06-05-2025, 10:03 AM
I hope I don't get flamed for this, but here goes...
I enjoy the trade speculation discussions as much as anyone. And, like many others here, I also try to think the unthinkable when considering ways to improve the team. Plus I'm on board with sending Nico where ever for nothing more than a bag of magic beans.
So, my point is that I'm pretty intrigued by the "play big" philosophy and would not trade any of the top 10 without something really solid coming back. OKC is doing it. SAS is doing it. CLE is doing it. DAL matched up well with those teams when everyone was healthy, even when Luka was injured.
I agree with Winter's comment about Lively needing conditioning, but he's just turned 21 and appears to have the mindset needed for NBA success. We were all delighted to get him a few years ago, since there was such a hole at PF/C at the time. I am nowhere near ready to just send him away for scraps, which is likely all you'll get at his current salary level.
AD is still a phenomenal talent that causes matchup problems for every team. If he want's to be a PF, fine, but make him play like a PF and not try to be a SF at times. He makes some amazing moves to score, but, IMO, he ends up on the floor way too often for his size and fragility. My biggest issue is the hole he puts in salary cap calculations.
Gaff may or may not be a starting quality center. But he is very effective against all but the biggest 5s in the league. Playing big with AD, PJ, Naji and Flagg will get him enough offside help to be more effective. Lord knows the dunks and the screams are team motivators. He's going to want to get paid and I think he should definitely get a bump. If you squinted, Jones seemed like he brought similar skills during his short time with DAL last season. If they can sign him then Gaff might be worth trading at the TDL or next summer, but even then it would be painful.
PJW is a true swiss army knife player. He defends well against bigger and smaller players. His scoring is a little streaky, but a more stable rotation should help that. In many ways, he and Naji are the spirit of toughness for this team and PJ kept answering the bell despite a bunch of nagging injuries. You'll miss him if you send him away.
I have high hopes for Flagg, as most of us do. He's really young and still developing physically, but I'm optimistic he'll be a star sooner than later. I'm hoping he can play SG and bring his athleticism and creativity to enhance the offense while providing a solid switchable defender. In my dreams, he's Luka-lite, but I don't want to jinx his success with my fantasy.
Naji is the team enforcer and brings a reliable floater game that works well when defenses collapse on the bigger team mates. He's an unsung hero for last year's team.
OMax has the size and the body, but I'm not sure he has the ability to understand how to be successful in NBA. He's in the panic button category.
I agree that PG is a need. But I'm going to say that DAL needs ball handling and offensive initiation with reasonable POA defense and doesn't need to break down this team to try and find a "star" for that position. BTW, we talk about Kyrie as a PG, but, IMO, he plays more like a 2 so his return doesn't necessarily solve the offensive initiation issue.
I enjoy the trade speculation discussions as much as anyone. And, like many others here, I also try to think the unthinkable when considering ways to improve the team. Plus I'm on board with sending Nico where ever for nothing more than a bag of magic beans.
So, my point is that I'm pretty intrigued by the "play big" philosophy and would not trade any of the top 10 without something really solid coming back. OKC is doing it. SAS is doing it. CLE is doing it. DAL matched up well with those teams when everyone was healthy, even when Luka was injured.
I agree with Winter's comment about Lively needing conditioning, but he's just turned 21 and appears to have the mindset needed for NBA success. We were all delighted to get him a few years ago, since there was such a hole at PF/C at the time. I am nowhere near ready to just send him away for scraps, which is likely all you'll get at his current salary level.
AD is still a phenomenal talent that causes matchup problems for every team. If he want's to be a PF, fine, but make him play like a PF and not try to be a SF at times. He makes some amazing moves to score, but, IMO, he ends up on the floor way too often for his size and fragility. My biggest issue is the hole he puts in salary cap calculations.
Gaff may or may not be a starting quality center. But he is very effective against all but the biggest 5s in the league. Playing big with AD, PJ, Naji and Flagg will get him enough offside help to be more effective. Lord knows the dunks and the screams are team motivators. He's going to want to get paid and I think he should definitely get a bump. If you squinted, Jones seemed like he brought similar skills during his short time with DAL last season. If they can sign him then Gaff might be worth trading at the TDL or next summer, but even then it would be painful.
PJW is a true swiss army knife player. He defends well against bigger and smaller players. His scoring is a little streaky, but a more stable rotation should help that. In many ways, he and Naji are the spirit of toughness for this team and PJ kept answering the bell despite a bunch of nagging injuries. You'll miss him if you send him away.
I have high hopes for Flagg, as most of us do. He's really young and still developing physically, but I'm optimistic he'll be a star sooner than later. I'm hoping he can play SG and bring his athleticism and creativity to enhance the offense while providing a solid switchable defender. In my dreams, he's Luka-lite, but I don't want to jinx his success with my fantasy.
Naji is the team enforcer and brings a reliable floater game that works well when defenses collapse on the bigger team mates. He's an unsung hero for last year's team.
OMax has the size and the body, but I'm not sure he has the ability to understand how to be successful in NBA. He's in the panic button category.
I agree that PG is a need. But I'm going to say that DAL needs ball handling and offensive initiation with reasonable POA defense and doesn't need to break down this team to try and find a "star" for that position. BTW, we talk about Kyrie as a PG, but, IMO, he plays more like a 2 so his return doesn't necessarily solve the offensive initiation issue.
![[-]](https://www.mavsboard.com/images/collapse.png)