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

[F Gump]

IF Atlanta does NOT want McCullom and would prefer Klay, there is a path that can accomplish this as a separate transaction from Atlanta's perspective and likely result in TE's coming back to Dallas.

Klay and Martin get Dallas within 5 million of McCullom which means a Hardy, Powell, Exum, or DAR addition results in a net wash, with the possibility of adding in the phantom salary of Djurisic to Dallas (not using Exum).

From that point it becomes difficult to navigate the AD trade as a separate deal without Kispert and Kennard aggregating KP's salary, then adding 2 of the 3 remaining of Hardy, Powell, Exum, or DAR.

From Dallas' perspective this is one major trade with AD returning the bulk of the incoming salary and other pieces (primarily Klay) yielding TE's.

Some notes:
1 I don't care about TEs at all (and BOTH teams will get some, in any iteration of such a big-dollar deal), because most TEs never get used. 
2 This idea does (adding McCollum to the mix) does open up more possibilities. 
3 I wonder about what it does to both teams to move so many players, but ATL would be doing it anyhow, and the Mavs end up making it harder to win, which seems like a plus. So I think that wouldn't be a deal-killer.
4 However, by sending McCollum, ATL would be losing a big expiring contract, and while the end result could easily avoid tax for this season, I suspect the absence of McCollum sends them sailing over the tax line (and maybe even over A1) next season. I didn't do those maths, but that's a potential deal-killer, I would think.

Obviously the main thing is, get the NO #1, and another protected FRP from ATL. This is just the salary match. 

The parameters are an even number of bodies, ATL doesn't end up paying tax this season, and the Mavs keep Exum as the route to Nemby. 

The following fits those parameters FOR THIS SEASON:
DAL sends - AD, Hardy ......Klay, Martin, DAR
ATL sends - KP, Risacher, Kennard, Wallace ... McCollum

I do wonder what it does to ATL payroll next season, however, and if it can be revised where ATL still stays under that tax line (my projection is 201.7M). Daniels is getting a huge raise that has to be absorbed, which is the main problem.