06-02-2025, 07:01 PM
(06-02-2025, 05:25 PM)david75090 Wrote: I'd bring back Exum and Dinwiddie before I'd trade assets for Ball. Ball is an injury concern, Exum is an injury concern.
I agree with you on Ball being undesirable IF the trade package for Ball does not offer a significant payroll/roster space benefit (Martin outgoing, along with Hardy, Powell, or both), and agree you have to be set up where you don't really depend on him being healthy or necessarily playing a big role. I also think his game needs work, but wonder if tutelage under Kidd might be just what he needs.
But if they can do a Ball trade like that, and also keep Exum for only minimum (which is actually a slight raise), it should open up TxpMLE to perhaps sign someone useful like Tyus Jones or CP3. THAT is a huge benefit to get into that position (even if you've taken a questionable player to do it). Both of those players played almost every game last season and were helpful to their teams with good shooting and assists (and meh defense, admittedly, but the Mavs bigger need is a PG to help the offense imo).
In theory you MIGHT be able to get a TxpMLE without a Ball trade, via some combination of Kyrie contract redo and moving players like Martin, Hardy, and Powell for air (or a pick), but in some way or another you do need to open up some roster spaces (as well as reduce payroll).
I do see B Williams as potentially playing many minutes and being a MAJOR part of the equation.
I would expect them to have AT LEAST one two-way guy to develop and use in case of emergencies, and maybe even two, and would think they somewhat prioritize this in the next month or so. Having NBA minutes that might be available to a two-way player, along with Kidd the all-time PG as a coach, should put them on speed dial with player agents who rep the better PG possibilities.
On SD, he was healthy last season which is a plus, but I really want to move on and use the minutes he played in another way, because I don't think he was even as good as GL level. Unless he was embracing a subtle tank, he was pretty bad down the stretch.
My end result would include a huge contingent of potential PGs on the roster, and this is the order in which they would be easy to get in the current situation:
1 [Kyrie]
2 Williams
3 Exum
4 2-way
5 Ball
6 CP3/Tyus [or someone we haven't noticed]
Is doing 1-4 enough, where the result is easily controlled, and where either or both of the last 2 aren't actually needed? I don't think so because of the question marks on Exum's reliability.
Exum and Ball are both big enough to also play at SG and defend well, in the (unlikely) event everyone stays healthy all year and PG minutes get hard to find.