AROUND the NBA:

[F Gump]

1 Before the team gets into all of these weeds, they need to decide what their priorities are.  What is the purpose of 26/27?  When do they want to start being good again?  What elements do they need to be a championship contender at that time.  What are the paths available to us to get there?

I would submit that Flagg and our 2026 pick (no matter who he is) won't be ready to compete for a top 4 slot in the west the next two seasons.  

I would submit that since 2 tanking does us no good the next few seasons that developmental competitiveness should be the goal.  A team full of babies creates bad habits.  3 Keeping high character vets around (like a Middleton for instance) makes the team more competitive and provides role models for the youngsters who matter.  It isn't about whether Klay, Middleton and Kyrie will be part of the "Flagg championship era".  It is about whether they can help him be more successful once he gets there.

We will have a better idea what elements we need (besides Flagg) once we know who our lottery pick is.  A healthy Lively is a very high level starter on a championship team.  4 Every effort has to be made to bring him along so that he can do that...not in 26/27 or 27/28, but for the stretch that is to come when Flagg and 2026 are in their mid-20's.  Without Lively, Dallas has another slot to fill with few paths to fill them. 

Thank you for your analysis.

I certainly agree with 1 (they need to have priorities in place, rather than a random series of moves) and 2 (there's no value in losing, because tanking isn't an option without having the picks) and 3 (the value of some vets who can set the tone). 

But I don't think you solely aim for 2029 or so with your player moves (which is what I think you are proposing). I agree that the goal is to find maybe 2-3 younger core players somewhere, between now and then, to go with Flagg. And you might also need to be chasing 4-5, because some won't work out. 

But I think between here and there they are better off if they win. Every one of the players they might develop between now and then needs the context of good players around them, to learn how to really play the game. Along the way - not later - they need to keep learning how to win games. These games, not the ones in 2029. Learn how to play the right way, to contribute to wins. 

If/when they get a younger player who can be a 2029 guy, once you see him as that guy, you likely have to swap a veteran who is playing well, to open up minutes. But until then, they should have good players filling the roster, to allow the team to learn how to WIN. You need to work on that as soon as tanking is not an option, which means next season imo. 

I'm not saying they should load up on 35-year-olds. But just that players who are already good, but not 20-25, are needed too, for the most part. For example - if I have a choice, I think the Mavs would be much better off to have a 26-yr-old Gillespie than a 20-yr-old Nemby as their PG between here and there, and who knows perhaps for even longer. 

Of course, in that context, the GM is key. Player evaluation and a deft touch in figuring out how to do many things with one roster is vital. But I think that aiming to build a winning roster asap, but with some parts of it being younger, should be the process, rather than minimalizing and tossing away whatever might not be here in 2029.