Trade & FA 2024-25:

[KillerLeft]

Those opinions are certainly reasonable. But imho you are predicting little to no growth from the 20-year old. He’s bad at FT’s now. He’s slender now. He commands 28 mins/night now. I do not expect those limits to last the season, let alone the next 2. He’s a 30-minute man very soon. Not advocating for a Gafford trade here. Just saying Lively is very good and improving.

What tips the conversation in your direction for me is the certainty that Lively is going to get a HUGE contract when his rookie deal is up. I feel pretty confident that Gafford will be gone at that point, regardless of how anyone feels, out of simple necessity. Part of me believes the sooner he's dealt, the more value he'll have, but part of me loves the current two-headed monster (on offense, at least). 

I trust the current Mavs management more than the old, so I'm optimistic they'll get it right, whichever direction they choose.