(06-11-2025, 07:39 AM)Winter Wrote: Here's a good 40 minute video on the Mavs from the guys at "Game Theory"

Included:
Kyrie's contract
Roster building
The Flagg timeline
Who to trade, who to keep
How about an Atlanta sign-and-trade (Gafford for Chris Lavert and two 2nd round picks)
In any Dallas trade scenario, they don't like trading both PJ and Gaff. Just one or the other.

They like Chris Paul on top of that (but I think most of us here are resigned to him being in LA). Dinwiddie might be acceptable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNcMX6Xxemw

(06-11-2025, 04:45 PM)Chicagojk Wrote: I hope Gafford gets more than that.  Yuck.  Lavert is a good player, but just not sure he is good enough to get real minutes for this team.

(06-11-2025, 04:54 PM)Ghost of Podkolzin Wrote: I can't imagine a scenario where all you get for Gaff is Lavert, not to mention he's more of a SF than SG.

This team needs a guard who can guard.

(06-11-2025, 05:14 PM)Winter Wrote: The trade is not Gafford for Lavert.  The trade was originally, Gafford and Atlanta's 1st round pick (#22) for Lavert, but later the two podcasters decided it would be more likely a possibility with Atlanta offering 2 2nd round picks. This is not even a rumor. These guys are just spitballing. It's unlikely as a reasonable idea for several reasons - one being that according to a report today, Atlanta would like to keep Lavert.

Lavert is listed as a SG in the the Hawks lineup. He can switch, but he's technically playing behind Daniels... getting 28-31 MPG. Statistically, he's a well-rounded veteran player. You'd be trading a backup center for a backup guard + picks, so there's nothing wrong the idea of that trade.

I'm ambivalent about Lavert, so this matters not at all to me. What I found more interesting is that the podcasters thought there were several teams with multiple avenues of trading Gafford (and PJ) for productive guards.

(06-11-2025, 05:52 PM)Chicagojk Wrote: Has anyone brought up Ayu from the Bulls?  Good size and 25 years old.  Going into the last season of a deal at 7 million.  Chicago has White going into his last year and Giddey as a free agent.  Would Gafford and Hardy or OMAx get you Lonzo and Ayu?  I am not very familiar with has game but he is a pretty good sized guard.

(06-10-2025, 11:08 AM)loki Wrote: Maybe Kidd is taking that approach, but I think that hurts the organization. The Mavs are about to bring their future #1 pick in for another visit. They're trying to hire assistant coaches. They need to re-sign Kyrie when he opts out. They'll also be looking at the free agent market trying to bring in guard help. 

Having a coach who is unwilling to say he's committed to staying with the team is a terrible look that isn't going to help them with any of the above. It would be pretty disappointing if Kidd is letting that happen because he wants the attention. All he has to do is send one text so Stein can report sources say Kidd is staying in Dallas.

The Mavs front office could be more forceful about it publicly, but it doesn't achieve anything if Kidd walks into Nico's office and says he wants to talk to the Knicks.

(06-12-2025, 09:29 AM)F Gump Wrote: I don't think Kidd has done, or is doing, a single thing to drive this. People are jabbering, not him. . Nor do I think he has any need to speak to the nonsense. He's under contract, and he's working at his job -- what else is needed?

This is all NY media on a slow news day imo, fueled a bit by a mentally challenged Mavs FO who had no clue what to do to kill the story and was too passive. 

There's no indication Kidd has any desire to get involved, and in fact lots of facts to the contrary, for those who care to notice.

(06-12-2025, 02:56 PM)michaeltex Wrote: Maybe this is a simplistic take, but I feel like, as long as Cuban was active, Kidd sort of had a buffer between Nico and himself. Or at least Nico realized there was a power dynamic between the two that didn't go through him. So he sort of had a governor on his actions to at least check in with the other MBT members before pursuing a decision.

But that changed after Cubes sold of his majority stake and the new owners decided they didn't really need his involvement in team management anymore. Then you had Luka's lost training camp and the crappy start to the season, which fed into a narrative that let Nico justify THE TRADE. Along the way he showed Kidd who is really making decisions now, so Jason was now supposed to just shut up and coach.

FWIW, I think the fanbase reaction, the press reaction and the AD injury situation have conspired to pinch off Nico's power play. A kneejerk decision without considering the consequences isn't a good look for a contending NBA team.

(06-13-2025, 08:20 AM)Chicagojk Wrote: funny looking back.  Back then it was thought Dallas didn't have assets.  Ha.  Looking back there would have been several teams who either should have taken Haliburtan or taken the Mavs offer. 

*******************
HALIBURTON COULD HAVE been a Dallas Maverick.

The Mavericks had Haliburton as the No.1 player on their 2020 draft board, based in large part on Voulgaris' analytics models. Sources told ESPN that the Mavericks dangled their two selections, No. 18 and No. 31, as well as their sometimes starter and sometimes sixth-man guard Jalen Brunson, to every team until Haliburton went off the board at No. 12 to the Sacramento Kings.

"We tried like hell to get him and move up, we just couldn't do it," Carlisle said before the start of the Finals. "When I tell you that Mark Cuban tried everything. When Mark puts his mind to something, he can usually figure something out."

The Mavericks never found a suitor, but Carlisle remained a fan of Haliburton's game from afar through the start of the point guard's career.

(06-13-2025, 01:20 PM)Nowitzki Way Wrote: I knew we wanted him, never knew we offered that package with Brunson. Like you said, i bet everyone of those teams in the top 11 are kicking themselves for not taking Haliburton or simply trading for Brunson plus 18 (which could have been Tyrese Maxey or Desmond Bane for a good drafting team). 

Well everyone except the T-Wolves. They are probably happy with Edwards over any of that. 

Funny to see the Knicks there at 8. They must not have loved Brunson in 2020 like they did in 2022.