Chris Kaman is OK with the $8 million offer from the Mavericks. (Getty Images)

You can can kind of understand the disconnect. Chris Kaman was an All-Star two years ago. Then he became trade filler, trade bait, and finally has settled into low-budget veteran free agent signing. Teams weren't courting Kaman. No one was talking about his impact on the team. The Hornets had to shut down trade talks last year after they couldn't get an offer that was anything close to what they wanted. 

But all Kaman knows is he was an All-Star, and can play. So the fact he was unable to get anything more than the one-year, $8 million deal fom the Mavericks is a little baffling. From the Dallas Morning News: 

One-year contracts are not what most NBA players want. And while the six zeroes at the end of Kaman’s salary make it hard not to like, he admitted Friday evening that he had aspirations for a longer-term deal.

But he also knew what reality was.

“Obviously, one year isn’t the most perfect situation for me,” Kaman said. “I would have liked more [years], obviously. But that’s not what was on the table. And I know why. And I respect the reason why. Hopefully, I’ll show I’m a valuable piece for this team.”

Kaman, keen to the fact that the Mavericks are retooling the roster while also staying primed for free-agent stars next summer, may have a future as a general manager with that sort of thinking.

via Kaman sees a future in Dallas, hoping for more than one-year stay with Mavs | Dallas Mavericks Blog.

Glad that Kaman can live with only $8 million on a one-year deal. 

Kidding, he's clearly worth that and more on the market. Centers who can tie their own shoes are worth as much on the market, and Kaman has a bigger build and more experience than many that got monster deals this offseason. 

Still, it's interesting to see what the Mavericks are doing, essentially throwing together a team that features multiple former All-Stars with some promising young players to get through next year and try and figure out a plan. It's an on-the-fly rebuild of sorts, and it shows why the Mavericks are just an innovative and intelligent team from the top down. For Kaman, it's a chance to play his way into the last big contract he wants. 

It's not what he wants, but it'll do. 

(HT: HoopsHype)