Trade & FA 2024-25:

[F Gump]

There is reporting out there on the Smoking Cuban about DFS and a possible return this summer.  I actually don't think that was the most interesting thing about the article.  Nor, do I think a comparison of what we might have offered versus what LAL gave from him to be all that fascinating.  Our first versus 3 LA seconds?  I think the real issue was Maxi's contract isn't expiring and D'Lo's is expiring.

But, to me, the more interesting thing is matching the money.  If there truly was interest in a trade on our part, what was the matching salary going to be.  DFS makes $14.9mm.  The only way to get there without touching our Core 8 is Maxi plus Powell and even then we'd have to go with a 14 player roster to stay under the apron.  I guess you could do Maxi plus Marshall to create $19.5mm in outgoing and maybe bring back someone else making something in the $4mm range.  But, does a DFS for Marshall swap really help us?

I have no idea whether Michael Scotto's words "keeping tabs" means monitoring for a trade or simply thinking ahead to a DFS opt out of his PO this summer.  But, if it was for a trade, the non-expiring contracts of both Maxi and Powell might have to be thought through in terms of who we are trading for.  In other words, who is interested in giving up someone we might want who doesn't mind (or might want) $15mm of expiring salary in the summer of 2026.

"If there truly was interest in a trade on our part ..." -- I wouldn't think their consideration of him got past the fantasy idea of they would like to have him on the team again. Assuming BKN was always looking for expiring contracts as a condition of a DFS trade (and now that we see the offers and where they went, there's no reason to think otherwise), the Mavs lacked a starting point to even get in the conversation.

So I don't think we have anything that informs us about how they might do a trade at the TDL. 

Maxi and Powell do make some sense in a TDL swap, but merely for the same reason we talk about them re DFS, ie they seem the most expendable and they bring a bit of salary to work with. Personally, I think Hardy is also a prime candidate to be included, not because he helps in a salary match, but because I can't see his fit on either the payroll or on the court next season.

As for a possible DFS pursuit this summer, I would think their most likely path would be simply signing him with the big MLE, which will start about 14M and in same vicinity as his 15.4M option, but could be for 4 years not 1. Making that offer would entail staying under Apron 1, which means there would have to be a cap-clearing move between now and then OR the Mavs would have to move on from Grimes rather than re-sign him. But Mavs could offer DFS a no-trade clause (which no one else can) along with up to 4 years of guarantees (max total about 60M).

I would love to see the Mavs trade for DJJ.