2026 NBA draft thread

[Winter]

Yikes, I would NOT trade Kyrie! No way!

I think his value to the Mavs is considerably greater than what you can find in trade, and I expect that he will be part of the solution after they add a much-needed very high lottery pick to the mix.

The Mavs do have some overlapping pieces where they might do well to revise the mix, but in the areas of shot creation, offense, and shooting, they have actually been very lacking this year. And those are the very skills that Kyrie offers, at a very high level. If you trade him, it would be to get someone just like him!

What the Mavs need most is to ADD alongside Kyrie a 2-way PG with some size who can both create offense, score at all 3 levels, and defend. Another All-Star caliber guy, to go with Flagg and Kyrie. Find/identify that guy and draft him, and they would have enough other talent to be really elite team. If they get an elite medical team again to keep them all playing, of course.

This is what I've concluded too I think, but it's largely determined by where we are in the draft. And it's probably why I might favor somewhat like Wagler rather than a straight-up PG. And although Wagler is likely a bit of a defensive liabilty, it's certainly no more than Acuff. Even Flemmings seems locked into the PG position.

I also agree that Kyrie's value may be best suited here in a Mavs uniform than in a trade. A veteran PG in the trade market using Gaff or PJ might be more useful in the rotation when Kyrie returns. Again, some of this is determined by how Kidd wants to play. It does feel like Kidd wants Flagg to have the ball a lot, and I'm not sure Acuff is the right PG to have with the Flagg considering Acuffs ball usage. There's a lot of variables, but without understanding what the FO\GM sees as a position need, it's hard to pinpoint the right person.