Mavericks center Willie Cauley-Stein will turn down his $2.29M player option for the 2020-21 season and become an unrestricted free agent, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. A report earlier this week had indicated that Cauley-Stein may be leaning in that direction.
Cauley-Stein signed a two-year deal with the Warriors last summer that was worth a little more than the minimum, with a second-year player option. However, after 41 games in Golden State, he was dealt to Dallas, where he finished the season. In total, he appeared in 54 games, averaging 7.2 PPG and 5.8 RPG in 20.3 minutes per contest.
There’s a little risk involved in the decision for Cauley-Stein, who would take a pay cut if he has to settle for a minimum-salary contract in free agency this time around — his minimum would be worth about $1.88M.
It’s not clear if his decision is a signal that he’s seeking a raise or if he just wasn’t enthusiastic about returning to Dallas, where his playing time slipped to a career-low 12.1 MPG and he mostly fell out of the club’s rotation down the stretch.
Cauley-Stein is one of two Mavericks veterans holding a player option for the 2020-21 season. The other – Tim Hardaway Jr. – is considered likely to opt in.
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