization; 25-year-old Brandon Williams is relatively small in size. Although she had highlights last season, she is often considered an unexpected surprise. The risk of expecting him to support the rotation in the new season is still too great.

Finally, 30-year-old veteran Exam. As the first round lottery pick in 2014, he has gradually gained a firm position on the team in the past two seasons. He is also the most reliable substitute point guard on the Mavericks' bench, and can provide stable value on both offense and defense.

Considering this, it is not difficult to see that the Mavericks' choice to cut Prosper is to free up the lineup and salary space and make an advance arrangement for Exam's contract renewal.

Judging from the paper conditions, Prosper's potential is not bad. He is 203 tall and can swing in the position of small forwards and power forwards. He has strong physical conditions and has certain potential on the defensive end. If he can be given time to stabilize, he may have the opportunity to slowly develop offensive potential.

But for the current Mavericks, the reality is relatively cruel. The team's forward resources are obviously oversupply. With the joining of No. 1 pick Cooper Flag, plus PJ Washington, Klay Thompson, Marshall, Caleb Martin and others, the forward rotation is relatively crowded, and Prosper's position naturally becomes a redundant role. In contrast, although Hardy has shortcomings on the defensive end, he can at least bring about immediate combat output. In the long absence of Irving, the Mavericks need such real-time combat power more than a potential front.

In short, it's not that Prosper is not good, mainly because the Mavericks don't need him very much at the moment.

In addition, there is a deeper reason for the layoff of Prosper:

The total remaining contract amount of Prosper is about 3 million. The Mavericks choose to cut and share it, and it will take three years to pay about 1 million a year. In this way, the team's total salary has been opened from the original close to the second rich line to about 3.6 million below the line. This also gives the Mavericks a critical respite and can successfully complete the contract renewal of Exam without triggering the luxury tax penalty.

If Hardy is replaced, although it can immediately release more space for the team, the cost is obviously greater. The 12 million guaranteed salary in the next two years plus the third-year team option will be much higher than Prosper's share cost. It is obvious that Dallas is reluctant to carry a heavier burden on salary flexibility.

In the current league, the second luxury tax line has almost become the warning red line for each team. Once triggered, not only will it require a high luxury tax, but it will also lose the flexibility of signing and replacing. For the Mavericks, it is obviously unpaid to make such sacrifices with the goal of striking achievements.

In the short term, through this operation, the Mavericks solved the problem of depth of the backcourt rotation, successfully saved Exam, allowing Kidd to retain opportunities in the rotation system and successfully deal with the rotation pressure during Irving's absence.

But from a long-term perspective, the Mavericks have also lost a young forward potential stock. Prosper is only 22 years old, has excellent physical condition and good defensive awareness. In a new environment like the grizzly, which focuses more on cultivation, more opportunities may be obtained. If it can grow in the next few years, this may be another regret for the Mavericks.

Perhaps a few years later, when Prosper really plays out with the Grizzlies, fans will look back at the operation. But at least at present, what the Mavericks choose is a more realistic direction for victory.