MAVS NEWS:

[DanSchwartzgan]

It would be insane to pay Middleton market value as an unrestricted free agent. All he’ll do is eat resources against the cap, tax, and aprons that could actually go to a useful purpose. Middleton will command more than a vet minimum.  The Mavs have no advantage at all signing him. He has no reason to be here. He’s not on the Flagg timeline. He has 1 or 2 years at most left as a decent player. His only role on this team will be to help win a few meaningless games. He was acquired for the purpose of dumping salary.

I can actually see ways he might be useful.  Every player on the team doesn't have to be 19 years old.  Middleton, Kyrie and maybe Klay and Powell make for a nice grouping of vets who can not only still play, but can be good teaching influences to the young guys (Flagg, 2026, Lively and Christie).  As long as Kyrie is here and as long as we don't control our future picks, Dallas will try to be good next season.  Middleton isn't the worst guy I can imagine taking up a slot for the next couple of years with the right contract.  

I will say that if I kept him, I'd want trading PJ to be part of the equation.  I'm keeping an eye on 2028 cap space as a team building asset.  Middleton on a three year deal with a TO on the third year with PJ sent out would help that scenario (same with trading Gafford).  Flagg, PJ, Naji, Middleton and Martin is just too much investment at the forward position.  But, if you send out PJ for something, it starts to make sense (unless you also draft a forward).  

I'd like to see us work toward Flagg, 2026, Lively, Christie and Naji (with the latter 3 on reasonable extensions) be the main salary commitments we have heading into the summer of 28.  If we trade the longer contracts of PJ and Gafford, I could see it going two ways.  One would be for a younger player or RFA (like Ivey or Mathurin or similar).  The other approach might be an overpaid Vet who expires in 28 (Grant and Dejounte Murray come to mind as you might get an asset in a trade like that).

I think the most likely outcome is we S&T him somewhere using his Bird rights this summer and get a second for our trouble.  But, I think "insane" is an overstatement.  He's a useful guy in the near term and if you can structure a deal in a way that keeps possibilities open, then he's actually someone it makes sense to hang onto.