We see no sense in Dallas avoiding paying market value for a building block on the rise. Max is worth the max that he's eligible for on his next contract.
DALLAS - The Dallas Mavs have on their roster the youngest "star'' in the NBA in teenage sensation Cooper Flagg, and Job 1 around here is to not screw that up.
The next challenge? How to build around him, with a chemistry-smart combination of veterans (Kyrie Irving, hopefully healthy next year) and the likes of Max Christie.
Christie was acquired by the Mavericks a year ago in an infamous trade that saw him, Anthony Davis, and a 2029 first-round pick move from the Lakers in exchange for Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris.
That will always be viewed as a lopsided deal. But Christie, who just turned 23, is poised to help Dallas make it less so.
Last summer, when asked what day has been his favorite in his NBA career, Christie responded by saying, "It was when I got traded to the Mavericks."
Maybe that was a jab at LA. Or maybe it was just about the freedom to play a bigger role, which has been the case in Dallas, as in 52 games this season (43 starts), he’s averaging 13.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 29.7 minutes per game. He’s shooting 46.8 percent from the field, 42.3 percent from three on 5.7 attempts per contest, and 87.4 percent from the free-throw line.
He is in short emerging as a young guy who can be a starter on a good team.
So ... what's that worth?
Max is eligible this summer for a four-year, $92.8 million extension. That’s an APY of $23.2 million.
Is he worth that?
Our friends at our friends at DallasHoopsJournal do a great job there with the comps. They write ...
"De’Andre Hunter makes about $24.0 million a year. Christie is already outperforming him this season. He’s shooting 42.3% from deep, while Hunter is at 30.5%. Hunter’s deal has been viewed as one of the tougher contracts in that tier.
"Other players in that range include Aaron Gordon, Dillon Brooks, Kyle Kuzma, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. It’s a mixed bag. Some of those deals age well. Others don’t. Some pay for past production. Others bet on future growth.
"The Dallas Mavericks have to decide which category Max Christie falls into.''
Our view? As a shooter and scorer, Christie is right where he needs to be to get that payday.
And as a defender? Christie is 6-5 and does solid work guarding three positions.
He's a two-way player.
But ...
He's also a role player.
DallasHoopsJournal comes to the conclusion that the right number should be around $23 million per season, noting that "locking him up near that number would reflect what the league already pays for this type of player.''
We see no sense in Dallas avoiding paying market value for a building block on the rise. Max is worth the max that he's eligible for on his next contract.