Trade & FA 2024-25:

[SleepingHero]

Evan Sidery (@esidery)
The Kings are actively scouring the trade market for another impact wing.

Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma are two players to closely monitor as targets.

Sacramento has been shopping the No. 13 overall pick along with Kevin Huerter and Harrison Barnes.

[Chicagojk]

Nice move by the Kings. I thought Monk would be somewhere else. I expect they continue to be aggressive. They probably weren't as good as their record was two years ago, but probably better than their record last year. The West is just so tough and tough to win when you have very good players, but not a great one.

Can at least one team in the East make aggressive, good moves please!

[Chicagojk]

No to Derozan for me. And I was a guy hoping we would target him when we wound up resigning Hardaway. At this point with his salary and assets required to get him, I would pass. We have seen what happens when we have elite defenders on the wing with this team. I think it is so important that our starting 3 can guard the elite 1,2 and 3's of the league. Without that we are always going to be chasing our tails on defense. We will probably need to find a way to keep that defense and add better shooting. That will require some patience in all likelihood.

[DanSchwartzgan]

With the fake trade I posted using fanspo and only giving up THJ+Green+Hardy+Maxi (and waiving Lawson because there's no reason why he's on the roster as a NG deal). The numbers worked, but that website might not have the updated rules yet, so correct me if I'm wrong. 

Player                  Salary           Notes
1 Doncic              43,031,940
2 Irving               41,000,000     ULTBE $1,000,000
3 Paul George      48,787,676
4 PJ Washington   15,500,000     ULTBE $500,000
5 Gafford             13,394,160                   
6 Lively                 5,014,560
7 Powell                4,000,000
8 Exum                 3,150,000     Team Option 6/28
9 Omax               2,870,400
10 Morris               2,093,637

Dead                     2,208,856    McGee

Total Salary         181,051,299 

                                               Space Under/(Over)
First Apron          178,655,000      (2,404,299)
Second Apron      189,486,000     8,426,701

Sorry to jump in, but you’ve done something that hard caps you at the first apron (trade matched at over 100% of outgoing) and you’ve crossed the first apron by $2.4mm without filling out a legal roster.

[DanSchwartzgan]

The Ringer agrees on Jerami Grant being the perfect fit for the Mavs:


If we have to match more than his salary, THJ+Green+Powell works.

I like Grant here.  I suspect it would be THJ + Green + OMax with Green going to a third team for an asset.  They don’t need more guards and probably want to get off some salary.  We’d probably have to add 2025 too.  I suddenly feel much less young that I did before such a trade

Grant replaces DJJ and you’ve really only given up the Green/THJ minutes from last year’s rotation.  Klutch is happy.  They move Grant to a winner and open up a role for Hardy that should get him paid.

[Branduil]

I like Grant here.  I suspect it would be THJ + Green + OMax with Green going to a third team for an asset.  They don’t need more guards and probably want to get off some salary.  We’d probably have to add 2025 too.  I suddenly feel much less young that I did before such a trade

Grant replaces DJJ and you’ve really only given up the Green/THJ minutes from last year’s rotation.  Klutch is happy.  They move Grant to a winner and open up a role for Hardy that should get him paid.

I don't mind trading 2025 for Grant, but losing Omax too would sting. It would be nice to avoid it if possible. Assuming DJJ is gone too, there's now a hole in the backup wing minutes.

Luka / Exum / Lawson
Kyrie / Hardy
Grant / ???
PJ / Maxi
Gafford / Lively / Powell

Adding a veteran like Batum would be nice, and also trying to find the next DJJ if we've also lost Omax.

[DanSchwartzgan]

I don't mind trading 2025 for Grant, but losing Omax too would sting. It would be nice to avoid it if possible. Assuming DJJ is gone too, there's now a hole in the backup wing minutes.

Luka / Exum / Lawson
Kyrie / Hardy
Grant / ???
PJ / Maxi
Gafford / Lively / Powell

Adding a veteran like Batum would be nice, and also trying to find the next DJJ if we've also lost Omax.

Maybe you get one of their 2024 seconds back.  Yeah, you definitely need to find another DJJ.

There are multiple paths here in my mind.  There is the path where you go after the better (often higher dollar) player and it costs you.  It takes multiple outgoing guys to match salary and you leave a hole in the roster.

There is a path where you are targeting someone about $10mm cheaper than Grant.  It allows you to keep some of your depth, but probably at the cost of the incoming player not being as good as Grant.

There is a path where you keep DJJ and any addition is a minor upgrade over Green.  Finding the upgrade over Green at the price point necessary to keep DJJ who is worth any other outgoing assets needed is challenging for me, but I like Green.

[Chicagojk]

I like Grant here.  I suspect it would be THJ + Green + OMax with Green going to a third team for an asset.  They don’t need more guards and probably want to get off some salary.  We’d probably have to add 2025 too.  I suddenly feel much less young that I did before such a trade

Grant replaces DJJ and you’ve really only given up the Green/THJ minutes from last year’s rotation.  Klutch is happy.  They move Grant to a winner and open up a role for Hardy that should get him paid.

Grant is on my watch list.  I am just not sure a Grant/PJ wing position can guard the elite scorers at the 1,2 and 3.   I would prefer to wait to see if we can keep DJJ first.    That makes things tricky because Hardaway would probably need to be moved to retain DJJ.  I don't think Dallas would move Omax though.  Would put a pick in there.   Young talent for the Mavs is going to be so valuable.   I don't think they can lose him in this type of trade.   Whether he makes it or not as a player is a different story.

[SleepingHero]

Sorry to jump in, but you’ve done something that hard caps you at the first apron (trade matched at over 100% of outgoing) and you’ve crossed the first apron by $2.4mm without filling out a legal roster.

Thank you for pointing that out. I'm still trying to figure out all the rules.

[F Gump]

With the fake trade I posted using fanspo and only giving up THJ+Green+Hardy+Maxi (and waiving Lawson because there's no reason why he's on the roster as a NG deal). The numbers worked, but that website might not have the updated rules yet, so correct me if I'm wrong.

That much right there, it doesn't work. It's simple math - Mavs have to send out as much as they are taking back. Within 250K. You're about $7M short in your outgoing with PG coming in at about $49M.

[SleepingHero]

@esidery
Goga Bitadze, the No. 18 overall pick from 2019 draft, is a player many contending teams are targeting as a backup big option on the veteran’s minimum market.

The Clippers, Heat, Kings, Knicks, Mavericks, Pelicans and Suns are teams expected to show interest in Bitadze.

Bitadze averaged 5.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 blocks in 15.4 minutes per game for the Magic.



Mavs2021 is about to have a party.


Why would the Mavs be interested in a 3rd string center when we feasibly already have 4 centers on the roster?

This tells me that Powell or Maxi might be on their way out and the Mavs are finding a replacement.

[Jason Terry]

PG is simply too much to match. Grant is too uncomfortable. Even Bruce Brown and Brogdon are almost too much

I’m still thinking about Sexton. He seems to check the most boxes (assuming DJJ is fine with the lesser MLE). Hardy is the asset i’d rather give up than Green. I don’t want to give up 2031 at all. Sexton can do everything offensively that we need: drive, pass, create, dribble, and shoot 3’s. Defensively he has the size to fit. Perhaps Nico knows he could have a PJ like improvement on that end once he gets to a real team. His contract is reasonable. The price of THJ, Hardy, 2025 does not leave us with additional holes

The only negatives are he wouldn’t start. But with how many games Luka and Kyrie will miss Sexton would start plenty. And we could pitch it as “3rd option” or 6th man. He would still play 30 min and put up nice counting stats

[HoosierDaddyKidd]

https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_...offseasons


How all 30 teams can nail their 2024 offseason.

[Jason Terry]

@esidery
Goga Bitadze, the No. 18 overall pick from 2019 draft, is a player many contending teams are targeting as a backup big option on the veteran’s minimum market.

The Clippers, Heat, Kings, Knicks, Mavericks, Pelicans and Suns are teams expected to show interest in Bitadze.

Bitadze averaged 5.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 blocks in 15.4 minutes per game for the Magic.



Mavs2021 is about to have a party.


Why would the Mavs be interested in a 3rd string center when we feasibly already have 4 centers on the roster?

This tells me that Powell or Maxi might be on their way out and the Mavs are finding a replacement.

I think we’re just making sure our rivals don’t get him for the minimum and someone pays at least BAE

[HoosierDaddyKidd]

https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_...l-rebuilds


Franchise overhauls from rebuilds to title contenders

[mvossman]

If a splash is what people are wanting, and retaining DJJ isn't enough to satiate our blood lust, I still land on the three options I listed yesterday, plus an old standard, all representing varying degrees of realistic:

Jerami Grant
Klay Thompson
DeAndrea Hunter
DFS

All of those guys are possible solutions to various problems, and all three are getable, for SOME team. I don't understand the new cap well enough to know if there are significant, impassible road blocks preventing Dallas from acquiring big salaries like Grant's, but if we're talking about LeBron and George like they're possible, then I'm sure Grant, who very likely actually WANTS to be traded, is possible. Thompson might not be possible at all due to GSW not being able to sign and trade or whatever (I hope someone weighs in on that, rules wise - I'm too lazy to research for myself). Hunter is a guy I like, but probably wouldn't be happy if he's INSTEAD of DJJ (though not bad as a fall back if they're going to lose him no matter what). DFS would make such a bigger impact here the second time than people are realizing, I think, and part of me really thinks that might be where this is heading.

Above the break 3's, in a long-limbed package that enjoys playing defense. That's what's needed here. No more, no less. Grant is my favorite, because I think he opens up the most options on both ends and is the best defender (when that's his role) of the bunch.

To me this is kind of a depressing list.  

Hunter does not move the needle for me.  There is not much to suggest he could come close to producing DJJ level defense.  We would be replacing defense with offense and he can't create for anyone else.  I would not pay the first for him, and that is probably what it would cost.

Klay is 34 and would cost a lot to pry away from Warriors.  His shooting would be a big boost but he is another older guy that you probably can't play point of attack defense with.

I loved Dorian here, but his shooting has gone way down (maybe missing Luka) and the asking price seems high.  

Grant is interesting.  Is he ready to play a role on a good team vs be the man on a crappy one?  It also concerns me that the reasonable trade proposals suggested make this a much older team very quickly.  If he is ready to change his game then maybe its worth it.

[mvossman]

Im with you on DeRozan. He has been very durable even as he got up there in age lately. I’d add the FT drawing to your list, he’s still very very good at that. And while his days as a big dunker are mostly behind him he has plenty other weapons in his arsenal.

Going from the THjr / Green / Hardy / Exum third guard / creator experience to him would be a massive upgrade Imo.

DeRozan would be much more interesting as a 6th man target, but I don't know that he wants to play that role and you are going to be paying a lot for an aging 6th man.

[mvossman]

PG is simply too much to match. Grant is too uncomfortable. Even Bruce Brown and Brogdon are almost too much

I’m still thinking about Sexton. He seems to check the most boxes (assuming DJJ is fine with the lesser MLE). Hardy is the asset i’d rather give up than Green. I don’t want to give up 2031 at all. Sexton can do everything offensively that we need: drive, pass, create, dribble, and shoot 3’s. Defensively he has the size to fit. Perhaps Nico knows he could have a PJ like improvement on that end once he gets to a real team. His contract is reasonable. The price of THJ, Hardy, 2025 does not leave us with additional holes

The only negatives are he wouldn’t start. But with how many games Luka and Kyrie will miss Sexton would start plenty. And we could pitch it as “3rd option” or 6th man. He would still play 30 min and put up nice counting stats

Sexton has been starting most of his career, just had his best season and is only 25.  I think 6th man is going to be a hard sell.  I agree that Hardy is the one to trade if you are going after a guy like Sexton, but I don't think Timmy + Hardy + 25 is going to be enough to land him, and it seems less and less likely that DJJ is going to go for the tax MLE.

[SleepingHero]

@TheDunkCentral
Paul George could opt in and request a trade to his preferred destination, per
@WindhorstESPN


“[Clippers] have not been willing to meet Paul George’s price. He remains un-signed. You can’t just look at teams with salary cap space. If Paul George changes teams, it’s very likely going to be a situation where he opts into his contract and requests a trade.”

[SleepingHero]

@esidery
The Warriors have offered Klay Thompson a two-year deal, per
@espn_macmahon
(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/br...0659695906).

Thompson is reportedly seeking at least a three-year contract.

Golden State and Thompson have a week to find common ground in negotiations before he hits the open market.