Trade & FA 2025-26: Free Agency Starts 5pm CST/6pm EST

[ThisIStheYear]

So Windhorst is reporting that AD may be traded for expiring deals only. The Mavs may not have a choice if such a trade is possible. The payroll is just too high considering the team’s current prospects. That will close the books on the trade as Luka for Max, a first in the fairly distant future, and salary savings. Basically, Luka is going to be a salary dump. Nice work Mavs.

[KillerLeft]

If true, this means financial isn't the main driver to get rid of AD right now.  So unless Mavs feel like AD body is done or if he has no motivation to be a good player, I think the answer is you keep him unless you get a good offer.  With his injury, I just don't see  good offer coming.   

Sure, you are rolling the dice again.   Next year if he has 3 months of healthy, good play teams will talk themselves into him again.   Hey, yes he has a lot of injuries but man those Maverick injuries are fake and he is still a top 25 player....etc.   

That would be my plan....sure I could be going down a dangerous path but I just don't want to dump him for cap relief if my owner is not pressuring me to cut salary.

I don't think it is true, honestly. It could be, but I think this is more of a "you all think we're desperate and that we're about to give AD away, but we're fine with keeping him" meant to (hopefully) nudge towards an offer they can swallow. In reality, I think they probably are a little desperate, and they might actually be about to give him away. We'll see. 

I don't even know what I'm hoping for, at this point.

[Dirknows]

I don't think it is true, honestly. It could be, but I think this is more of a "you all think we're desperate and that we're about to give AD away, but we're fine with keeping him." In reality, I think they probably are a little desperate, and they might actually be about to give him away. We'll see. 

I don't even know what I'm hoping for, at this point.

If they can somehow manage a first in any given draft that would be a huge win, but I doubt it.

[JamesConway912]

If there is a way to get the CLE 1st from ATL by plugging in Gafford or Marshall into an AD trade that would be the way to go.

We REALLY need to start building towards the Flagg era. Replacing Kyrie will be hard enough without tradeable picks or cap room.

Outside of the AD stuff trading Marshall would be priority nr 1 for me. He is only under contract for 1.5 seasons. Gotta sell high for once, get a shot at another long term rotation guy and nail that pick.

I would not mind trading Gafford but he would be an important safety net here next season given Lively‘s health troubles. OTOH I do see the point in moving him now given that he doesnt appear to be a great fit anymore.

[KillerLeft]

If there is a way to get the CLE 1st from ATL by plugging in Gafford or Marshall into an AD trade that would be the way to go.

We REALLY need to start building towards the Flagg era. Replacing Kyrie will be hard enough without tradeable picks or cap room.

Outside of the SD stuff trading Marshall would be priority nr 1 for me. He is only under contract for 1.5 seasons. Gotta sell high for once, get a shot at another long term rotation guy and nail that pick.

I would not mind trading Gafford but he would be an important safety net here next season given Lively‘s health troubles. OTOH I do see the point in moving him now given that he doesnt appear to be a great fit anymore.

Pretty much right there with all of this.

Only, I keep seeing people mention the need to keep Gafford because of AD possibly being traded and Lively being hurt. I get it from a "number of quality centers" standpoint, but to be honest I think this point guard-less season has proven that Gafford currently doesn't fit here very well at all, regardless of who's available to play or not. I might be wrong about this, but to my thinking there's kind of no point in keeping Gafford around without a plan to use him offensively, and what we've seen them do to work him in this season has not been working. He's not old, exactly, but he's not young, either, and the Mavs are currently wasting one of his last prime seasons asking him to be a complete fish out of water. I'd be very tempted to sell high on him, too, regardless of what happens with AD. Just my personal take on it. I think it's the best thing for him, even.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

ESPN talked to multiple teams, and there is still a belief that Davis, even with the injury, could be moved before the Feb. 5 trade deadline. Similar to the Brandon Ingram trade to the Toronto Raptors last February, teams are using the window leading up to the deadline to build out their roster for the next season. We saw this approach again when the Washington Wizards acquired Trae Young from the Atlanta Hawks last week.

Davis is under contract for two more seasons, including a player option for 2027-28. Starting Aug. 6, he can sign up to a four-year, $275 million extension.

If no deal develops, Dallas could hold on to Davis and revisit trade talks in the offseason. With Davis under contract, Dallas is projected to be over the second apron next year. After the 2026 draft, the Mavericks don't control their own first-round pick until 2031. -- Bobby Marks

Here is the 13 minute clip of Bobby Marks talking to DLLS Mavs podcast

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lvPZeExco4

[cow]

So Windhorst is reporting that AD may be traded for expiring deals only. The Mavs may not have a choice if such a trade is possible. The payroll is just too high considering the team’s current prospects.  That will close the books on the trade as Luka for Max, a first in the fairly distant future, and salary savings.  Basically, Luka is going to be a salary dump. Nice work Mavs.

They have no choice only if they want a redux of the KP trade.

[mvossman]

So Windhorst is reporting that AD may be traded for expiring deals only. The Mavs may not have a choice if such a trade is possible. The payroll is just too high considering the team’s current prospects.  That will close the books on the trade as Luka for Max, a first in the fairly distant future, and salary savings.  Basically, Luka is going to be a salary dump. Nice work Mavs.

I don't think its a no choice situation.  They have plenty of options to shed cap.  Gafford, Klay and Naji could all be traded for expiring (and potentially assets).  I do think it will be a fail if this organization doesn't clear some cap at the TDL.  It will put too much pressure on the offseason otherwise.

[windjc]

Dallas wants expiring, picks and young talent. Plain and simple. It’s amazing that people on here can’t comprehend the truth that this is what they want and what they eventually will get.

There is very VERY little logic or objectivity on this board. Just a lot of nervous nannies.

[F Gump]

@ShamsCharania
Dallas Mavericks' Anthony Davis is likely to undergo surgery to repair ligament damage in his left hand and miss several months, sources tell ESPN. His Dallas season is essentially over, given the prognosis and the Mavs' direction.

@ShamsCharania
Fascinating development: The Mavericks are having renewed Davis trade talks with multiple interested teams, sources said. If moved to a playoff contender, the return timeline could allow Davis to return during the postseason while establishing himself for the long-term elsewhere.

Shams is great at reporting what has already happened, but he's taken that great skill and used it to get a gig as ESPN's "ace NBA reporter of all things" that he's VERY unreliable at. We should never bank what he's saying as gospel, because it's been demonstrated repeatedly to be stuff that may not be true at all (agent-speak, it would seem, and all agents have an agenda) mixed with his own speculation presented as fact that turns out to be nonsense.

" His Dallas season is essentially over, given the prognosis and the Mavs' direction." -- That was a classic Shams approach, offering such a speculatively-definitive conclusion when the facts were still evolving and unknown. Even we in this forum knew the outcome was very much up in the air.

I would hope the Mavs rest of season has them tanking their butts off to get that high pick, no matter what. If they can land in the 4-8 range where there should be players like Wilson, Flemings, Brown etc, they will have the foundation with Flagg along with stars still on the roster. I'd want to sit Kyrie, and AD too if he's still here, although he likely wants to rebuild his desirability for that $275M extension he is chasing. I'd just say no to both, although not sure how that works in real life relationship dynamics.

I also wonder if the AD news of him not needing surgery and with a 6-week timeline (which puts him back right after the ASB, and not very many games missed after the TDL) is meant to fuel the (supposedly non-existing) ongoing trade interest in AD. There is still only one of him, and if you look at who else is thought to be available on the trade market, he's far and away the biggest game changer. If he's truly available, of course.

[F Gump]

The Dallas Mavericks do not feel pressure to trade Anthony Davis before the Feb. 5 deadline, multiple team sources told ESPN on Tuesday.

There is an acknowledgment that Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, who represents the 10-time All-Star, has pushed for the Mavs to trade Davis to a team with a willingness to sign him to a contract extension this summer.

However, Mavs sources are adamant that Paul's preference is not the team's priority as interim co-general managers Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley continue to aggressively explore the market for Davis, who is out indefinitely due to ligament damage in his left hand.

"Patrick [Dumont, the Mavs' governor] is not going to sign off on a deal just to do a deal," one source told ESPN. "Ownership doesn't feel any pressure to do an AD deal."

The Mavs are seeking a combination of financial relief, promising young talent and draft compensation from interested teams. Dallas' other options include restarting trade discussions in the summer, as the Phoenix Suns did after shopping Kevin Durant before last season's deadline, or opening next season with Davis still on the roster. Davis has a player option for the 2027-28 season.

"Patrick has no problem going into next year with a healthy AD and a healthy Kyrie [Irving] with Cooper Flagg and seeing what it looks like," another source said. -- Tim MacMahon

Some common sense. Surprisingly, from TMac, no less.

[F Gump]

If true, this means financial isn't the main driver to get rid of AD right now.  

The rumors of the Mavs running scared from salary/tax have been greatly exaggerated. GREATLY.

The goal is a title. You don't get closer to a title by giving away talent so that you can have air.

[Mavs2021]

Pretty much right there with all of this.

Only, I keep seeing people mention the need to keep Gafford because of AD possibly being traded and Lively being hurt. I get it from a "number of quality centers" standpoint, but to be honest I think this point guard-less season has proven that Gafford currently doesn't fit here very well at all, regardless of who's available to play or not. I might be wrong about this, but to my thinking there's kind of no point in keeping Gafford around without a plan to use him offensively, and what we've seen them do to work him in this season has not been working. He's not old, exactly, but he's not young, either, and the Mavs are currently wasting one of his last prime seasons asking him to be a complete fish out of water. I'd be very tempted to sell high on him, too, regardless of what happens with AD. Just my personal take on it. I think it's the best thing for him, even.

I´m also in the trade camp, but for a different reason. I think that 6 second or less Suns small ball is an option with Flagg. I´d actually look for a Washington/Lively C rotation for next year. Luka´s team was build for half court dissection. This team should probably be build for high energy destruction and for that we need a few more young legs.

[F Gump]

Not a huge Okongwu fan, personally, but when you put it that way I'd consider it.

My minimum price in working through negotiations is to start at:

KP-OO-Risacher plus picks (with NO #1 the starting point in negotiations)
FOR
AD-Hardy-DAR

ATL stays under the tax line, and it's an even-player swap that the Mavs need.

[DanSchwartzgan]

I'd want to sit Kyrie, and AD too if he's still here, although he likely wants to rebuild his desirability for that $275M extension he is chasing. 

Thus the reason for the dueling press releases (errr reports).  I thought MacMahon's line about "Paul's preferences are not the team's priority" was pretty telling.

It's all just posturing.  The only thing that has changed with this injury is the likelihood of something getting done early has gone down pretty dramatically given AD's unavailability.  Teams trying to win can't give away a productive player (like OO as a for instance) with such a long window without AD.  2.  It isn't like AD is putting pressure on Dallas to take action by piling on wins to hurt the Dallas tank right now.

[F Gump]

 Teams trying to win can't give away a productive player (like OO as a for instance) with such a long window without AD. 

Factually, it's nowhere near the "long window" of missed games (for a team that trades for him) that it looks like at first glance, if the trade was navigated wisely. The 6 week window for a return from injury would have AD back shortly after the ASB. 

Let's plug in some actual dates:
1 Date of injury - Thurs Jan 8
2 End of 6 weeks healing time - Thurs Feb 19
3 Trade deadline (last possible trade date) - Thurs Feb 5
4 All-star break with no games played - Fri Feb 13-Thurs Feb 19

So if AD is truly on a 6 week layoff, and was traded at the deadline (Thurs Feb 5), the new team would be losing his services for only 1 week of games (Fri Feb 6-Thurs Feb 12). ATL for example has only 3 games in that window (CHAR, MINN, CHAR) and that's probably true of almost every team. Then when everyone comes back from AS break, that's the end of 6 weeks and AD should be healthy again. In addition, because it's a hand injury (rather than leg or foot), he can stay in condition and be ready to go when the return from AS break happens.

AD also has major incentive to be back, and be fully in shape, the very first day, because he will be looking to motivate that extension from the new team. You might very well see the same sort of "AD" that you saw the 1st game with DAL, where he wanted to make a huge impression, and was a one-man dominant force on both ends, until pulling up lame.

In general, I am not in a hurry to trade AD, but the prospects of a healthy roster showing their stuff in March and April would definitely hamper the ability to obtain a high pick. But great play alongside a healthy Kyrie making a HUGE difference in winning games might also make AD even more desirable in the summer, or lay the groundwork for an even better team next season after adding back Lively AND a good (but not great) pick. IMO it was easier when AD was going to be out for the season and Kyrie was going to sit also. Where's that expert GM when you need him?

[FireNicoHarrison]

Dallas wants expiring, picks and young talent. Plain and simple. It’s amazing that people on here can’t comprehend the truth that this is what they want and what they eventually will get.

There is very VERY little logic or objectivity on this board. Just a lot of nervous nannies.

Agree

[Mavs2021]

Factually, it's nowhere near the "long window" of missed games (for a team that trades for him) that it looks like at first glance, if the trade was navigated wisely. The 6 week window for a return from injury would have AD back shortly after the ASB. 

Let's plug in some actual dates:
1 Date of injury - Thurs Jan 8
2 End of 6 weeks healing time - Thurs Feb 19
3 Trade deadline (last possible trade date) - Thurs Feb 5
4 All-star break with no games played - Fri Feb 13-Thurs Feb 19

So if AD is truly on a 6 week layoff, and was traded at the deadline (Thurs Feb 5), the new team would be losing his services for only 1 week of games (Fri Feb 6-Thurs Feb 12). ATL for example has only 3 games in that window (CHAR, MINN, CHAR) and that's probably true of almost every team. Then when everyone comes back from AS break, that's the end of 6 weeks and AD should be healthy again. In addition, because it's a hand injury (rather than leg or foot), he can stay in condition and be ready to go when the return from AS break happens.

AD also has major incentive to be back, and be fully in shape, the very first day, because he will be looking to motivate that extension from the new team. You might very well see the same sort of "AD" that you saw the 1st game with DAL, where he wanted to make a huge impression, and was a one-man dominant force on both ends, until pulling up lame.

Bingo. I would assume somebody in Paul´s company can do that math, too.

[FireNicoHarrison]

Rich Paul and street clothes need a trade waaaaay more than the Mavs.