MAVS NEWS:

[FireNicoHarrison]

That's not how it works.  If Dumont does not want to pay the tax, he wont pay the tax.  He will send out assets to shed cap if he has to. 

Its not just the tax either.  We can't trade for players like Coby White or Mathurin who are expecting bigger contracts.  We won't have the room.

There are significant negatives to being over the aprons, its not just about the tax.

The goal is not to have cap space (they would have to shed a ton for that), but it would be nice to use the full MLE exception.  You can find quality in that range if you do it right (like Naji last offseason).

Dumont can't send out assets, not after Doncic trade. Fanbase will burn him alive.

I don't want White or Mathurin. They are nothing special. I don't want any kind of trade unless involve picks.

Next year we will not be a contender, don't rush. We need time and make stupid decision (like dump street clothes for expires) is the wrong way.

[Kidnova]

I'm certainly not glad to see AD get hurt, but it does have plenty of upside.  

Some of us were not in a panic to desperately trade AD by the TDL, so that part only causes a shrug. 

AD's value is only going to continue to go down as he gets older and the injuries continue to pile up.  That's why I wanted him gone ASAP, not because I don't like him as a player or a person, but because maximizing his trade value meant sooner rather than later.  I don't believe there is any upside to this injury, as all it does is reduce the return for AD when they inevitably trade him.

[Mavs2021]

Mavericks was foolish enough to trade for Davis, it was the worst trade the Mavericks ever made!

Forget the outgoing part for a moment. For a franchise that acquired Lamar Odom, Rajon Rondo and Kristaps Porzingis, Davis might still be the shittiest return of them all.

[mvossman]

Dumont can't send out assets, not after Doncic trade. Fanbase will burn him alive.

I don't want White or Mathurin. They are nothing special. I don't want any kind of trade unless involve picks.

Next year we will not be a contender, don't rush. We need time and make stupid decision (like dump street clothes for expires) is the wrong way.

Dumont can do whatever he wants.  Fans may have gotten Nico fired, but they are not getting Dumont fired.  Just ask Cowboys fans.

We agree on lack of contention, but I think AD value was probably max right before this injury.

[F Gump]

That's not how it works.  If Dumont does not want to pay the tax, he wont pay the tax.  He will send out assets to shed cap if he has to. 

Its not just the tax either.  We can't trade for players like Coby White or Mathurin who are expecting bigger contracts.  We won't have the room.

There are significant negatives to being over the aprons, its not just about the tax.

The goal is not to have cap space (they would have to shed a ton for that), but it would be nice to use the full MLE exception.  You can find quality in that range if you do it right (like Naji last offseason).

I have not seen anything that says Dumont is refusing to pay tax. Or that he will be forcing a sell-off. 

I think the issue with him will be "what is the fastest and best path to winning" way more than the tax. That family is swimming in money, way more than they know what to do with. And if he was obsessed about avoiding tax-paying, it seems to me he would have killed the Grimes/Martin deal, which was the dumb and utterly needless move that forced lots of needless tax to be paid starting the day the deal was done.

"We can't trade for players like Coby White or Mathurin who are expecting bigger contracts.  We won't have the room" -- Not true. It doesn't take room. There is no limit on resigning a player with Bird rights other than your willingness to pay. They CAN trade for them, and CAN pay them all the way up to the max. Subject to "if they want to," of course. Not that I am wishing for White. It's not some sort of unsignability that makes me uninterested in White, but rather that I think he'll be chasing (and it may take) way more salary than what he offers on the court. 

"it would be nice to use the full MLE exception" -- True. But what people aren't thinking about is what that MLE is likely to cost to obtain. it's not a productive exercise if you chase cap room to get that MLE, and in the process you have to give away 2-3 players who are already giving you good MLE-value production, and in return you get back the opportunity to add 1 MLE player (who may or may not pan out). DAR is a great example. 

What the Mavs really need is an expert GM to navigate all this stuff at an elite level.

[FireNicoHarrison]

Yes we need a good GM before make any move.

[mvossman]

I have not seen anything that says Dumont is refusing to pay tax. Or that he will be forcing a sell-off. 

I think the issue with him will be "what is the fastest and best path to winning" way more than the tax. That family is swimming in money, way more than they know what to do with. And if he was obsessed about avoiding tax-paying, it seems to me he would have killed the Grimes/Martin deal, which was the dumb and utterly needless move that forced lots of needless tax to be paid starting the day the deal was done.

"We can't trade for players like Coby White or Mathurin who are expecting bigger contracts.  We won't have the room" -- Not true. It doesn't take room. There is no limit on resigning a player with Bird rights other than your willingness to pay. They CAN trade for them, and CAN pay them all the way up to the max. Subject to "if they want to," of course. Not that I am wishing for White. It's not some sort of unsignability that makes me uninterested in White, but rather that I think he'll be chasing (and it may take) way more salary than what he offers on the court. 

"it would be nice to use the full MLE exception" -- True. But what people aren't thinking about is what that MLE is likely to cost to obtain. it's not a productive exercise if you chase cap room to get that MLE, and in the process you have to give away 2-3 players who are already giving you good MLE-value production, and in return you get back the opportunity to add 1 MLE player (who may or may not pan out). DAR is a great example. 

What the Mavs really need is an expert GM to navigate all this stuff at an elite level.

I have not seen anything that says Dumont is willing to pay tax.  The truth is we have no idea what his appetite is for tax.  That is why I said "if".  If there is any limit he is likely going to want to stop the repeater at some point before Flagg extension.  

As for speculating what he will be willing to pay, I have no idea but given the fact that one of the first things he did was skimp on playoff bonuses, I'm not super hopeful.

[F Gump]

I have not seen anything that says Dumont is willing to pay tax.  

Sure you have. You are just closing your mind to what you have seen. But all the evidence to date says PD will always pay tax, so it would be something new and different if he didn't do so in the future.

Cuban sold the Mavs mid-season, and ran them for the rest of the season. Then, since that short transition, Dumont has not held back on the spending at all, as he has approved paying tax every season.

I don't think he would be interested in just flushing money for no reason, but if it looks like there's a path to winning, the evidence to date says he will spend.

Oh, and btw, if he had an expert GM instead of Nico the Idiot, the issue of repeater tax wouldn't even be in the mix for quite a few years. That's not just a reminder at how bad Nico was, but also on how much different thigs can (and will) operate once they get an elite GM to run the roster-building show. (I'm no GM, and I saw that blunder for what it was and its financial implications, in real time -- and Nico stupidly did it. Sooooo bad. Such an own goal. But it doesn't have to keep happening.)

[mvossman]

Sure you have. You are just closing your mind to what you have seen. But all the evidence to date says PD will always pay tax, so it would be something new and different if he didn't do so in the future.

Cuban sold the Mavs mid-season, and ran them for the rest of the season. Then, since that short transition, Dumont has not held back on the spending at all, as he has approved paying tax every season.

I don't think he would be interested in just flushing money for no reason, but if it looks like there's a path to winning, the evidence to date says he will spend.

Oh, and btw, if he had an expert GM instead of Nico the Idiot, the issue of repeater tax wouldn't even be in the mix for quite a few years. That's not just a reminder at how bad Nico was, but also on how much different thigs can (and will) operate once they get an elite GM to run the roster-building show. (I'm no GM, and I saw that blunder for what it was and its financial implications, in real time -- and Nico stupidly did it. Sooooo bad. Such an own goal. But it doesn't have to keep happening.)

He has shown he is willing to pay a small tax after a finals run with his GM is telling him he made the big move to put them over the top.  He got burned hard.  Does he still have the stomach to pay tax (especially over 100 million) after this team goes to the lottery two years in a row?  If they actually manage to hire a quality GM he will most likely inform Dumont that this roster has no chance to contend and act accordingly.

[Smitty]

He has shown he is willing to pay a small tax after a finals run with his GM is telling him he made the big move to put them over the top.  He got burned hard.  Does he still have the stomach to pay tax (especially over 100 million) after this team goes to the lottery two years in a row?  If they actually manage to hire a quality GM he will most likely inform Dumont that this roster has no chance to contend and act accordingly.

Playing devils advocate here but why can’t Kyrie-Max-Flagg-PJW-AD be a contender? Health is the obvious answer, but that’s what they’re starting next year with, as it stands today. Davis and Lively being the biggest health concerns day to day obviously.

[Jmaciscool]

Playing devils advocate here but why can’t Kyrie-Max-Flagg-PJW-AD be a contender? Health is the obvious answer, but that’s what they’re starting next year with, as it stands today. Davis and Lively being the biggest health concerns day to day obviously.

Plus a really good lotto pick player to add to the above group.

[Smitty]

Plus a really good lotto pick player to add to the above group.

I left out the role players. The potential Top-10 pick would be part of it. Lively, Gafford, Klay, Naji, Nemby and others as well.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

Playing devils advocate here but why can’t Kyrie-Max-Flagg-PJW-AD be a contender? 

not you too

Those are just names. That’s a 7-9 seed in the west. That same team minus Kyrie is 14-25.

[ThisIStheYear]

Playing devils advocate here but why can’t Kyrie-Max-Flagg-PJW-AD be a contender? Health is the obvious answer, but that’s what they’re starting next year with, as it stands today. Davis and Lively being the biggest health concerns day to day obviously.

I thought maybe this was posted last week or something at first, but no. The latest AD injury is everything you need to know. He’s nothing more than a drain on the salary cap. Mr. Glass.  They need to go young like OKC and San Antonio.

[Smitty]

not you too

Those are just names. That’s a 7-9 seed in the west. That same team minus Kyrie is 14-25.

3 of those 5 haven’t played much this year, if at all. Not enough to come to any real conclusion. Maybe you don’t understand the meaning of “devils advocate”.

[FireNicoHarrison]

Playing devils advocate here but why can’t Kyrie-Max-Flagg-PJW-AD be a contender? Health is the obvious answer, but that’s what they’re starting next year with, as it stands today. Davis and Lively being the biggest health concerns day to day obviously.

Maybe a pretender... No Batman, no shooting, too injury prone.

In a miracle healthy season i see them in the 6/8 range.

[mvossman]

Playing devils advocate here but why can’t Kyrie-Max-Flagg-PJW-AD be a contender? Health is the obvious answer, but that’s what they’re starting next year with, as it stands today. Davis and Lively being the biggest health concerns day to day obviously.

That group minus Kyrie is currently 14-25.  Do you really think Kyrie (who turns 35 next season) is going to turn a lottery team into a contender? There are a lot of issues with the current roster but the biggest problem is that it does not have an elite creator. Kyrie was an elite secondary creator but he is not an alpha. Flagg is an alpha but it will take time for him to develop into a truly elite creator. Its also really hard to ignore the injury concerns when you have two aging stars with a long history of availability concerns who will have been on the same roster for a season and a half without ever playing a full game together.

[Smitty]

That group minus Kyrie is currently 14-25.

You and RTG both posted this. Inaccurately. Isn’t there some stat floating around that the Mavs are .500 with AD playing? You’re saying the group (minus Kyrie) has played 39 games together? You don’t think adding Kyrie to AD (who’s .500 when active) makes a difference? Lively is one of your favorite players. He’s a non factor? How can the group minus Kyrie be 14-25 if Lively has only played 7 games, Davis only 20, PJW 30?

In any event. I’m talking about next year. This year is over and done with as far as I’m concerned. HEALTH will always be a reason so no need to go there. If the Mavs do nothing they will have Kyrie-Max-Flagg-PJW-AD to roll out Game 1 next year. How or why does that team not fit? What do they need to do to move into a contender in your mind? The ‘26 FRP (Top-8?) is on the roster here. As well as Lively, Gafford, Naji, Klay, Nemby.

I think all 5 are starter worthy players. You can’t have an All-Star team after all. The weakest link is probably Max? I’d probably prefer moving Kyrie to more of an off guard role. That’s one of the reasons I’ve liked the Gaff+Klay or Gaff alone for Coby White. A big PG thats a very good 3PT shooter on high volume. Then Max can fill in off the bench or when there’s injuries. Maybe you draft a player like Coby also (Mikel Brown)?

I don’t think there’s an “elite creator” in the way that you mean it, available via trade. The two that would have to be that for the Mavs are Kyrie and/or Flagg. Maybe your top draft pick this year eventually, but not expecting it next season.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

Even in the fantasy land that roster manages to stay healthy, there is no top 10 player on that team. You usually need an elite player to be a title contender.

Also, PJ doesn't fit. I already told yall before this season started he and Cooper don't fit together and after watching this season, that opinion hasn't changed. You need better creation and 3pt shooting from whoever is playing forward next to Flagg. AD, Flagg, and PJ are all bad shooters. All three of them out together is not a recipe for success.

Even if healthy, that team is probably fighting to stay out of the playin. (5-6 seed ceiling) That is not my definition of a contender.

[Winter]

Even in the fantasy land that roster manages to stay healthy, there is no top 10 player on that team.  You usually need an elite player to be a title contender. 

Also, PJ doesn't fit.  I already told yall before this season started he and Cooper don't fit together and after watching this season, that opinion hasn't changed.  You need better creation and 3pt shooting from whoever is playing forward next to Flagg.  AD, Flagg, and PJ are all bad shooters.  All three of them out together is not a recipe for success.

Even if healthy, that team is probably fighting to stay out of the playin.  (5-6 seed ceiling)  That is not my definition of a contender.

In general, I think this about right. I don't see any way that adding Kyrie and a healthy Lively makes this team a real contender.