Trade & FA 2025-26: Free Agency Starts 5pm CST/6pm EST

[michaeltex]

I really hope there is not a Mavs trade before the season (besides creating one more roster spot).  The Mavs don't know what they have.  They have good players on solid contracts.  Let things play out and then you can make the trade.  I am not a big fan of Russell, but I do feel his contract he signed is great.  More importantly, while him and Kyrie do not play the same way, I do think they have some similarities.  To me, both are guards but not really ball controlling, offense running point guards.  Both are sort of scoring guards to me.  Therefore, while Russell is not as good as Kyrie, he will provide insight what this thing will look like.  Are we extremely short on creation on offense?  Can Cooper be or develop into a main creator for the team?  We should have our first answer early in the season.  May have another answer 20-25 games in.  Do they improve?    Seeing how it looks or develops, may give you an idea what the next trade will be.

I think the above highlight is the core of all the trade speculation. We see a lot of great individual talent, but (mostly due to injuries) there has been almost zero chance to evaluate how this talent works as a team. The addition of Flagg and the coaching staff turnover are also unknowns for the coming season. It will be interesting to see how the team looks around christmas.

There needs to be some roster clearing for signing Exum and I wouldn't mind seeing OMax and Hardy go to give another developing player a chance.