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

[F Gump]

I'm not sure folks think that the Mavs are desperate to move AD.  I do think a lot of folks disagree with your assessment of AD market.  I assume you saw that clip of Stein talking about his market value?  Do you think Stein is completely clueless?  Its nowhere in the ballpark of what you are asking for.

I realize you want to get maximum value for AD, but this can be taken too far.   We have watched Ainge ask for too high prices, wait too long and get lower return on players than if he would have been reasonable to begin with.  I don't want to sell low on AD (which is probably what we would be doing if we trade him at the TDL) but I also don't want to ride a disgruntled AD with all of his injury drama for the rest of this contract and get nothing for him either.

Yes I saw what Stein said. I didn't take it as gospel (and still don't). It was wayyyyyyyyy out of the norm for Stein to say something like that - and go extreme "sky is falling" -- and because I think he's smarter than that, I don't really buy into what he said any more than all the trade talk extremes we've heard that DS noted. Why did he say what he did, and come at it that way? I have no idea. 

"Its nowhere in the ballpark of what you are asking for. I realize you want to get maximum value for AD, but this can be taken too far.   We have watched Ainge ask for too high prices, wait too long and get lower return on players than if he would have been reasonable to begin with." -- I understand you. But you are working from the mindset that the Mavs are feeling (or need to feel) pressure (or even desperation) to move AD. And I don't think they are. So I think they are going to look for full value. They might be negotiable, if the deal otherwise gets close, and there are multiple ways they could compromise, assuming in general they get a strong offer. But they have to be chased, and they can't be the one chasing (to try to satisfy ATL's or someone else's fondest wishes) to ensure a deal happens. Chasing a deal, and making sure the other side gets whatever they demand, that's Nico-style negotiating (factually proven), and it gets you killed in the deal.