Trade & FA 2024-25:

[ThisIStheYear]

I wonder what kind of a guard we could get with PJ, Gafford, and the Lakers pick

Reaves.  I’ve seen alot of ridiculously one sided trades favoring Dallas that’s basically Reaves for Gafford.  Not going to happen. But Gaff and PJ together would be a perfect fit for the Lakers and I think they’d have to consider it. Would have some work to do to match salaries. Gaff plus PJ will definitely have the most value for LA because of Luka, but do you make this trade and give Luka/Lebron one legit shot at a title?  Reaves is a good player and gives you a lifeline while Kyrie is out, or lets you move off Kyrie.

[ThisIStheYear]

Man. If only the Mavs would have kept Grimes.

[RasheedsBigWhiteSpot]

The best Cooper Flagg comp is Scottie Pippen.

6'9
Athletic
Inside/Outside game
ELITE DEFENDER

"Wait, I'm just getting word...Scottie Pippen is black and Flagg is white, therefore it's FAILED the Player Comp Machine."

Sorry. Move along.

[omahen]

I think SA is in prime position to try to trade for Giannis now. Giannis and Wemby is a perfect on court match, imho. The consensus #2 pick is a PG and SA already has Castle and Fox on guard spots. So trade the #2 to Milwaukee so they can draft a potential franchise player for their future.

[DallasMaverick]

Reaves.  I’ve seen alot of ridiculously one sided trades favoring Dallas that’s basically Reaves for Gafford.  Not going to happen. But Gaff and PJ together would be a perfect fit for the Lakers and I think they’d have to consider it. Would have some work to do to match salaries. Gaff plus PJ will definitely have the most value for LA because of Luka, but do you make this trade and give Luka/Lebron one legit shot at a title?  Reaves is a good player and gives you a lifeline while Kyrie is out, or lets you move off Kyrie.

I think they're only interested in two-way players.

[ThisIStheYear]

Hear me out. Trade AD, PJ, Klay, Calab, and Gaff mostly for expiring contracts and picks. Let Kyrie walk. That clears about $137 million off your cap. You’re $35 million over right now. You’ll want at least one building block long term contract from all that and have to sign your rookies. You should get back alot of pretty good picks. You’d still have Flagg, Lively, Max, Naji, maybe one other solid role player you obtained from the trades, a couple of players you’ve drafted. Maybe prosper or Hardy develop. Powell is gone so there’s a little more space. And then, you take your remaining $75 million in cap space shopping and sign the Don back when he’s free after next season. That’s my plan. Pretty much anything is possible when you get a player like Flagg on a rookie contract. Of course, Nico would have to be fired in this scenario; a sacrifice I’m willing to make.

[ThisIStheYear]

DupliKate

[SleepingHero]

I do PJ, Gafford and Martin plus the Lakers pick (top 3 protected) for Morant.

Ja
Kyrie
Flagg
AD
Lively

It's the "Mullet" starting lineup: "Business (D) in the frontcourt. Party (O) in the backcourt"

This deal does work legally before Kyrie extends, but after it does not. So timing matters here.

I am not sure why Memphis would give up Morant for some spare parts. Maybe if this is a 3-team deal where Memphis gets another (maybe aging or flawed) star from a team cutting payroll (Durant? Trae?) and we send the filler to said team so they can maintain some semblance of a competitive roster. 

Also have to imagine how a Morant/Kyrie lineup works. Both guys are 6'3 on a good day, and neither are traditional guards. I suppose if your starting frontcourt is Flagg/AD/Lively that tends to not matter that much though.

[F Gump]

1 I do think payroll and roster space WILL be a significant factor in Mavs decisions this summer. 

2 I don't think Mavs would really consider Ja. Too much baggage of various kinds.

3  "This deal does work legally before Kyrie extends, but after it does not. So timing matters here." --- I don't expect any of this to be a thing, fwiw. Ky's market took a huge hit when he got injured, and there are other logical scenarios (and imo more likely ones) than him getting a new long-term deal WITH a big raise this summer. I know talking heads have pushed this idea, but I think they're playing to clicks.

To me, the more likely outcomes for Ky are either (a) he simply opts in, or (b) he extends with 2 added years at the same base rate he's at (plus raises), or © in light of a very limited year ahead, in which he will nohow be worth his salary, and with the Mavs also in a big salary crunch, he opts out and agrees to a 1+1 (PO) that brings a modest salary REDUCTION this season (which helps Mavs navigate added talent to carry the load until he returns, ie, carving out room for a TxpMLE). The PO gives him some "insurance" in case he's not the same player as before.

[SleepingHero]

1 I do think payroll and roster space WILL be a significant factor in Mavs decisions this summer. 

2 I don't think Mavs would really consider Ja. Too much baggage of various kinds.

3  "This deal does work legally before Kyrie extends, but after it does not. So timing matters here." --- I don't expect any of this to be a thing, fwiw. Ky's market took a huge hit when he got injured, and there are other logical scenarios (and imo more likely ones) than him getting a new long-term deal WITH a big raise this summer. I know talking heads have pushed this idea, but I think they're playing to clicks.

To me, the more likely outcomes for Ky are either (a) he simply opts in, or (b) he extends with 2 added years at the same base rate he's at (plus raises), or © in light of a very limited year ahead, in which he will nohow be worth his salary, and with the Mavs also in a big salary crunch, he opts out and agrees to a 1+1 (PO) that brings a modest salary REDUCTION this season (which helps Mavs navigate added talent to carry the load until he returns, ie, carving out room for a TxpMLE). The PO gives him some "insurance" in case he's not the same player as before.

Kyrie is Nico’s guy. He values him heavily. Despite his injury, the team has raved about how integral he has been to the locker room and chemistry of the team. Quelling the outside noise and keeping the team together. And of course, he’s still/was an elite guard. The injury doesn’t really change that. 

Those things are very valued by the Mavs/Nico. I think Kyrie maintains his current deal or even get a slight bump. If you look at this team from the view that it’s basically complete and they just added an elite 2-way wing for free, it makes sense to be ok going into the 2nd apron for a year or trade others vs. pay cutting Kyrie. 

I’d be shocked if he took a pay cut voluntarily and it’d be wishful thinking to think he’d do a 1+1 deal coming off an ACL tear at 33.

[DallasMaverick]

Kyrie is Nico’s guy. He values him heavily. Despite his injury, the team has raved about how integral he has been to the locker room and chemistry of the team. Quelling the outside noise and keeping the team together. And of course, he’s still/was an elite guard. The injury doesn’t really change that. 

Those things are very valued by the Mavs/Nico. I think Kyrie maintains his current deal or even get a slight bump. If you look at this team from the view that it’s basically complete and they just added an elite 2-way wing for free, it makes sense to be ok going into the 2nd apron for a year or trade others vs. pay cutting Kyrie. 

I’d be shocked if he took a pay cut voluntarily and it’d be wishful thinking to think he’d do a 1+1 deal coming off an ACL tear at 33.

What urgency does Dallas have to do anything right now?

I think Kyrie's at a point in his career where he values stability, so I suspect that, all else being equal, he'd prefer to stay in Dallas.

From Dallas' perspective, wouldn't it be nice to know what his recovery looks like, and what he's capable of, before committing a huge chunk of payroll? Maybe he's really a $17m/yr. Klay-type player after rehab.

I'd rather take the chance of him walking at the end of the year, rather than tying their hands for the next 2 years from a roster-building perspective.

[numnuts23]

Don't even want to do it again, but the obvious play here is the Lakers

So what does a Reaves for Gafford deal look like?

Gafford/Martin/Hardy
for
Reaves/Maxi

This works salary wise...

Dallas gets it's playmaking guard to cover for Kyrie and take some pressure off when he gets back.
LA gets their center and 3/D player in Martin and offensive player in Hardy.

Who says no? My guess is LA does - so would you replace Martin w/ Max ?

[david75090]

Don't even want to do it again, but the obvious play here is the Lakers

So what does a Reaves for Gafford deal look like?

Gafford/Martin/Hardy
for
Reaves/Maxi 

This works salary wise...

Dallas gets it's playmaking guard to cover for Kyrie and take some pressure off when he gets back.
LA gets their center and 3/D player in Martin and offensive player in Hardy. 

Who says no?  My guess is LA does - so would you replace Martin w/ Max ?

Don't think the Mavs want Maxi back in trade. They had to throw in Luka to get rid of him the last time.

[Smitty]

I think it's shortsighted to trade PJW. The consensus for most of his time here is that he's our Aaron Gordon. I don't just trade that type of player away on a whim.

The simplest and easiest way to balance the roster is trading Gafford. The most basic trade that works is for Coby White.

It allows the Mavs to add a 15th player (Kai Jones) and stay below the second apron.

White | B. Williams
Klay | Christie | Hardy
Flagg | Naji | Martin
AD | PJW | Omax
Lively | K. Jones | Powell

Kyrie - Out

Edit - I'd also look to dump Hardy for anything and bring back Exum.

[numnuts23]

Don't think the Mavs want Maxi back in trade. They had to throw in Luka to get rid of him the last time.

Lol...well to make the money work, they'd have to do the unthinkable

[Knutsen]

I think it's shortsighted to trade PJW. The consensus for most of his time here is that he's our Aaron Gordon. I don't just trade that type of player away on a whim.

The simplest and easiest way to balance the roster is trading Gafford. The most basic trade that works is for Coby White.

It allows the Mavs to add a 15th player (Kai Jones) and stay below the second apron.

White | B. Williams
Klay | Christie | Hardy
Flagg | Naji | Martin
AD | PJW | Omax
Lively | K. Jones | Powell

Kyrie - Out

Edit - I'd also look to dump Hardy for anything and bring back Exum.

I love that roster and am all for trading Gafford instead of the much more flexible player in PJ as I stated before. The great thing with Lively, Davis, Flagg and PJ is we can really afford another offensively great and defensively challenged guard now because our length and help capabilities will be exceptional.

[Smitty]

The great thing with Lively, Davis, Flagg and PJ is we can really afford another offensively great and defensively challenged guard now because our length and help capabilities will be exceptional.

I agree. Also, I think AD plays more 5 with that roster construction, which is where I prefer him to play most of his minutes.

[KillerLeft]

The simplest and easiest way to balance the roster is trading Gafford. The most basic trade that works is for Coby White.

I'd be super into a deal like that, if it was available. I wonder if White's defense would be a deal breaker for the Mavs, and I wonder if any Gafford-centric deal might be limited to a handful of teams looking for a specific, niche pick and roll center. That list might be smaller than we realize, especially given that he's about to get paid. Overpaid, probably, given how the seasons here with Luka in a pick and roll heavy system have made him look.

[KillerLeft]

I think it's shortsighted to trade PJW. 

I think PJW is a hell of a player, and the Mavs seem to agree. 

The amount of overlap he's going to have with Flagg in terms of size, position, minutes, MONEY, etc, is a conversation they must have. 

If you believe Flagg is a 3, long term, I agree - PJW is a player who fits with Flagg and is still young enough to help bridge the gap between now and the end of the draft capital wasteland years. Even then, it would be tough to navigate getting Lively, AD, PJW and Flagg roles that would keep everyone happy and paid well enough, I think, but worth a try. 

If you believe Flagg is a 4, long term, I don't see how PJW can be in the team's long term plans at all, in which case it's tough to imagine the high water mark for him, value-wise, getting much better (here, at least) than it is right now, this second. 

There are very interesting choices to be made this summer, and since it's crystal clear Harrison is the one who'll be making them, I sincerely hope he's up to the challenge.

There is an argument to be made, I suppose, for moving AD at this point, though I doubt that will happen, and personally, I would try to set my team up to capitalize on the short AD/Kyrie window while still being positioned to transition out of it quickly in a couple of years - Flagg makes that possible, but only if they get a few choices right.

[FireNicoHarrison]

PJ-Flagg-Street clothes is a hell of front court in the clutch.