Eddie Sefko

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PITTSBURGH – The Mavericks liked 6-10 forward Nathan Jawai, even while he was packing at least 280 pounds.

But they didn't like him enough to pay nearly $1.5 million to keep him.

The Australian, considered a nice project for the future, was traded to Minnesota on Tuesday for a future second-round draft pick. It's a distant future, too. In fact, it will be surprising if the Mavericks ever see it. They'll probably use it as a sweetener for a trade in the future.

What the Mavericks accomplished with the trade was to get rid of a guaranteed contract. And while Mark Cuban had to write a check to Minnesota to cover Jawai's $735,000 salary this season, he won't have to pay an extra $735,000 in luxury-tax money.

That alone makes the deal worth it. They also got down to 15 guaranteed contracts (plus the nonguaranteed Jake Voskuhl).

Aside from the impact on Cuban's wallet, the biggest winner in the deal is Jawai. Though at least one Mavericks big man thought highly of Jawai's talent, he would not have played here this season.

"It's probably best for Nathan in terms of playing time," said Jason Ranne, his agent. "We've been pushing for this, and the Mavericks were very helpful."

Another interesting sidelight is which former Maverick will play better for the Timberwolves – Jawai or Ryan Hollins?