Trade & FA 2024-25:

[Jym]

I think sell, sell and sell it's totally wrong for us.

We don't have our picks and Flagg needs a winning team to grow up better and faster.

I don't say to not make trades, but just improve and fix the roster.

I still hope Harrison will be fired before the start of the season.
He lost the fanbase, he can't survive in Texas. No way.

Tearing it down would be so dumb
you tear it down in the hopes and dreams of a Flagg. We got one. 
Now just see what kind of a guard we can get

[cow]

Sell, sell, sell!

[FireNicoHarrison]

Tearing it down would be so dumb
you tear it down in the hopes and dreams of a Flagg. We got one. 
Now just see what kind of a guard we can get

Agree.

With a couple of good guards we can make some noise... Maybe not like 1 year ago but our window is shifted 4/5 years ahead with Flagg.

So no panic move.

[Kidnova]

The reason to trade DLive and not Gaff is simply that DLive has pretty significant value and Gaff does not. DLive will bring back the player you want.  If Davis stays he’s really going to have to come to terms with playing center, especially as he gets older. He never really has become the stretch 4 you need for the position anyway. So moving DLive isnt the worst idea if you get a very good guard in return. I’d consider keeping PJ and playing him at the 4 with AD and CF at the 3. Cooper seems to have enough agility to play the 3, even if he’s probably more of a 4 long term.  The Mavs do need to get under the aprons though. It’s too early for that.

I don't understand the narrative that Gafford doesn't have trade value.  He's only 26 and has been a force defensively and around the rim ever since coming to Dallas.  I know AD doesn't want to be primarily a center, but assuming Lively can find a way to stay healthy and play 30 minutes a night, then AD for 10 and player X for the remainder would make more sense to me than trading a versatile wing like PJW.

[Smitty]

I would love this offseason if we just kept it simple. I think they have the players to contend with just a simple tweak. Drafting Flagg doesn't stop me from getting PJ locked up on a 4/$90 deal where he can be a 30+ mpg DAWG, whether he starts 30 games or 80 games, doesn't matter.

Trading Gafford+ for a PG solves some roster construction issues for me. I think AD is better at the 5, especially in the playoffs when you need all 5 to space the floor. Nico and Kidd simply tell him things have changed with getting the #1 pick and he'll have to play more 5. Which won't be a big issue IMO with PJ being able to bang with most of the Bigs in this league.

I don't care who starts. It's either PJ or Lively off the bench, both of which will get plenty of minutes to impact the game. I can even see a world where Flagg is used as a point forward, like Naji, and Klay comes off the bench. Kidd will use so many lineup combinations during the regular season anyway, factor in missed games for AD and Lively, I just don't see a world where PJ can't get 30+ mpg and 40+ starts minimum. Replacing Gafford with a vet min like Kai Jones is more than sufficient for the regular season grind.

If you can trade Hardy for a bogus second rounder and bring back Exum in that salary slot, it'd be an A+ offseason for me.

Some trades that make sense.

Gafford for Lonzo Ball
Gafford for Coby White
Gafford + Hardy for Collin Sexton


(Ball/White/Sexton) | Exum | B. Williams
Klay | Christie
Flagg | Naji | Martin
AD | PJW | Omax
Lively | K. Jones | Powell

Kyrie - Out


When Kyrie is back a healthy rotation could look like:

Kyrie 32 | (Ball/White/Sexton) 16
Klay 22 | Christie 18 | (Ball/White/Sexton) 8
Flagg 28 | Naji 20
AD 14 | PJW 30 | Flagg 4
Lively 20 | AD 20 | Jones 8


Kyrie 32
Klay 22
Flagg 32
AD 34
Lively 20

(Ball/White/Sexton) 24
Christie 18
Naji 20
PJW 30
Jones 8

[Kidnova]

I would love this offseason if we just kept it simple. I think they have the players to contend with just a simple tweak. Drafting Flagg doesn't stop me from getting PJ locked up on a 4/$90 deal where he can be a 30+ mpg DAWG, whether he starts 30 games or 80 games, doesn't matter.

Trading Gafford+ for a PG solves some roster construction issues for me. I think AD is better at the 5, especially in the playoffs when you need all 5 to space the floor. Nico and Kidd simply tell him things have changed with getting the #1 pick and he'll have to play more 5. Which won't be a big issue IMO with PJ being able to bang with most of the Bigs in this league.

I don't care who starts. It's either PJ or Lively off the bench, both of which will get plenty of minutes to impact the game. I can even see a world where Flagg is used as a point forward, like Naji, and Klay comes off the bench. Kidd will use so many lineup combinations during the regular season anyway, factor in missed games for AD and Lively, I just don't see a world where PJ can't get 30+ mpg and 40+ starts minimum. Replacing Gafford with a vet min like Kai Jones is more than sufficient for the regular season grind.

If you can trade Hardy for a bogus second rounder and bring back Exum in that salary slot, it'd be an A+ offseason for me.

Some trades that make sense.

Gafford for Lonzo Ball
Gafford for Coby White
Gafford + Hardy for Collin Sexton


(Ball/White/Sexton) | Exum | B. Williams
Klay | Christie
Flagg | Naji | Martin
AD | PJW | Omax
Lively | K. Jones | Powell

Kyrie - Out


When Kyrie is back a healthy rotation could look like:

Kyrie 32 | (Ball/White/Sexton) 16
Klay 22 | Christie 18 | (Ball/White/Sexton) 8
Flagg 28 | Naji 20
AD 14 | PJW 30 | Flagg 4
Lively 20 | AD 20 | Jones 8


Kyrie 32
Klay 22
Flagg 32
AD 34
Lively 20

(Ball/White/Sexton) 24
Christie 18
Naji 20
PJW 30
Jones 8

If Lively is going to be limited to 20 minutes for the rest of his career because they're scared of him getting hurt, then I'm jumping on the train to trade him now while his value is high.  There's no reason he shouldn't be able to handle 30 mins a night.

[Smitty]

If Lively is going to be limited to 20 minutes for the rest of his career because they're scared of him getting hurt, then I'm jumping on the train to trade him now while his value is high.  There's no reason he shouldn't be able to handle 30 mins a night.

He’s missed 73 out of 164 games, not counting playoffs. And he was only a 23 mpg guy those two seasons. Thinking Lively will be a 30 mpg guy is silly to me.

[Kidnova]

He’s missed 73 out of 164 games, not counting playoffs. And he was only a 23 mpg guy those two seasons. Thinking Lively will be a 30 mpg guy is silly to me.

If that's also what the Mavs' front office believes then they should trade him.  I hope with another offseason of training and conditioning he can kick these nagging injuries that keep forcing him out, but if that's not going to happen then they're better off getting as much value as they can for him.  For the record, I don't want to trade him because I think he can handle more minutes if he improves his strength and conditioning, but if not then so be it.

[FireNicoHarrison]

He’s missed 73 out of 164 games, not counting playoffs. And he was only a 23 mpg guy those two seasons. Thinking Lively will be a 30 mpg guy is silly to me.

Then i'm ok to trade him now until is value is high...

[windjc]

LOL @ judging a player after 2 seasons. How good was Bronson after 2 seasons? Yeah, exactly.

Lively is still growing into his body. He also lost his mother.

Give it a break. You can't judge for another 1-3 years.

[KillerLeft]

I would love this offseason if we just kept it simple. I think they have the players to contend with just a simple tweak. Drafting Flagg doesn't stop me from getting PJ locked up on a 4/$90 deal where he can be a 30+ mpg DAWG, whether he starts 30 games or 80 games, doesn't matter.

Trading Gafford+ for a PG solves some roster construction issues for me. I think AD is better at the 5, especially in the playoffs when you need all 5 to space the floor. Nico and Kidd simply tell him things have changed with getting the #1 pick and he'll have to play more 5. Which won't be a big issue IMO with PJ being able to bang with most of the Bigs in this league.

I don't care who starts. It's either PJ or Lively off the bench, both of which will get plenty of minutes to impact the game. I can even see a world where Flagg is used as a point forward, like Naji, and Klay comes off the bench. Kidd will use so many lineup combinations during the regular season anyway, factor in missed games for AD and Lively, I just don't see a world where PJ can't get 30+ mpg and 40+ starts minimum. Replacing Gafford with a vet min like Kai Jones is more than sufficient for the regular season grind.

If you can trade Hardy for a bogus second rounder and bring back Exum in that salary slot, it'd be an A+ offseason for me.

Some trades that make sense.

Gafford for Lonzo Ball
Gafford for Coby White
Gafford + Hardy for Collin Sexton


(Ball/White/Sexton) | Exum | B. Williams
Klay | Christie
Flagg | Naji | Martin
AD | PJW | Omax
Lively | K. Jones | Powell

Kyrie - Out


When Kyrie is back a healthy rotation could look like:

Kyrie 32 | (Ball/White/Sexton) 16
Klay 22 | Christie 18 | (Ball/White/Sexton) 8
Flagg 28 | Naji 20
AD 14 | PJW 30 | Flagg 4
Lively 20 | AD 20 | Jones 8


Kyrie 32
Klay 22
Flagg 32
AD 34
Lively 20

(Ball/White/Sexton) 24
Christie 18
Naji 20
PJW 30
Jones 8

Lots of good stuff here.

[cow]

LOL @ judging a player after 2 seasons. How good was Bronson after 2 seasons? Yeah, exactly.

Lively is still growing into his body. He also lost his mother.

Give it a break. You can't judge for another 1-3 years.

Charles Bronson was always good.

[Smitty]

LOL @ judging a player after 2 seasons. How good was Bronson after 2 seasons? Yeah, exactly.

Lively is still growing into his body. He also lost his mother.

Give it a break. You can't judge for another 1-3 years.

I don't think anyone is questioning Lively's skill/impact. He's shown enough to be considered a real impact player that the Mavs should keep as a long-term piece IMO. I just don't see how someone can project him being a 30 mpg player next season is all. Which is fine by me, because he doesn't need to be.

[cow]

I don't think anyone is questioning Lively's skill/impact. He's shown enough to be considered a real impact player that the Mavs should keep as a long-term piece IMO. I just don't see how someone can project him being a 30 mpg player next season is all. Which is fine by me, because he doesn't need to be.

Further, the concern isn't how good he is or how good he can be, but rather availability.  I'd still give it 3rd season before hitting the panic button and I don't think Lively is a sell high candidate anyway as any team is going to have the same availability concerns as what we are discussing here.

[FireNicoHarrison]

LOL @ judging a player after 2 seasons. How good was Bronson after 2 seasons? Yeah, exactly.

Lively is still growing into his body. He also lost his mother.

Give it a break. You can't judge for another 1-3 years.

You clearly miss the point here.

It's not about his potential but it's availability.

[KillerLeft]

I think penciling Lively in at 30 minutes per in year 3, after missing significant time in year 2, is a stretch, so I agree with Smitty there. On a team with AD, that's not going to happen anyway.

But, I also think it's way, way, WAY too early to just decide that Lively has "injury issues." It doesn't seem like people understand that for some of these kids, half the battle is figuring out how to get their body through the grueling NBA season. That's not just a matter of genetics, or size, or whatever, as in it's not something that's always completely out of their control. In fact, I'd say more often than not, durability is squarely IN their control, and is a matter of how professionally they build themselves and prepare for the season. This is something that's learned over time for many players.

Dude is like 21? He missed a little time in his rookie season, playing more than he ever had in his life (and in extremely high-leverage situations) and then had a signifiant injury during a season in which almost EVERY Mav got hurt for an extended period of time. He might end up being injury prone, but I'm nowhere near the point of living in fear of that. He has given every indication of being a serious person willing to do whatever it takes to help his team and be the best player he can be, and for me, that includes some faith that he'll do what it takes to give himself the best chance of staying healthy. The bigger worry, I think, is about whatever was wrong with the training/medical staff last year that clearly affected that season, and whether or not those issues get solved quickly.

[aguiar95]

If we're trading for a guard, Gafford would be the odd man out (although PJ is also expendable). Hardy/Martin/Powell are fillers and depending on the type of player we get, I'd be inclined to include the '29 LAL pick and PJ:

Tier 1 - Bonafied 2-way starter, borderline All-Star in their prime. I'd trade PJ, Gafford and the LAL pick for them

D. White
D. Bane

Tier 2 - Bonafied starter in their prime that can handle the team till Ky's gone and can play with him. Would trade 2 of PJ/Gaff/'29 LAL 1st.

A. Reaves
T. Herro
I. Quickley

Tier 3 - Starter-ish player that'd be relegated to 6th man upon Ky returning. Would trade 1 of PJ/Gaff/'29 LAL 1st.

M. Monk
A. Simons
C. Sexton
C. White
J. Holiday
J. Green
C.J. McCollum

I think we all are kinda leaning towards tier 3 and this is where I'm at (Gafford/fillers for one of these guards). So looking towards this tier, here are some notes and my preferable targets:

1st) C.J. McCollum - Experienced player that is an excelent volume shooter and has carried a lot of offensive load throughout his carreer with good PnR management. Very reliable and expiring this year (dont need to commit to him). Could be a better fit than Klay for that secondary ball handler with Ky.

2nd) A. Simons - Great volume shooter and good passer that thrives on the PnR. Doesn't draw many fouls, very bad defender (as is Sexton). Not sure Gafford or PJ are interesting to POR so would require a 3rd team.

3rd) M. Monk - 2nd best defender out of this group. OK PnR player, best passer of the group, but streaky shooter (2nd worst out of this group) and not that much of a volume shooter. Not a good driver and doesn't draw that many fouls. Locked up for 3 years in a decent contract.

4th) C. White - Good volume 3-pt shooting, mid passer, goes to the line well and is an OK PnR player. Expiring expecting a big payday given the season he just had (extension number is low, so he'd turn down). Not a good defender and won't be pleased to come off the bench when Ky returns in his contract year.

5th) C. Sexton - Consistent shooter that doesn't shoot that many 3's and isn't reliable on the pick-and-roll, more off the bounce stuff. Worst defender of the group and is a mid passer. Expiring that could be extended at a reasonable level and I expect him to be OK coming off the bench when Ky returns.

6th) J. Holiday - Best defender and highest BBIQ. Very consistent, but doesn't get to the lane and can't carry a high offensive load. Gives us versatility for defense/offense when Ky returns. Very big salary (3 years of 30M+) and oldest player here.

7th) J. Green - Younger player that could still develop some aspects of the game. Worst shooter of the bunch and worst passer. Won't be pleased to come off the bench when Ky returns.

Best case scenario:

Gafford + Hardy + Martin for McCollum

Do a solid sending him to a team that he'd become a starter while dumpimg future salaries in Martin/Hardy. Signing Jones to a vet-min and we're set.

[KillerLeft]

If we're trading for a guard, Gafford would be the odd man out (although PJ is also expendable). Hardy/Martin/Powell are fillers and depending on the type of player we get, I'd be inclined to include the '29 LAL pick and PJ:

Tier 1 - Bonafied 2-way starter, borderline All-Star in their prime. I'd trade PJ, Gafford and the LAL pick for them

D. White
D. Bane

Tier 2 - Bonafied starter in their prime that can handle the team till Ky's gone and can play with him. Would trade 2 of PJ/Gaff/'29 LAL 1st.

A. Reaves
T. Herro
I. Quickley

Tier 3 - Starter-ish player that'd be relegated to 6th man upon Ky returning. Would trade 1 of PJ/Gaff/'29 LAL 1st.

M. Monk
A. Simons
C. Sexton
C. White
J. Holiday
J. Green
C.J. McCollum

I think we all are kinda leaning towards tier 3 and this is where I'm at (Gafford/fillers for one of these guards). So looking towards this tier, here are some notes and my preferable targets:

1st) C.J. McCollum - Experienced player that is an excelent volume shooter and has carried a lot of offensive load throughout his carreer with good PnR management. Very reliable and expiring this year (dont need to commit to him). Could be a better fit than Klay for that secondary ball handler with Ky.

2nd) A. Simons - Great volume shooter and good passer that thrives on the PnR. Doesn't draw many fouls, very bad defender (as is Sexton). Not sure Gafford or PJ are interesting to POR so would require a 3rd team.

3rd) M. Monk - 2nd best defender out of this group. OK PnR player, best passer of the group, but streaky shooter (2nd worst out of this group) and not that much of a volume shooter. Not a good driver and doesn't draw that many fouls. Locked up for 3 years in a decent contract.

4th) C. White - Good volume 3-pt shooting, mid passer, goes to the line well and is an OK PnR player. Expiring expecting a big payday given the season he just had (extension number is low, so he'd turn down). Not a good defender and won't be pleased to come off the bench when Ky returns in his contract year.

5th) C. Sexton - Consistent shooter that doesn't shoot that many 3's and isn't reliable on the pick-and-roll, more off the bounce stuff. Worst defender of the group and is a mid passer. Expiring that could be extended at a reasonable level and I expect him to be OK coming off the bench when Ky returns.

6th) J. Holiday - Best defender and highest BBIQ. Very consistent, but doesn't get to the lane and can't carry a high offensive load. Gives us versatility for defense/offense when Ky returns. Very big salary (3 years of 30M+) and oldest player here.

7th) J. Green - Younger player that could still develop some aspects of the game. Worst shooter of the bunch and worst passer. Won't be pleased to come off the bench when Ky returns.

Best case scenario:

Gafford + Hardy + Martin for McCollum

Do a solid sending him to a team that he'd become a starter while dumpimg future salaries in Martin/Hardy. Signing Jones to a vet-min and we're set.

I don't think what's needed is simply "a guard" but specifically a pick and roll ball-handling guard, so some of these names don't work, imho...but some of them are great targets, and very gettable.

[vfromlmf]

Yeah a "guard" won't cut it. This team needs a veteran Floor General who can run the offense while Kyrie is out. A Mike Conley type. I don't want to watch that chaos from the Memphis game repeat itself against half the league. Maybe you can package assets together to land a bigger fish who can start next to Kyrie in the future, but that would mean trading or benching Klay. Seems more likely they look for a vet who will be willing to play off the bench when Kyrie is healthy. It would seem the Mavs have the assets to go either route which is just stunning.

[SleepingHero]

@BrettSiegelNBA
Early names to keep an eye on for the Mavs in the trade market and free agency at the PG position:

Jrue Holiday (BOS)
Marcus Smart (WAS)
Tyus Jones (FA)
Tre Jones (FA)
Collin Sexton (UTA)
TJ McConnell (IND)
Bruce Brown (FA)