Trade & FA 2024-25:

[SleepingHero]

I think KD is still damn good.  For how much longer though?  Also, unless I am missing something it will take a ton of players to get to his salary.   For that, I think it is going to be really tough.  

As much as I like PJ and Gafford, and I really want to see how they fit with the current team.  If a trade was possible to include them and draft picks for KD while keeping our depth, than that would be intriguing.  Although, it sounds like the depth would go out the window too.  That is too much for me.

It'd take at least 4 rotation players and a 3 team trade for KD any way you slice it. 

Lively and Christie probably remain. FGump made a proper depth chart here 

F Gump

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That having been said, I can fashion a trade that does add KD and leaves a core of talent for 2025, allowing for hard cap room under Apron 2 to fill the roster back up, and the result would look like this. 

Outgoing in KD trade (about $12M of which would have to go to a facilitating 3rd team) would be
Klay, Gafford, Martin, Marshall, Powell, OMax, Hardy, 2025 1st, other draft capital

The 2025 Mavs roster then looks like this:

C -  Lively, minimum, minimum
PF - AD, Edwards (minimum), minimum
SF - KD, PJW [backs up both forwards], minimum
SG - Christie, minimum, minimum
PG - Kyrie, Exum ($7M), Williams (minimum)

In any KD trade, the fact we get to keep Lively, PJ, and Christie is enough for me. That top 8 is elite. The merry minimums could actually have some value if we resign Dinwiddie, and target guys like Brook Lopez, Bojan Bogdanovic, Kyle Lowry, or even Al Horford.

All old vets. But we're in a 2 year window realistically so who cares?

KD is a freak of nature. I can't see him averaging less than 25 points a game even in his waning years. He still provides solid defensive effort too.