A $3.9 million salary is a lot of bread.
No, seriously. Raymond Felton can buy a lot of bread with his 2015-16 player option. That's an option that Felton is exercising, according to a report from RealGM.
Felton earned $3.8 million this past season in the third year of a four-year, $14.9-million deal he received as a part of a 2013 sign-and-trade from the Portland Trail Blazers to the New York Knicks. He was subsequently dealt to the Dallas Mavericks last offseason, with his option year representing the cost for the Mavericks to land Tyson Chandler in the deal.
Used sparingly in head coach Rick Carlisle's rotation, Felton averaged career lows of 3.7 points, 0.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.4 steals and 9.7 minutes while shooting 40.6 percent from the floor in his 29 appearances. He's likely to fill a similarly deep reserve role next season unless Dallas's offseason goes awry or the Mavericks can find a taker for his services.
Prior to this season, Felton was a moderately effective offensive point guard. From 2011-12 to 2013-14, he averaged 11.7 points and 5.8 assists, a step down from his earlier peak but serviceable numbers. Were he to be able to improve his 33.2-percent career mark from outside, the 30-year-old could resurface as a backup point guard.
