MAVS NEWS:

[Winter]

Still hurts not to have DJJ back. Maybe Marshall is exactly what we need and all but I really enjoyed watching DJJ. The fact he tried to strong arm the Mavs in the 11th hour leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

What an imbecile.

I might soften this a little.

DJJ has been banking on being seen as a good player now, and really wants a more appropriate payday. So He hires a new agent, who promises him that he will work tirelessly for the maximum amount of money.

The Mavs make an offer... and make it pretty clear that they'd like to get it done quickly. The new agent says, "Not so fast. I think our guy will get more on the open market". The new agent tells his client that he should play a little hardball here. The client is likely on-board after years of feeling under-valued.

What likely happens here (in my opinion) is that Rich Paul hasn't fully grasped the Mavs situation and their need to expedite this and move on to Klay. Rich Paul is likely playing this just as he would for all his clients, but maybe didn't read the room in this case. 

The Mavericks pivot without a counter-offer. There is no negotiation ... so DJJ is probably a little disappointed. But the Mavs need to stand pat for salary reasons, and they have a backup plan with Naji whom they feel very good about. So good, they don't see a real downside to acquiring Naji and can now move on to Klay.

At this point, it somehow becomes clear that these 3-for-30 numbers are likely what the market will bear. DJJ probably could have played some more hardball, but at least the Clippers might really offer him a noticeable role. It's not the Mavs, but maybe close. Maybe.

I wish him the best, but another year or two in Dallas would have cemented him I think in the minds of Mavs fans. Now he is faced with a few years of just being a hired gun with multiple teams. More than anything, that's what I think he'll be missing when looks back on his career. Maybe he finds a real home on a contender, but that's just not easy to do when you're pushing 30.