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

[Winter]

DS, with all the ideas about solving for Trae, I end up thinking there's no real reason for DAL to bother. ATL gets fed a feast, while DAL (trading the best talent by far) ends up starved.

The real problem is that the ATL end of things is offering nothing of comparable value, not even close. No Johnson or Daniels, no NO pick, etc -- they are presumed to be retaining ALL their valued assets and then simply adding AD on top.

If that's what's really being discussed, it makes no sense to even bother. I'd keep AD, before doing a deal like that with ATL.

I have to think that talks with ATL are very different OR the Mavs are merely using ATL as a means to prime the pump. And fwiw I am somewhat leery of what we are being fed -- it is WAYYYYY too public. That seems off.

Or AD doesn't have the value you think he does.

That's not a dig at you or anyone else. It is possible to me though, that with the new cap issues, teams just aren't eager to acquire a huge salary for a great player who may not be available for a good portion of his contract. That may actually be a reality. Probably everyone on this board has read that somewhere this trade season. Maybe it's true.