Trade & FA 2024-25:

[DallasMaverick]

Not now. They don't have enough hard cap money for a ROS until there's only a couple weeks left.

Obviously Wood isn't of any interest anyhow, but I suspect that Edwards or Williams might be. (They only have roster room for 1 at the most.)

Sure seems like Edwards had earned it.

[Ghost of Podkolzin]

Re: Wood... he's more of a need than Edwards or Williams right now. Not so much when our entire frontcourt returns. He does stretch the floor big time.

[Winter]

Re: Wood...  he's more of a need than Edwards or Williams right now.  Not so much when our entire frontcourt returns.  He does stretch the floor big time.

No. There has never been a player with a faster downhill trajectory than Wood. We threw him out the door as quickly as we could along with 4-5 other teams.

I'm not even sure why, but all those teams can't be wrong.

[WildArkieBoy]

Thanks for having the self awareness to even ask the question.  It is going to take some work on all of our parts to keep this board a place of intelligent conversation.  We know from the C Wood and Brunson conversations of years past how easy it is to snipe at the 'misinformed' or beat our chests anytime something happens that 'proves' our well established positions.  And this SOOOO much bigger than those situations.  

Hopefully we are all trying to read the room and understand that people are going to be hurting for some time to come.  Hopefully those still hurting will be tolerant of those who have moved on and want to talk about something other than how dumb Nico is.

How dumb IS Nico?

[khaled1987]

Mike Curtis (@MikeACurtis2)
Who would be Cade Cunningham’s dream opponent in a game of horse?

“I’ll say Dirk,” said the first-time All-Star.


Ok, I am ready to plot how to get Cade Cunningham into a Mavs jersey

Isn't he a well known Mavs fan? Grew in the area, talked about how he shaped his game after Luka, talked highly about Dirk. 

We will get him one day, just like we did with Deron Williams

[Chicagojk]

It is funny. Luka is worth Cade and multiple first round picks in a trade. Although, I wouldn't be surprised if you called Detroit and offered Luka straight up for Cade that they would turn that down.

[SleepingHero]

It is funny.  Luka is worth Cade and multiple first round picks in a trade.  Although, I wouldn't be surprised if you called Detroit and offered Luka straight up for Cade that they would turn that down.

There is no shot they'd EVER turn that down.

Detroit would laugh thinking you were crazy and checking their calendar to see if it was April 1st. I wonder what Detroit's best package would've been. 

Cade+Thompson+27+29+31FRPs+ 2-3 2nds? 

Is that better than AD+Christie+2029?

[KillerLeft]

There is no shot they'd EVER turn that down.

Detroit would laugh thinking you were crazy and checking their calendar to see if it was April 1st. I wonder what Detroit's best package would've been. 

Cade+Thompson+27+29+31FRPs+ 2-3 2nds? 

Is that better than AD+Christie+2029?

Respectfully, I disagree. 

I agree Detroit would probably agree that Luka is a better player than Cunningham, but I'm not so sure they'd have been into that deal. For one thing, they're busy building around Cunningham the way we thought Dallas was busy building around Luka, and are probably starting to feel optimistic that the endeavor has some potential. But the real reason I buy Chicago's premise is that once the super max is off the table for Luka (which it would've been, regardless of where he was traded), he's basically unburdened by any type of criteria for choosing where to play other than where he wants to live. Maybe I'm wrong, but I imagine there's a 0% chance he stays in Detroit very long at all, and I assume the Pistons' brass would very quickly reach a similar conclusion. 

This will be another in a long line of unpopular sentiments from me, but once you wrap your head around trading Luka at all, it's kind of easy to understand how they arrived at the deal they got. The reality is that you weren't going to get the kind of value for him we'd have expected without shedding any sort of "win-now" aspirations. There are so many players out there we'd have wanted who I just don't think we can assume were gettable in this particular situation, despite not being as good as Luka.

[DanSchwartzgan]

Respectfully, I disagree. 

I agree Detroit would probably agree that Luka is a better player than Cunningham, but I'm not so sure they'd have been into that deal. For one thing, they're busy building around Cunningham the way we thought Dallas was busy building around Luka, and are probably starting to feel optimistic that the endeavor has some potential. But the real reason I buy Chicago's premise is that once the super max is off the table for Luka (which it would've been, regardless of where he was traded), he's basically unburdened by any type of criteria for choosing where to play other than where he wants to live. Maybe I'm wrong, but I imagine there's a 0% chance he stays in Detroit very long at all, and I assume the Pistons' brass would very quickly reach a similar conclusion. 

This will be another in a long line of unpopular sentiments from me, but once you wrap your head around trading Luka at all, it's kind of easy to understand how they arrived at the deal they got. The reality is that you weren't going to get the kind of value for him we'd have expected without shedding any sort of "win-now" aspirations. There are so many players out there we'd have wanted who I just don't think we can assume were gettable in this particular situation, despite not being as good as Luka.

Correct.  Zero percent chance he stays in Detroit.  Therefore zero percent chance they give that package for him.  People seem to forget that Luka’s value is diminished in certain cities because there was no path to him staying there.

[SleepingHero]

Lots of moments between Kyrie and KD last night.

[Chicagojk]

Lots of moments between Kyrie and KD last night.

It will be interesting to see how this season goes and ends.  I really like PJ and Gafford.  Both would have to be in that trade plus all the picks.   I think Dallas would hold onto Lively.  I also think they would not include Klay or Christie.  So finding an avenue to get there is very diffficult.

[LukaMVP]

in order to make salary work we'd have to send half of our rotation to Phoenix even including Christie plus multiple picks, without including klay in the package. that would be quite a gamble tbh but something Nico and his new boss would like to see.

[michaeltex]

I'm not saying KD is not still a phenomenal talent, but the only time KD ever elevated a team to championship levels is when he joined the defending champion GSW squad. So the lift wasn't that great.

But OKC, Nets, and PHX never made it even to the finals with KD leading.

Anybody that would gut a team to bring on KD at this stage in his career is looking for the quickest path to the lottery and a re-build. Which is not what the current MBT is saying. Every spin I have heard talks about making the best chance to "win now". I think there will be better candidates to take a chance on that aren't even on the radar now.

[khaled1987]

But OKC, Nets, and PHX never made it even to the finals with KD leading.

OKC played the finals in 2012

[SleepingHero]

@DimeAlerts
REPORT: NBA executive believes the Grizzlies could potentially look to move Ja Morant this summer, per @HowardBeck


“I'm constantly checking in with executives around trade deadline about like, okay, what we saw, what we didn't see, what's next, and in this league, you are always on the lookout for who's the next wave of stars that are going to get dealt, right?… Somebody out of the blue said, keep an eye on Ja [Morant] this summer… I’m just saying it’s one of those things I’m just kind of keeping an eye on if they were to flame out early.”

[SleepingHero]

@LegionHoops
BREAKING: The Mavericks have dreams of adding Kevin Durant next to Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis.

(via @sam_amick,@davidaldridgedc,@anthonyVslater)

[michaeltex]

My bad. You are correct, I was just going off the top of my head.

It was the 66 game, strike shortened season with B2B2B scheduling. They lost to MIA in 5 then traded Hardin in the offseason. I try to block out that season because of how MC gutted the championship team.

Otherwise, the observation still stands.

I think KD is a phenomenal offensive player and a 1st ballot HOFer. He's broken DAL hearts many times, but he's getting older and has a pretty big ego with a (sometimes) thin skin. Blowing up a talented team just to trade for Durant doesn't move the needle because it creates so many holes in other places. Just like it did when DAL traded for KP or Kyrie. And you can't always fill those holes with rookies or Vet Min free agents.

[Chicagojk]

@DimeAlerts
REPORT: NBA executive believes the Grizzlies could potentially look to move Ja Morant this summer, per @HowardBeck


“I'm constantly checking in with executives around trade deadline about like, okay, what we saw, what we didn't see, what's next, and in this league, you are always on the lookout for who's the next wave of stars that are going to get dealt, right?… Somebody out of the blue said, keep an eye on Ja [Morant] this summer… I’m just saying it’s one of those things I’m just kind of keeping an eye on if they were to flame out early.”

The Mavs ruined this for everyone.  Now you have Lakers fans saying, Ok maybe Rui and Knecht for Ja.   Maybe we will send a first, but that seems lopsided.

[Chicagojk]

@LegionHoops
BREAKING: The Mavericks have dreams of adding Kevin Durant next to Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis.

(via @sam_amick,@davidaldridgedc,@anthonyVslater)

I think KD is still damn good.  For how much longer though?  Also, unless I am missing something it will take a ton of players to get to his salary.   For that, I think it is going to be really tough.  

As much as I like PJ and Gafford, and I really want to see how they fit with the current team.  If a trade was possible to include them and draft picks for KD while keeping our depth, than that would be intriguing.  Although, it sounds like the depth would go out the window too.  That is too much for me.

[SleepingHero]

I think KD is still damn good.  For how much longer though?  Also, unless I am missing something it will take a ton of players to get to his salary.   For that, I think it is going to be really tough.  

As much as I like PJ and Gafford, and I really want to see how they fit with the current team.  If a trade was possible to include them and draft picks for KD while keeping our depth, than that would be intriguing.  Although, it sounds like the depth would go out the window too.  That is too much for me.

It'd take at least 4 rotation players and a 3 team trade for KD any way you slice it. 

Lively and Christie probably remain. FGump made a proper depth chart here 

F Gump

---

That having been said, I can fashion a trade that does add KD and leaves a core of talent for 2025, allowing for hard cap room under Apron 2 to fill the roster back up, and the result would look like this. 

Outgoing in KD trade (about $12M of which would have to go to a facilitating 3rd team) would be
Klay, Gafford, Martin, Marshall, Powell, OMax, Hardy, 2025 1st, other draft capital

The 2025 Mavs roster then looks like this:

C -  Lively, minimum, minimum
PF - AD, Edwards (minimum), minimum
SF - KD, PJW [backs up both forwards], minimum
SG - Christie, minimum, minimum
PG - Kyrie, Exum ($7M), Williams (minimum)

In any KD trade, the fact we get to keep Lively, PJ, and Christie is enough for me. That top 8 is elite. The merry minimums could actually have some value if we resign Dinwiddie, and target guys like Brook Lopez, Bojan Bogdanovic, Kyle Lowry, or even Al Horford.

All old vets. But we're in a 2 year window realistically so who cares?

KD is a freak of nature. I can't see him averaging less than 25 points a game even in his waning years. He still provides solid defensive effort too.