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Just using the MLE for a wing sized player isn´t enough. Mavs desperately need to improve the wing depth. Keeping MKG would be a start but they need more. One option would be to pick up SG/SF/PF prospects in the draft. Gambling on some veterans and the Mavs player development might be an option as well.

Wings that might be available for the minimum:

Demare Carroll - Can still play defense but has lost his jumper. More of a PF/C
Jeff Green - Currently playing a great series vs the Thunder. Might earn a bigger contract.
Patrick Patterson - With declining athleticism he turned into a small ball 4/5. Good shooter.
Jared Dudley - Good shooter. Physical/dirty player. Would certainly help against teams like the Clippers.
Josh Jackson - Has all the tools but lacks the mentality to make it work. Good athlet. Needs to work on his jumper.
Solomon Hill - Big, strong and not the worst shooter.
Kyle Korver - All time great shooter. Nearly unplayable on defense.
Marvin Williams - Good shooter. Still useful on defense.
Evan Turner - More of a PG. Needs the ball. Bad shooter.
E´Twaun Moore - Good shooter. Undersized for a SG/SF.
Alonzo Trier - Waived by the Knicks. Good scorer. Not sure if we want him in the Mavs locker room.
Wayne Ellington - Beem there, done that. Can shoot but never found a role in RCs offense.
Andre Roberson - Comeback after a long injury break. Was one of the best defenders in the league. Also one of the worst shooters.
Glenn Robinson III - Good athlet. Okay shooter. Lacks fundamentals.
Marco Bellinelli - Good shooter. Terrible defender.
Courtney Lee - Good shooter. Great locker room guy. Already knows the Mavs system.

Looking at the available options the Mavs need to nail the MLE signing. Not a lot of useful low budget options available and the usual ring chasers probably still prefer both LA teams, the Nets or the Warriors.

(08-21-2020, 04:08 PM)StepBackJay Wrote: [ -> ]Forgive me if this was already posted:
https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2020/8/21/...-18th-pick

I realize people want to get rid of their favorite whipping boys (typically Wright and Powell) and imagine the combination of pick and slug will somehow bring us a starter.  But, let's be real.  We would do well to get another 7th man type for#18 and either of those guys.  Keeping the pick probably won't prove much more fruitful.  The 18th pick is most likely to be nothing more than a good rotation player with a high likelihood the player taken won't be in the league 5 years from now.

I realize we need a couple more starters, but incremental gains are still gains.  For instance, finding someone to take the minutes Jackson/Lee/MKG played this year (about 1500), but do it better than any of them, would be valuable.  I've pointed this out before, but Jackson is almost an exact trade match for Cedi Osman.  Cedi wouldn't start here, but he would help the team by playing those 1500 minutes better than they were played this season.

(08-23-2020, 08:51 AM)DanSchwartzman Wrote: [ -> ]Cedi Osman.

He would be a good target. Cleveland is projected to draft Avdija, a SF, and they already have younger SF prospects in Porter and Windler. The other reasonable targets with Wright contract (and probably a sweetener) could be Satoransky, Young, Snell. In any case, I would look really hard to move Wright for a better fitting piece, even if it is a 7th type player. Powell will not be traded, unless he is a missing salary in a big trade. 

Looks like Millsap ruined his value a bit in the bubble. Would you have him as MLE PF? I think his experience and production would be great for us for a season or two. Mavs will certainly make MPJ and Grant a priority at PF. Unless of course, Grant leaves.

My favorite options remain:
1. Trade Wright + pick(s) (18 and 31 if needed) for Richardson (probably 3-team trade with someone like Detroit Kennard) and sign a strong PF for MLE (Grant, Milsap, Ibaka, Morris)

2. Trade Wright+pick (future second or two) for Young, sign Dunn or DJJ for MLE (or oldest Holiday as a back up)

In both cases we improve defensively a lot while all listed guys should thrive in offense with Luka. If we remain in draft, some teams are very successful finding defense specialists even with low picks (or undrafted) and teach them to become passable on offense. The value of someone like Dort or Thybulle on this team would be huge.

Would the Bulls and Hornets do this?

Bulls get

THJ
Zeller

Hornets get

Powell
Wright
Jackson
Boban

Mavs get

OPJ
Batum

Frees up three roster spots next season and max cap space in 2021. I don´t hate it for the Bulls and Hornets. Bulls get fair value, but also additional expiring contracts for next season. Hornets currently only have Rozier under contract for 2021/2022 at over $5M, so they can absorb Wright + Powell veteran leadership no problem. Plus Jackson is a NC boy. MJ BELIEVE.

(08-23-2020, 04:09 PM)Mavs2019 Wrote: [ -> ]Would the Bulls and Hornets do this?

I think you would have to be sending picks to both. OPJ is Bulls only wing and they don't save money with this trade. They are also set at C with Carter and Gafford. Charlotte gets two bad contracts for two expirings.

For the love of God get this team some 3D players. And are we sure not replacing Lee with an actual player who plays was a great idea? Maybe Lee is willing Luka to victory over there from the bench but I would have rather taken my chances with a player that could help. We saw how critical Burke was to this thing. What if we found, I don't know a big or wing that did 15% of what Burke has done in this series? Anyway I digress.

We need wings. Maxi cannot buy a bucket but it's really him and MKG that are forced into a "big wing" type of role. Jackson is dead weight. Mavs need to load up on wings.

(08-23-2020, 06:41 PM)StepBackJay Wrote: [ -> ]For the love of God get this team some 3D players. And are we sure not replacing Lee with an actual player who plays was a great idea? Maybe Lee is willing Luka to victory over there from the bench but I would have rather taken my chances with a player that could help. We saw how critical Burke was to this thing. What if we found, I don't know a big or wing that did 15% of what Burke has done in this series? Anyway I digress.

We need wings. Maxi cannot buy a bucket but it's really him and MKG that are forced into a "big wing" type of role. Jackson is dead weight. Mavs need to load up on wings.

Lee was mentioned by THJ in the postgame interview. THJ praised JJB, Lee and MKG because they help and encourage him when he is struggling.
Team chemistry is important but I agree that we also need to think about roster updates. I would love to keep JJB around but not as a player. He basically is part of the coaching staff anyway. Mostly talking/working with Trey Burke. Hope that he officially becomes a player development coach next year.
Lee was still useful in limited minutes prior to his injury. If he is as important for the locker room as some people think I wouldn´t mind if he gets the 14th or 15th roster spot.
Just look at the available veteran wings. We probably won´t find a better option anyway.
MKG is earning more and more minutes in the bubble. Would definitely try to resign him. Minimum deal and shooting drills during the offseason.

Agree that Jackson is dead weight. If there is a way to replace him I am all in on it but he is a negative asset and I am not sure what the Mavs would need to add to get rid of him.

MKG so far is JAG. I don't see him getting resigned unless he comes up big in the next couple of games. So far he fouls too much and doesn't shoot. There are plenty of other options out there. Mavs have a bunch of roster spots at their disposal to load up on talented role player. I agree Lee could be an end of bencher type. JJB looks kind of retired at this point. He could still be useful in emergency situations. I would just grab as many vet wings that play defense as possible.

(08-23-2020, 07:04 PM)StepBackJay Wrote: [ -> ]MKG so far is JAG. I don't see him getting resigned unless he comes up big in the next couple of games. So far he fouls too much and doesn't shoot. There are plenty of other options out there. Mavs have a bunch of roster spots at their disposal to load up on talented role player. I agree Lee could be an end of bencher type. JJB looks kind of retired at this point. He could still be useful in emergency situations. I would just grab as many vet wings that play defense as possible.

Made a list earlier in the thread. Not a lot of useful veterans available. Especially for the minimum. MKG had some big plays today. Multiple big time stops vs Kawhi in the 2nd quarter. Cannot expect more from a vet min signing.
He has been one of the better players since the bubble restarted and earned his minutes. Certainly more deserving than Jackson or Wright.

https://twitter.com/RealDealBeal23/statu...82080?s=20

At this point, I'd say that the "better version of Burke" is just Burke. But we're going to have to clear cap space to afford him.

(08-23-2020, 08:51 AM)DanSchwartzman Wrote: [ -> ]I realize people want to get rid of their favorite whipping boys (typically Wright and Powell) and imagine the combination of pick and slug will somehow bring us a starter.  But, let's be real.

Arguing the other end, I think there's a nonzero chance that a pick is included in a deal as the tip to unload Wright's salary. He's definitely trending in the wrong direction, and Dallas may start planning ahead for '21.

(08-23-2020, 08:09 PM)Scott41theMavs Wrote: [ -> ]At this point, I'd say that the "better version of Burke" is just Burke. But we're going to have to clear cap space to afford him.

Cute.  No cap room needed.  We have the BAE this year.  If it takes more than that, we just have to be willing to split the MLE (assuming he makes more than Vet. Min.).

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(08-23-2020, 08:39 PM)Tyler Wrote: [ -> ]

(08-23-2020, 08:51 AM)DanSchwartzman Wrote: [ -> ]I realize people want to get rid of their favorite whipping boys (typically Wright and Powell) and imagine the combination of pick and slug will somehow bring us a starter.  But, let's be real.

Arguing the other end, I think there's a nonzero chance that a pick is included in a deal as the tip to unload Wright's salary. He's definitely trending in the wrong direction, and Dallas may start planning ahead for '21.

I think that is legitimate.  You'd have to tell me what we do with THJ and the MLE this summer before I know if we will care about paying to offload Wright to generate 2021 space.  I could also see him traded for a more expensive player (I've suggested Thaddeus for instance).

(08-23-2020, 08:09 PM)Scott41theMavs Wrote: [ -> ]At this point, I'd say that the "better version of Burke" is just Burke. But we're going to have to clear cap space to afford him.

I think no question Wright is moved this offseason. He just isn't a fit. In a game where they needed a lot of help he didn't play a single minute. He will flash on you so don't be shocked if Rick plays him next game and he randomly makes an impact. He just isn't a guy who is consistent which won't with with Rick. He needs guys he can count on.

It's possible you got Burke up to a full MLE altho man that's a lot for such a tiny sample size. Even if you have to use a good bit of that you have the rMLE + Wright's deal + Jackson plus 2 picks. You could easily come away with 4 solid vet contributors including Burke with those tools at your disposal. Mavs will have in my view at least 6 or 7 spots they can play with. I could see 2 non min FAs, 2 trades, JJB, Lee back on vet mins (or not) and one other vet min to finish out the roster.

If the Mavs beat the Clippers in this series and Burke remains as big of a part of the run as he is right now, I think it's safe to presume Burke gets more than the MLE.

(08-23-2020, 09:00 PM)Scott41theMavs Wrote: [ -> ]If the Mavs beat the Clippers in this series and Burke remains as big of a part of the run as he is right now, I think it's safe to presume Burke gets more than the MLE.

I will take the under.

(08-23-2020, 09:00 PM)Scott41theMavs Wrote: [ -> ]I think it's safe to presume Burke gets more than the MLE.

No way. Just cannot see that happening. Small guards are everywhere and it has been shown his value in DAL is inflated to what he means for other teams. He is a great fit in this system.

Dan and Kamm, LOL, y'all are basically guaranteeing me that Burke is a Mav next year. We'll see. Let's put it this way - if the Mavs do not retain Burke, then they essentially enter the offseason a significantly worse team than they are today. Burke is the solitary guy on roster who reasonably qualifies to take on that role of the third- or fourth-best (likely fourth-) player on a playoff team that has been the Mavericks' talent gap this year (Luka, KP, two fifth-best starter on a playoff contender candidates in DFS and THJ, and a crew of decent bench players). If they don't find a way to keep him, they take a significant step back. It's not a Nash/'11 Tyson situation quantitatively, but it's like that qualitatively. 

I remember being frustrated that Burke was the best playable player we got in the Knicks trade last year and we didn't find a way to keep him. He had more efficient play and scoring than any other player other than Luka the last part of the season last year, but he just "wasn't part of the future." What's new this time around are his brass balls and his defense, as well as a little bit of a sense that he might somehow be part of the Mavs' future as well as their past and present.

(08-23-2020, 10:26 PM)Scott41theMavs Wrote: [ -> ]We'll see. Let's put it this way - if the Mavs do not retain Burke, then they essentially enter the offseason a significantly worse team than they are today. Burke is the solitary guy on roster who reasonably qualifies to take on that role of the third- or fourth-best (likely fourth-) player on a playoff team that has been the Mavericks' talent gap this year (Luka, KP, two fifth-best starter on a playoff contender candidates in DFS and THJ, and a crew of decent bench players).

Don't get me wrong. I love me some Burke. I was really quite puzzled why the Mavs didn't prioritize Burke last offseason. To be fair they thought they were legit in the Kemba running which meant Burke was redundant so I can at least see the reason.

BUT, at the end of the day, Burke is just a good bench guy. 7-8th in the rotation. Sparkplug off the bench at times. He's very hot right now, so he is stepping up at a very opportune time. But if the Mavs lose Burke (especially if he gets overpaid) then it really isn't the end of the world. 

Again, I would like to retain Burke, especially over Delon. But at what cost? 15 mil? Full MLE? Half MLE? I reckon the Mavs value him as a good bench guy on a 4-5 mil contract. And that's exactly what he is.