Trade & FA 2024-25:

[KillerLeft]

Better rim protection in Dallas will help. But it's going to take season-long buyin from Luka on defense. No more taking stretches off.

Do we think that's a likelihood? 

I'm still in the optimistic camp that these Dallas decision makers know that what DJJ gave them defensively was a key part of the puzzle. Why else would they be poised to offer him a big chunk of the MLE, if not the whole thing? You don't do that if you're not intending to play him a lot next year. 

I think with Thompson, they're essentially trying to replace Hardaway with someone they think they can actually play. If they're wrong, they're wrong, but some of the contract options being discussed are movable if it doesn't work, imo.