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

[F Gump]

If they somehow manage to get the Pelicans 2026 pick that would certainly be the only pick they get.

The NO pick, while certainly desirable, is being way over-valued because of the story of how ATL got a much better reward for a pick swap than they should have. But in reality, once that pick was traded, NO was no longer going to be tanking, making it more likely to land at 8-10-worse simply because NO will play their butts off all season (especially at the end when other teams are working hard to go backwards). 

So it's probably still going to be a good pick -- but not a great one. But assuming ATL is intent on keeping their top players like Johnson and Daniels to pair with AD, that one good pick is the ONLY strong asset ATL has to offer. The Mavs can't accept less.

And in general, I don't think a player of the caliber of AD - even though he has flaws (but what player doesn't) - is going to be made available for a single pick and no real strong assets. I observe that ORL paid FIVE picks (two are swaps), with several of them being unprotected, to get Desmond Bane. BANE. Who has never been on any All-NBA, All-Defense, or All Star teams, and whose contract is MASSIVE for who he is as a player (it averages about $42M per for 4 seasons). 

That makes me think DAL is already asking for 2 picks for AD (with the NO pick being one of them), and with Risacher as part of the salary filler; while ATL is demanding that DAL takes Trae as the salary filler in return and wants to give up lesser picks and player. IMO that's where the deal lies.