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

[SleepingHero]

All Things Mavs (@All_Things_Mavs)
The Dallas Mavericks just jumped to +200 odds to sign Russell Westbrook on @BetUS_NBA.

[F Gump]

All Things Mavs (@All_Things_Mavs)
The Dallas Mavericks just jumped to +200 odds to sign Russell Westbrook on @BetUS_NBA.

With the lack of roster room and no ability to sign him, this feels like idle info that has no real import. From what I can find, there are no rumors or indicators that the Mavs are actually showing any interest. I guess the oddsmakers want to let people place a bet and guess on a team, but the latest thought is he might end up outside the NBA entirely.

(It also should be mentioned that the Mavs are NOT the favorites in their odds.)

[KillerLeft]

All Things Mavs (@All_Things_Mavs)
The Dallas Mavericks just jumped to +200 odds to sign Russell Westbrook on @BetUS_NBA.

I doubt there's anything to this, for the reasons FGump mentions and others, but it's a pretty interesting thought experiment. I'd guess that the apparent need for ball-handling (and guards in general) has some people spooked enough to wonder whether Westbrook could help here, both locally and nationally. Thinking through it, however, I can't escape the thought that he'd be a disaster. 

He'd instantly be the best ball-handler on the team until Kyrie comes back, that's plain enough. He'd also bring an element of solo dribble-penetration that might be completely lacking on the current roster. He defends at least as well as DLo, Williams and Kyrie, and probably a bit better than most of them. Like Flagg, he'd make the team even more lethal in offensive transition, with or without the ball. That's all good. 

The problem, and it's an insurmountable one, is that he's garbage in half-court offense unless he's dominating the ball. He just can't function in an offense like the Mavs seem to want to run, wherein the ball moves and everyone has to find ways to threaten the defense without the ball in their hands. My sense (without checking the numbers because I'm lazy) is that he has improved his catch and shoot game a little in recent seasons, but not nearly enough to claim he's dangerous in that way, and the Mavs already have tons and tons of "almost dangerous" shooters. Westbrook's clearest path to contribution is to serve as the almost exclusively on-ball guard, and while I still think he'll have stretches of games and even entire games when he's effective at that, he's no longer good enough to justify building an offense around him in that role (if he ever was). It would be like Luka-ball, only with a far lesser offensive player. 

I doubt that's the kind of help the Mavs are looking to find.

[SleepingHero]

@TheDunkCentral
LeBron James is expected to monitor the Lakers’ situation while he’s out, per @mcten


“LeBron’s gotta be watching, while he’s out. If they are struggling, that could lead to the next step… When Rich Paul said that LeBron will be watching the Lakers’ every move because the priority is to win. If they are not winning, maybe LeBron might have to go elsewhere.”

[F Gump]

If they are not winning, maybe LeBron might have to go elsewhere.”

LOL how is that supposed to work? Lebron doesn't like what he sees on TV, so he just shows up for work on some other team? Where do these talking heads come up with such nonsense?? Good grief.

This makes no sense. 

Lebron will show up when he's healthy, and try to win. The crossroads for LA is what happens in June or July, not now.

[SleepingHero]

LOL how is that supposed to work? Lebron doesn't like what he sees on TV, so he just shows up for work on some other team? Where do these talking heads come up with such nonsense?? Good grief.

This makes no sense. 

Lebron will show up when he's healthy, and try to win. The crossroads for LA is what happens in June or July, not now.

Lebron gets what Lebron wants. 


He'll force a trade or torpedo an already fragile LA teams' season.

[F Gump]

Lebron gets what Lebron wants. 

He'll force a trade or torpedo an already fragile LA teams' season.

I bet he will do neither. 

Trading him is next-to-impossible because the other team has to give up so much value, and only gets a half-season or so in return. Layer on top the trade matching challenge for a contract that big, with the complications of so many teams being hard-capped with almost no wiggle room, and the odds are tiny he could pick the team he wants.

Frankly, if he wants to play elsewhere, he shouldn't have opted in. And he can sign somewhere else in the summer, so it's not like he has to wait that long. 

I also don't buy that LBJ would play Sabotage Ball if he wanted a trade that he didn't get. That just doesn't seem like something he would do. It would kill his legacy in the NBA, as well as ruin his standing in LA. Wherever he is, I think he will play hard, assuming he is healthy.

[Mavs2021]

All Things Mavs (@All_Things_Mavs)
The Dallas Mavericks just jumped to +200 odds to sign Russell Westbrook on @BetUS_NBA.

Chuck Cooperstein (@coopmavs)
Per JKidd: Exum has knee irritation that will keep him out "a while"

....and that is why the Westbrook odds collapsed. And given what we saw against Charlotte, Westbrook might be odds on tomorrow.

[Mavs2021]

I have now drawn the conclusion that part of the Mavs NBA storyline is tanking this year trading AD for Kuminga + Moody + X + four 1st round picks. 

In return for giving the Warriors/NBA/Steph another two year title window, we´ll receive another top 4 pick this year and then be stock-piled with all the Warriors picks to build the Flagg era. 

It´s stupid how much sense this AD to GS trade makes for everybody involved.

[Smitty]

I have now drawn the conclusion that part of the Mavs NBA storyline is tanking this year trading AD for Kuminga + Moody + X + four 1st round picks. 

In return for giving the Warriors/NBA/Steph another two year title window, we´ll receive another top 4 pick this year and then be stock-piled with all the Warriors picks to build the Flagg era. 

It´s stupid how much sense this AD to GS trade makes for everybody involved.

I don’t care all that much for the Kuminga part of it, but I’d be perfectly fine with trading AD for 4 FRP’s+

[omahen]

I bet he will do neither. 

Trading him is next-to-impossible because the other team has to give up so much value, and only gets a half-season or so in return. Layer on top the trade matching challenge for a contract that big, with the complications of so many teams being hard-capped with almost no wiggle room, and the odds are tiny he could pick the team he wants.

Frankly, if he wants to play elsewhere, he shouldn't have opted in. And he can sign somewhere else in the summer, so it's not like he has to wait that long. 

I also don't buy that LBJ would play Sabotage Ball if he wanted a trade that he didn't get. That just doesn't seem like something he would do. It would kill his legacy in the NBA, as well as ruin his standing in LA. Wherever he is, I think he will play hard, assuming he is healthy.

I very much agree with this and I think the LeBron situation is way overblown. I think it is actually positive that he puts pressure on results. They want to win, Luka wants to win and LeBron wants to win. Nothing negative here. Even with him out, I think Lakers are good enough to be at least middle of the pack in the western conference. I actually see some positives with him being out:
- line-up becomes more balanced as Lakers can insert a primary on-ball defender in the starting line-up now (either Smart or Vando)
- Rui is put on his natural PF position and he is a lights out catch and shoot shooter, who can also do some other stuff, decent enough defender
- Ayton will get more touches
- Reaves is a secondary ballhandler instead of tertiary (Reaves biggest strength is playing on ball, not off-ball)

The negative is that Lakers might run Luka to the ground, if LeBron will miss a bigger chunk of games. Lakers might suck if Luka or even Reaves misses some games (while LeBron is not playing), as lack of creation will become a problem in this case. 

Fully agree that LeBron trade is not realistic. Lakers would of course never trade him for some "trash" on long term deals. Contenders will not give up "half" of their team to match the salaries. Some semi realistic ideas, of course many of them would need other minor moving pieces or third teams to put it within cap rules and limitations. 

I think Mavs are one of the rare teams that could afford to trade their depth for him, but they would run into same problems Lakers had (AD and LeBron essentially want to play same position and they also have Flagg for PF/SF). 

Detroit could theoretically make an interesting case, but I doubt LeBron would want to go there (he still has no-trade clause). Something like expiring Harris, Stewart and at least one of Ivey, Duren or Ausar. They have draft picks to sweeten the deal. 

Clippers could be an interesting case, but they would need to find a taker for Kawhi to make it work and Kawhi trade would need to bring some interesting pieces to Lakers. Kawhi+Zubac. I doubt Lakers would have any interest in any kind of Kawhi for LeBron swap.

Minnesota with Randle+McDaniels?

San Antonio has a lot of flexibility if their season starts really great. Something like Vassel and Barnes.

[loki]

I have now drawn the conclusion that part of the Mavs NBA storyline is tanking this year trading AD for Kuminga + Moody + X + four 1st round picks. 

In return for giving the Warriors/NBA/Steph another two year title window, we´ll receive another top 4 pick this year and then be stock-piled with all the Warriors picks to build the Flagg era. 

It´s stupid how much sense this AD to GS trade makes for everybody involved.

It looks like the Warriors are over the 1st apron so I imagine Draymond would have to be included. But I'm on board with any AD trade that involves at least one solid young player, a boatload of draft picks, and salary relief.

[rocky164]

It looks like the Warriors are over the 1st apron so I imagine Draymond would have to be included. But I'm on board with any AD trade that involves at least one solid young player, a boatload of draft picks, and salary relief.

I know its only one game and a preseason game at that, but the way the front court of Lively-PJ-Flagg looked makes a trade like this appear to be a smart play.  Which of course means Nico will never do it.

[KillerLeft]

I know its only one game and a preseason game at that, but the way the front court of Lively-PJ-Flagg looked makes a trade like this appear to be a smart play.  Which of course means Nico will never do it.

This isn't meant as a defense of Harrison, but to me, this is more of a Kidd problem. That lineup is awesome, no doubt, but it would be just as awesome, if not more, if you substitute AD for Lively. 

It's so, so obvious that the best lineup this team can floor will be:

AD (or Lively)
PJW
Flagg
Thompson (or Christie)
Dlo (or Kyrie, when healthy)

Pretty tough not to see that coming, but here's another lineup approach I bet will be better than the "starters":

AD (or Lively)
Flagg (or PJW)
Thompson (or Marshall)
Christie (or DLo)
Dlo (or Kyrie, when healthy)

With those two approaches above, I'd bet a lot of money that there'd be about 7 lineups that are more effective than any two big lineup the Mavs can play, whether Davis is with Lively or Gafford. It's so stupid. THAT lineup (the two-big lineup) is the "special circumstance" adjustment, and it's a great testament to AD that it's even a consideration, but it shouldn't be the default, imo. I'm ok with starting games like that, especially the way the roster is balanced now, but I'll be pretty upset if Kidd tries to force that approach as a closing lineup. 

Once it's clear who's playing and who isn't, I'm pretty confident the GM will be willing to make a trade (though I doubt it will be Davis), so to me, the ball is in Kidd's court.