Jeff Caplan of ESPN DFW reports that the Dallas Mavericks have made Udonis Haslem the primary target of their midlevel exception, which allows them to sign a free agent to a multi-year contract at a first year salary of the NBA average of $5.9 million.
Caplan says that the Miami Heat can only offer Haslem around $4 million, but that could be enough.
Although Dallas can clearly outbid Miami, Haslem's strong ties to the area - especially to his close friend Wade - hurt the Mavericks' chances of actually landing him. It's also possible that New Jersey could join the bidding for Haslem as well.
If Dallas could accomplish the unexpected and sign Haslem, their roster holes would effectively be filled, and they could focus on using their other assets on a more noticeable improvement in their backcourt.