Trade & FA 2024-25:

[Winter]

As we are getting numbers on deals, I don't think money had anything to do with it. DAL had room for Klay at 50M and also DJJ at 30M (the deal he got from LAC), and I think that was what the Mavs offered. Maybe they even had an agreement of sorts with DJJ, like everyone said.

I think DJJ got cold feet when it looked like DAL would have the money but no assured starting job, and they both went to their backup plan -- DJJ found the same deal in LA who had a starting job open, while DAL pivoted to Naji (who happened to be a bit less expensive).

That's what Smitty said, but it feels a little incomplete to me. I just wonder if the media has posted anything in print that explains it in full.