Trade & Free Agency 2026/2027

[RasheedsBigWhiteSpot]

I did a Tankathon. The Mavs got #3. The Hawks got #8.

The Hawks looked good with CJ McCollum as a secondary ballhandler, but need an upgrade.

Mavs receive #8 and #23, plus Kispert, Risacher and Hield
Hawks receive Kyrie and #30

The trade is financially even though I view Hield and Risacher as negative contracts, as they each have two years remaining. I think Kispert would be a good stretch player. #8 becomes the best of Burries, Brown, Acuff or Lopez. #23 is either Johnson, Swain or Evans.

If the Mavs could leave the Draft with Wilson, Burries and Swain, that's a hell of youth movement. Masai can use the MLE and PJ, Gafford and Risacher to trade for PG.

The awesome thing about Kyrie is that if he's healthy, he's a top 30 player in the league. But the best part is that he has a top 10 value for what he offers. Kyrie, Johnson, Daniels, Kuminga Okongwu plus NAW is a sneaky good East team. I've heard multiple talking heads say that Kyrie would fetch a haul from the team that misses out on Giannis. 

Plus I think #8 is the edge of the drop off in Draft talent. I'm not sure Burries or Brown would make a big jump for Atlanta, but I think a veteran would. It's amazing how Kyrie has transformed his reputation and value. He's gone from toxic and a team killer to seen as a team player and a veteran leader. 

The Mavs have, as Gump says, killed their talent by repeatedly "losing on the margins" of multiple trades. You lose a little on multiple trades, it adds up to a lot. The Luka trade was obviously horrible, but the indefensible stupidity is that Nico was conned into having to throw in a 2nd. Same with the Grimes trade. That seems small, but when you consider that Ayo Dosumu was essentially acquired for a handful of 2nds, you realize that Nico basically gave away what the Mavs could've used to deal for their SG for the next generation. Why do I say all this? Because the Kyrie trade would be the best opportunity to flip the script and get extra. And from what I've heard about Masai is that he's a dick to negotiate trades with because he always wants more. To that I say: Good.

Edit: Oops. I replied to my own post instead of mvossman.