(07-03-2025, 01:45 PM)F Gump Wrote: Oh? Where to?
You like HJ, I follow that (I am less of a fan) -- but I also see no use for him, not really, which imo is a crucial (and disqualifying) issue for spending assets.
Mavs do need shooters. HJ is not.
Mavs need players who can play. HJ is injured.
Mavs do not need a F (which is HJ position, he's 6-8). Who do you bench - CF, AD, PJW, NM? Full up already. Minutes simply are non-existent.
Mavs do not need a SG, with Klay and Max here (and some will also go to Exum). CM is 3rd string in SG pecking order, maybe even 4th, as is Hardy.
Problem is we have no role/mins for HJ to actually fill, if he replaces CM/Hardy, since neither will play much. Employing an even pricier guy for the bench makes no sense, just like CM makes no sense. Use assets for someone who fills a need.
Like I've already said, Mavs aren't running two guard lineups this year. Let's run out the groundball here.
Assuming the trade is Martin+Christie for Herb, since that's a legal trade and has been discussed already.
Guards - Russell, Exum, Williams, Hardy, Kyrie
Wings - Herb, Klay, Flagg, Naji, PJ, Omax
Bigs - Davis, Gafford, Lively, Powell
It's easy to build a 10/11-man regular season rotation when you know the Mavs are going to run out 1 guard lineups almost exclusively, especially with no Kyrie.
G - Russell 24 | Exum/Williams split 24
W - Herb 28 | Klay 20
W - Flagg 28 | Naji 20
B/W - Davis 24 | PJ 24
B - Gafford 20 | Lively 20 | Davis 8
DNP-CD: Hardy, Omax, Powell
Injured: Kyrie
And that's with everyone (other than Kyrie) healthy, which we know will rarely be the case.
If I'm thinking playoffs, it's even easier.
Kyrie | Russell
Herb
Flagg | Klay
PJW
AD | Lively
Any one or two of Naji, Exum, Williams, and Gafford can get sprinkled in depending on matchups.... but the top-8 is clear.