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

[mvossman]

Beside Flagg, our team building assets are the 2026 pick, the possibility of cap room in 2028 (if Kyrie retires or moves on), a bunch of junk #1 picks and trades/signings around the fringes.  The thing that takes this to a different level is nailing something like a Gafford for Player X type deal.  I have no idea if Ivey is Player X.  That's someone else's job.  I just wish we (collectively) had more imagination for what someone might be two seasons from now when it really starts to matter.

Totally agree.  They need to take their shots, and Gafford is the kind of asset you take that shot with.  But it is really hard to get right.  For every Peyton Watson there are 10 guys who go nowhere.  The seller should know more about that player than the buyer, which worsen the odds.  There is also an element of luck.  Even the best scouts have misses.  Just like late first round picks and free agent signings, you need to be prepared to have some misses with these kinds of moves.