1 I think the decision tree for the Mavs will mostly sort itself out, by facts that we do not have access to know until they happen. So we can speculate and opine until we are blue in the face (which I do along with everyone else) when in fact there may really be little-to-nothing for them to truly have to debate.
To be specific ....
Gafford will be willing to extend at a price that makes sense (in which case, they keep him), or he won't (in which case they trade him). The same will be true with PJW. So the decision isn't a question of "Do we trade him or him" but rather "Who has made himself desirable to keep?"
One important side note: the length of an extension on Gaff and/or PJW can be a year longer if done in July. And you aren't supposed to commit to (announce) a deal until it is legal. So they may already have handshake deals with both players and are just sitting on it for now.
2 Any scenario where Kyrie's salary is helpful begins with him opting out (followed, of course, by the talking muckety-mucks painting doom and gloomy forecasts of how the Mavs are painted in a corner, forced to do this or that, and disaster payroll consequences). Be forewarned -- all that WILL happen, and it's coming soon. KYRIE IS GOING TO BE A UFA, OH ME OH MY!!
Then there will be lots of fretting for about a week or two.
Then in July he will do a deal with the Mavs. The deal may end up being based on what else they do and what they have left to spend this summer under A2, so we may have to wait. But that's where we're headed.
3 I agree there are unknowns and moving parts re a PG or offense creator, but all of those possibilities will flow from what's going to happen as noted above (probably already being discussed, and maybe even decided). I think by July 1 we have a much better feel for how they plan to approach that need.
Personally, I think Williams and Exum - with Marshall getting some minutes (which I hate) and Kyrie coming later - gets them ALMOST all the way to the MINIMUM they might need to do. With no injuries, it's enough, but there are always injuries for Nico's setup.
Would hope for another piece that would be a BIG help, not just scraping by for awhile, but it sure should depend on the other moving parts and the price. (And as interested as I am in Clayton, to me he is NOT one who would qualify as a target to assure you of getting that BIG help. He's a maybe, like Hardy was, who you hope he can help you eventually and turn into something, but nowhere near ready to plug-and-play to fill Kyrie hole.)
4 Ball could be a LITTLE help (and might, presumably, also aid in solving some roster and payroll issues.). Ty Jones or CPaul might offer a bit more. None is great solution ... but frankly not sure one really exists.
To be specific ....
Gafford will be willing to extend at a price that makes sense (in which case, they keep him), or he won't (in which case they trade him). The same will be true with PJW. So the decision isn't a question of "Do we trade him or him" but rather "Who has made himself desirable to keep?"
One important side note: the length of an extension on Gaff and/or PJW can be a year longer if done in July. And you aren't supposed to commit to (announce) a deal until it is legal. So they may already have handshake deals with both players and are just sitting on it for now.
2 Any scenario where Kyrie's salary is helpful begins with him opting out (followed, of course, by the talking muckety-mucks painting doom and gloomy forecasts of how the Mavs are painted in a corner, forced to do this or that, and disaster payroll consequences). Be forewarned -- all that WILL happen, and it's coming soon. KYRIE IS GOING TO BE A UFA, OH ME OH MY!!
Then there will be lots of fretting for about a week or two.
Then in July he will do a deal with the Mavs. The deal may end up being based on what else they do and what they have left to spend this summer under A2, so we may have to wait. But that's where we're headed.
3 I agree there are unknowns and moving parts re a PG or offense creator, but all of those possibilities will flow from what's going to happen as noted above (probably already being discussed, and maybe even decided). I think by July 1 we have a much better feel for how they plan to approach that need.
Personally, I think Williams and Exum - with Marshall getting some minutes (which I hate) and Kyrie coming later - gets them ALMOST all the way to the MINIMUM they might need to do. With no injuries, it's enough, but there are always injuries for Nico's setup.
Would hope for another piece that would be a BIG help, not just scraping by for awhile, but it sure should depend on the other moving parts and the price. (And as interested as I am in Clayton, to me he is NOT one who would qualify as a target to assure you of getting that BIG help. He's a maybe, like Hardy was, who you hope he can help you eventually and turn into something, but nowhere near ready to plug-and-play to fill Kyrie hole.)
4 Ball could be a LITTLE help (and might, presumably, also aid in solving some roster and payroll issues.). Ty Jones or CPaul might offer a bit more. None is great solution ... but frankly not sure one really exists.
![[-]](https://www.mavsboard.com/images/collapse.png)