NBA Rumors: Mavericks Making Smart Decision Saving Money for Free Agency

The defending champion Dallas Mavericks don't look much like defending champs this season. Owner Mark Cuban, however, is not going to make any moves.

The Mavericks lost some talent going into this season and are not playing with the fire they played with last year.

Again, Mark Cuban isn't panicking.

The Dallas boss obviously wants to win, but he knows that every dime he can save for this summer will give him a shot at landing, not just one, but multiple superstars.

Mavericks beat writer Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News thinks they're angling for a chance to do just that:

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The trade deadline is March 15, but it would be stunning if the Mavericks did anything of note before that because they simply don't have the sort of tradeable assets to make a blockbuster happen.

But they will have major bucks to spend in the summer. They will be able to max out at least one of those players and perhaps both, without the need of having to hash out a trade to get it done.

That's what they are angling for. But as we all know, best laid plans often are at the whim of the hoop gods.

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The top free agents—if they don't link up this year before the trade deadline—will be Deron Williams and Dwight Howard.

We know the Nets were already heavily involved in trade talks trying keep Williams and land Howard themselves.

The Mavericks want nothing more than for both them to hit the open market. If the Nets and Magic can't strike a deal, they likely will.

Dallas may not get a chance to defend their title this year, but if they land Dwight Howard and Deron Williams, they'll be able to compete for a number of years. 

Not spending money right now is Dallas' best move.