2025 draft thread: THE MAVS SELECT COOPER FLAGG

[ThisIStheYear]

AD isn't going anywhere. Nico wouldn't trade him because it would make all his, "defense wins championships" comments completely hollow. The whole Luka trade would get exposed for what it was.... the reaction of a pouty baby who traded away a generational player because he wouldn't "behave".

He also won’t trade AD because the return, which won’t get any higher and will be good enough to help with a soft rebuild around CF, will still be considerably and noticeably below what he gave up to acquire him. Nico would look like even more of a fool, even if an AD trade is the right thing to do given the changing circumstances of the franchise after winning the rights to an elite player and future face of the NBA. That sort of cognitive trap Nico finds himself in is an impairment. So, even if you believe Nico is a good GM who just made one bad decision, and should keep his job, there’s just no way to trust that he can overcome the sunk cost of the AD trade and evaluate the player and his longer term fit with the team with a clear eye.