Trade & FA 2023-24: Vezenkov+Kings Are Done

[mvossman]

Guys, I’m not trying to get rid of Gafford by any means necessary. The conversation was about finding ways to shed salary so as to re-sign Derek Jones, Jr. Remember?

Obviously, they are going to trade Hardaway. But when someone swooped in with “I’d rather wait until the deadline to trade Hardaway” I tried to imagine other ways to shed salary.

The only other significant and expendable salary on the roster is Gafford and or Green. One of those three players, those two + Hardaway, is going to be gone this summer, don’t we think? I agree with the consensus here that Gafford is probably the least likely of the three to be moved, but I can make a case (and feel I have) for why i might consider moving him were I in the Mavs’ shoes. The crux of it is that I do not believe the center situation of the Mavericks is this amazing, awesome thing, currently. It’s not bad, for sure.

All I know for sure is that I have officially arrived (currently) at a place where I prefer keeping DJJ over ANY of those three players should the choice need to be made. If they can get it done by moving Hardaway, great. If they can get it done by moving no one, even better! But, if they can’t, Green or Gafford had better be gone, not Jones.

I'm with Dan from the standpoint that the goal should be to get better.  Amazingly we are legit contenders.  This is the time to buy.  In an ideal world we are sending out Timmy and the first (possibly in two different transactions) and getting back both room to sign DJJ and an a rotational player.  If that can't happen, and it costs a first just to dump Timmy, I think I consider discussing a buy out and stretch waive of Timmy to make the room.  I think I would prefer that to dumping Gafford or Green, unless we get real value back for one of them.