MAVS NEWS:

[F Gump]

Hopefully someone with some knowledge of the new cap rules can clarify. Do the hard capped Mavs really have a path to match salaries and bring back a good player without including Klay and his contract?  And  no, these ridiculous 5 for 1 type of trades aren’t going to cut it. Teams just don’t take back that many players.

The Mavs trade situation is not complicated. It's easy math. They have to send out as much (or more) salary than they take back, and if they send away more players than they get back, they have to send an extra $2M for each extra body they send away (since they will then have to fill that empty slot with a $2M minimum salary).

As for whether that's really something they might chase, imo it feels very unlikely.
1 Their entire roster is reasonable-to-good value for the salary, and assuming Luka & Kyrie are not up or discussion, their top salaries are 15.8, 15.5, 13.3, and 11.0 with each attached to a player they probably don't want to trade (Klay, PJW, Gafford, Maxi respectively).
2 So assembling a deal that you like for a player making more than say $20M is not really doable. It takes away needed talent, creating a hole or two, and also is unlikely to offer them better value-for-the-cap-dollar than they already have.
3 MOST IMPORTANTLY, do they even have a need that merits a change? It looks to me like their solutions, if they need one, are probably already on the team (such as Klay) and baked into their existing cap limits. It's just a matter of getting players they already have to play up to their skill level. Improvement works best when it's internal development.

[Smitty]

When everyone is healthy, Maxi is the backup PF. Their default rotation continues to be PJ and Maxi alternating at the position.

I don't see anything to indicate Kidd has other plans, but instead is patient with Maxi when he returns from any injury, with the idea that he is a valuable piece as long as he is healthy enough to play up to his 2-way ability.

Unfortunately, Maxi is not an everyday player anymore. The idea of Maxi and what he once was is what I expect the Mavs will be looking for at the TDL.

[mvossman]

Unfortunately, Maxi is not an everyday player anymore. The idea of Maxi and what he once was is what I expect the Mavs will be looking for at the TDL.

How crazy is it that our biggest concern is backup 4 because our current backup 4 gets injured a lot?  The difference in talent on this team from two short years ago is insane!

[Ghost of Podkolzin]

How crazy is it that our biggest concern is backup 4 because our current backup 4 gets injured a lot?  The difference in talent on this team from two short years ago is insane!

Kinda nice, huh?

[SleepingHero]

How crazy is it that our biggest concern is backup 4 because our current backup 4 gets injured a lot?  The difference in talent on this team from two short years ago is insane!

I know. It gives me goosebumps. Genuinely. The fact the Mavs looked so strong even without their MVP candidate made my mind blow.

Spencer Dinwiddie, our 3rd best player from our 2022 run, is currently our 9th man. It’s insane.

[Smitty]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQCxdoDktlI&ab_channel=TheYoungManandTheThree

Good Mavs content for anyone that’s interested. The first 18 minutes or so.

[F Gump]

I know. It gives me goosebumps. Genuinely. The fact the Mavs looked so strong even without their MVP candidate made my mind blow.

Spencer Dinwiddie, our 3rd best player from our 2022 run, is currently our 9th man. It’s insane.

Very reminiscent of the title team, that was so deep they lost an all-star starter (Caron Butler) and still had plenty of talent to be dominant by the playoffs.

I have noted before, that I think Kidd's vision has been to create a team generally modeled after that one.

[Ghost of Podkolzin]

Very reminiscent of the title team, that was so deep they lost an all-star starter (Caron Butler) and still had plenty of talent to be dominant by the playoffs.

I have noted before, that I think Kidd's vision has been to create a team generally modeled after that one.

Still blows my mind we won the title that year.  Compare that roster to this.  This roster is phenomenally better.  Was that the weakest championship roster over the last 30 years?  I think so.

[F Gump]

Still blows my mind we won the title that year.  Compare that roster to this.  This roster is phenomenally better.  Was that the weakest championship roster over the last 30 years?  I think so.

I thought (and still think) it was a GREAT collection of talent.

They had dominant defense with the best centers in the NBA (Chandler, Haywood, Mahinmi), wing defenders (Marion, Stevenson), a dominant guard defender (Kidd), and unstoppable offense in Dirk + JET plus others who could make buckets and chip in. Going forward, they added Vince Carter who wanted to jump on the bandwagon, and had young players to bring along (that they chose to give away instead). I think they would have won another title or two if Cuban hadn't undervalued what he had, and thought he could easily reinvent the NBA.

[Ghost of Podkolzin]

I thought (and still think) it was a GREAT collection of talent.

They had dominant defense with the best centers in the NBA (Chandler, Haywood, Mahinmi), wing defenders (Marion, Stevenson), a dominant guard defender (Kidd), and unstoppable offense in Dirk + JET plus others who could make buckets and chip in. Going forward, they added Vince Carter who wanted to jump on the bandwagon, and had young players to bring along (that they chose to give away instead). I think they would have won another title or two if Cuban hadn't undervalued what he had, and thought he could easily reinvent the NBA.

Everyone but Dirk was a B- at best, overall basketball talent.  JET was probably the weakest Robin of any championship team.  We were gifted the Heat who had yet to figure it out, get the right resources around their Big 3.

IMO, it was lightning in a bottle.  No way, no how that roster would have won again.

Now, I'm not defending Cuban for breaking it up, but a much more strategic keeping of resources could have occurred.  Tyson HAD to be resigned.  Instead he chose dry powder.

[StrandedOnBeauboisHill]

Very reminiscent of the title team, that was so deep they lost an all-star starter (Caron Butler) and still had plenty of talent to be dominant by the playoffs.

I have noted before, that I think Kidd's vision has been to create a team generally modeled after that one.

You spelled Rodrigue Beaubois wrong.

[Ghost of Podkolzin]

You spelled Rodrigue Beaubois wrong.

FREE RODDY B!!!!

[ThisIStheYear]

The Mavs trade situation is not complicated. It's easy math. They have to send out as much (or more) salary than they take back, and if they send away more players than they get back, they have to send an extra $2M for each extra body they send away (since they will then have to fill that empty slot with a $2M minimum salary).

As for whether that's really something they might chase, imo it feels very unlikely.
1 Their entire roster is reasonable-to-good value for the salary, and assuming Luka & Kyrie are not up or discussion, their top salaries are 15.8, 15.5, 13.3, and 11.0 with each attached to a player they probably don't want to trade (Klay, PJW, Gafford, Maxi respectively).
2 So assembling a deal that you like for a player making more than say $20M is not really doable. It takes away needed talent, creating a hole or two, and also is unlikely to offer them better value-for-the-cap-dollar than they already have.
3 MOST IMPORTANTLY, do they even have a need that merits a change? It looks to me like their solutions, if they need one, are probably already on the team (such as Klay) and baked into their existing cap limits. It's just a matter of getting players they already have to play up to their skill level. Improvement works best when it's internal development.

Good stuff, but I’m pretty much out on Klay. The Mavs may want to keep him because they gave their word or to keep harmony with Kyrie, but he’s done as a consistent contributor. So, Klay plus Maxi equals 26.8 - 2= 24.8 coming back. You can work with that.

[DallasMaverick]

Good stuff, but I’m pretty much out on Klay. The Mavs may want to keep him because they gave their word or to keep harmony with Kyrie, but he’s done as a consistent contributor. So, Klay plus Maxi equals 26.8 - 2= 24.8 coming back. You can work with that.

Dang. 

Was it Mark Twain that commented that reports of his demise were greatly exaggerated?

I seem to recall someone recently saying that Dinwiddie was cooked.

[Scott41theMavs]

Dang. 

Was it Mark Twain that commented that reports of his demise were greatly exaggerated?

I seem to recall someone recently saying that Dinwiddie was cooked.

I'd be a lot more sanguine about Klay's shooting start for the year if he hadn't had so many games like these last year.

[Scott41theMavs]

Good stuff, but I’m pretty much out on Klay. The Mavs may want to keep him because they gave their word or to keep harmony with Kyrie, but he’s done as a consistent contributor. So, Klay plus Maxi equals 26.8 - 2= 24.8 coming back. You can work with that.

It's not just a matter of stubborn internal ethics not to trade Klay. It's that we'll never, ever sign a significant FA with Nico as GM again if we trade Klay in-season. That matters, from where I'm sitting anyway.

[KillerLeft]

I don’t get the panic over Thomson.

Yes, he’s not shooting well, but do we really think that’s going to last all season? Meanwhile, he’s playing competent basketball, and has been better than I expected attacking closeouts, passing off of the dribble and scoring in the mid range. His defense isn’t all NBA anymore, but it is far from as bad as people feared. He has championship experience, which will help the team immeasurably over the course of the season in ways that we might or might not be able to see. And, he’s really not making that much money. I do think his minutes will decrease over the course of the year, and eventually, he might come off the bench, but he’s a piece I’m glad they have in the rotation.

[ThisIStheYear]

It's not just a matter of stubborn internal ethics not to trade Klay. It's that we'll never, ever sign a significant FA with Nico as GM again if we trade Klay in-season. That matters, from where I'm sitting anyway.

Yes, this is the biggest problem. Maybe if Klay takes a lesser role with grace, this can work. Kidd is already, to his credit, limiting Klay’s minutes in crunch time (the Mavs should close with Naji on most nights), and the injury weirdly helps. I’d rather have Klay than THJ at least, as my part time shooter, so still an upgrade in the right role I guess.

[Chicagojk]

Has PJ taken the DJJ role of taking on top ball handling scorers late in game? He was on Morant late at times.

[Smitty]

Has PJ taken the DJJ role of taking on top ball handling scorers late in game? He was on Morant late at times.

He's by far the Mavs most versatile defender. Shawn Marion esque...