NBA Rumors: Ben Simmons Was Eyed by Mavs on Buyout Market Before Clippers Contract

The Dallas Mavericks were reportedly interested in signing Ben Simmons but were unable to compete in the buyout market due to salary-cap limitations, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.

Simmons signed with the Los Angeles Clippers shortly after his buyout by the Brooklyn Nets.

According to Stein, the Mavs "had interest" in bidding for Simmons, who "held appeal to the Mavericks as a small ball center."

Given that the franchise has less than $200,000 in first apron space, however, Stein wrote that it was "not mathematically possible" for the Mavs beat out bids from the Clippers, Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers.

The news came after Simmons scored 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting in his Clippers debut. He added seven rebounds, six assists, three steals and a block while committing no turnovers to help lead his new team to an overtime Thursday victory against the Utah Jazz.

Norman Powell said after the win the Clippers felt Simmons' impact "as soon as he checked in" (h/t The Athletic's Law Murray.)

“Just the passes and reads that he made... running the lane, getting out in transition and running with them," Powell said. "Because he’s such a great passer, he sees the floor so well.”

The Mavericks could use that kind of passer after reportedly losing Anthony Davis, the centerpiece of the trade return for Luka Dončić, for multiple weeks.

But the Mavs have limited ability to make trade or free agency moves given that they've been hard-capped at the first apron this season since signing Naji Marshall last summer.

Davis waived a $5.9 million trade kicker built into his contract to give the Mavericks "flexibility to be as competitive as possible," according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

Caleb Martin meanwhile chose not to waive his own 15 percent trade kicker in the deal to acquire him from the Philadelphia 76ers, which put the Mavs $4.4 million above the luxury tax and just below the hard cap, as noted by cap analyst Yossi Gozlan.

Stein previously reported the Mavericks had the option to void the Martin trade because of an ongoing hip injury, but the team stuck with the trade because they "believe Martin can recover in a matter of weeks."

That decision may have put the Mavs out of the running to compete in the buyout market for Simmons. He will now hope to add depth to the Clippers' bench amid a push to beat out opponents including the Mavericks for one of the six guaranteed playoff spots in the West.