Breaking: What If Gooden's Contract Is Only $1.9 Mil?

   If you’ve read between the lines of our coverage of the Drew Gooden signing, you’ve undoubtedly noticed the wide swath of room I’ve allowed for the exact dollar figures involved in the one-year deal. The Mavs and the mainstream media kept writing that it was for $4.5 million guaranteed; whispers I was hearing kept causing to write that “the guaranteed portion was about half that.’’

   I promised to chase this thing down, almost as much out of my stubbornness as its importance as a story. Is it really $4.5 million? Or is it, as I was told the very weekend Gooden said “Dallas here I come!’’ something like $1.8 million? Why have the Mavs been so sly about this? And what difference does it all make?

   The answers are very intriguing. … and very promising for the Mavs.

   I informed my source, “Well, I know no such thing. It’s being reported at $4.5 million.’’

   My source reiterated the number and moved on, leaving me believing that one of us – my source or myself – was mathematically challenged.

   I hammered on the Gooden details for a week; maybe the task was made more difficult by the fact that, as you remember, he didn’t get signed very quickly after the announcement. So maybe there were still negotiations going on between the two sides? Maybe one side (Gooden’s) was really stuck on the $4.5 mil and maybe the other side (Cuban’s) was really stuck on the $1.8 million?

   ESPN was sticking with its $4.5 million number. Another NBA source told me “that’s the number that will be reported (to the league for cap purposes.)’’ So last weekend, I pretty much gave up my chase.

   But in the last 24 hours:

   *I called back my original source. He said “around $1.8 million’’ again … and while he wouldn’t give more details, he was very insistent.

   *At 11 p.m., DallasBasketball.com cap guru David Lord came screeching into my driveway (in a viral way), all sweaty and breathing heavily to tell me he just heard that my $1.8 million was right.

   “There's a story here, Fish,’’ D-Lord hollered. “If this thing is structured like it might be, it looks like the Mavs invented another “Buck Shot’’-like contract that can be used in December if needed. It's actually quite creative on their part.’’

   *Very early this morning, 75-Member Staffer “JES12’’ (quite a capologist in his own right) got a message board reply from ShamSports, another expert on NBA contracts. Sham had recently written on his site of Gooden’s deal:

  Drew Gooden: Signed a one year contract in July 2009. Only $1.9 million is guaranteed, strangely. Contract contains performance bonuses currently listed as "unlikely."

  With follow-ups and guidance from JES12, here’s what we think we know:

  *The guaranteed amount is indeed “about half the reported number.’’ It’s $1.9 mil.

 *So what’s this $4.5 million business? The great Marc Stein, who broke that information, wasn’t wrong; but the fully-guaranteed part of $4.5 mil doesn’t come into play until after Jan 10th. And the $1.9 mil will be pretty much paid by the Mavs before Jan. 10.

  *Gooden’s contract is written as $4.5 million, so that does gobble up most of the MLE. However …

  *Between Dec. 15 (the earliest Gooden can be traded) and Jan. 10 (when his fully-guaranteed contract becomes fully-guaranteed) the Mavs have themselves yet another valuable trade chip from the same family as The Stack Chip, The DUST Chip and The Buck Shot. Even after Jan. 10, Gooden’s contract can be traded as a regular expiring … . But it's grandest value is this: Dallas can trade him for up to $5.725 mil of value, and the other team can immediatley waive him, take the cap relief and not pay a penny of salary.

   If we've got our numbers right ... it's all pretty clever.

  The ramifications are many. And promising. We'll have more details for you as the day goes on, but for now: You get relief in the knowledge that Dallas didn't overpay for Gooden. You get to know that while I’m still mathematically challenged, my sources aren’t. And you get to know that the creative number-crunchers in the Mavs front office are working at this stuff even more diligently than the likes of Sham, JES, David Lord and me!

   Again, more details throughout the day ...