06-29-2024, 10:48 PM
1 DJJ
As I noted weeks ago, I think DJJ strongly prefers Dallas because he has been on the other side of the situation, where he doesn't fit in the rotation, can't get minutes, and doesn't enjoy it at all. Now that he has found a place where he fits well, and where he really fits as a teammate and in the group, he wants to continue being here.
The Mavs went out and showed they feel the same way, making a trade to pay him more than they started with. And they are saying he's their top priority. Everybody sees what the Mavs have made possible.
I don't think he's even looking elsewhere. Why bother? And he and Mavs have undoubtedly talked and know the situation.
2 KLAY
The big mystery is what money he wants. LA is in that Apron trap like Dallas, where they are scrambling to squeeze out a way to pay him, but the Mavs aren't limited to the MLE in their thinking, and LA isn't either. Like DAL, they can expand the size of their offer if they can do a SNT that moves money to GS or elsewhere as they acquire Klay.
Part of the question in evaluating LA's chances is who they would trade to make it happen. Provided they end up (and stay) under the Apron, they could do a 200% trade (limited by a spread of about 7.8M) but LJ's 50M salary will be whittled by the numbers in the mix, so there is a significant limit to what he will entertain. The Lakers can't money-whip the situation to offer everyone whatever they want, so the Hard Cap World is playing a real role in the outcome as everyone is being forced to make hard choices.
They seem to have a lot of "everyone gets about MLE, or more" players on their roster (a cautionary tale re DJJ, I would say). Would GS take Russell, Reaves, or Hachimura (and would LS offer them) to up the salary for KT? Or is LA's offer going to be based on a LJ salary reduction, and be limited to the MLE?
As I noted weeks ago, I think DJJ strongly prefers Dallas because he has been on the other side of the situation, where he doesn't fit in the rotation, can't get minutes, and doesn't enjoy it at all. Now that he has found a place where he fits well, and where he really fits as a teammate and in the group, he wants to continue being here.
The Mavs went out and showed they feel the same way, making a trade to pay him more than they started with. And they are saying he's their top priority. Everybody sees what the Mavs have made possible.
I don't think he's even looking elsewhere. Why bother? And he and Mavs have undoubtedly talked and know the situation.
2 KLAY
The big mystery is what money he wants. LA is in that Apron trap like Dallas, where they are scrambling to squeeze out a way to pay him, but the Mavs aren't limited to the MLE in their thinking, and LA isn't either. Like DAL, they can expand the size of their offer if they can do a SNT that moves money to GS or elsewhere as they acquire Klay.
Part of the question in evaluating LA's chances is who they would trade to make it happen. Provided they end up (and stay) under the Apron, they could do a 200% trade (limited by a spread of about 7.8M) but LJ's 50M salary will be whittled by the numbers in the mix, so there is a significant limit to what he will entertain. The Lakers can't money-whip the situation to offer everyone whatever they want, so the Hard Cap World is playing a real role in the outcome as everyone is being forced to make hard choices.
They seem to have a lot of "everyone gets about MLE, or more" players on their roster (a cautionary tale re DJJ, I would say). Would GS take Russell, Reaves, or Hachimura (and would LS offer them) to up the salary for KT? Or is LA's offer going to be based on a LJ salary reduction, and be limited to the MLE?
![[-]](https://www.mavsboard.com/images/collapse.png)