Trade & FA 2024-25:

[DanSchwartzgan]

If the Mavs get Avdija, I'd want to add a little more shooting to this bench you have listed; at the guard spot. One of Quentin Grimes or Isaiah Joe.

I'm not sure how to go about getting one of those two though, i.e., in addition to Avdija. Do you have any ideas?

I really don’t.  If you get Avdija for Green/Draft capital and either keep DJJ or get Thybulle by moving THJ, you’ve fired all of your bullets.  I’m not sure why anyone thinks Grimes is attainable.

There isn’t such a thing as the perfect roster.  There will always be a spot we wish we could slightly upgrade.  Here, you are basically saying the Hardy spot is the weakest link.  It may be, but this is the year we have to decide whether he’s worth keeping or not.  I actually think one of the benefits of an Avdija acquisition is you can run some offense through him and let Hardy attack and hit C&S 3’s from off the ball.  I’m not saying Hardy can’t play on the ball.  I’m saying I’d rather him not be forced to get all of his minutes on the ball.

[dirkfansince1998]

If the Mavs are desperate for shooting they can probably get a THJ replacement on the vet min market. Or make a minor adjustment at the trade deadline. I think we have finally reached the point where vet min ring chasers view Dallas as a top tier destination.
Fournier or Kennard for example are just as good/bad as THJ (in my opinion better) and will most likely be available for cheap.

[mvossman]

If the Mavs are desperate for shooting they can probably get a THJ replacement on the vet min market. Or make a minor adjustment at the trade deadline. I think we have finally reached the point where vet min ring chasers view Dallas as a top tier destination.
Fournier or Kennard for example are just as good/bad as THJ (in my opinion better) and will most likely be available for cheap.

I doubt Kennard will be that cheap.  He should get more than BAE (which puts him out of our market).  Fournier has had a Bullock like decline.  Not sure he will be in the league much longer and very skeptical he is somebody you want to put on the court.

[dirkfansince1998]

I doubt Kennard will be that cheap.  He should get more than BAE (which puts him out of our market).  Fournier has had a Bullock like decline.  Not sure he will be in the league much longer and very skeptical he is somebody you want to put on the court.

https://hoopshype.com/lists/2024-nba-fre...is-summer/

Not sure if it is a great ranking but it still shows the bigger picture. There are only 5-6 capspace teams. Maybe 5-10 teams with the full MLE. But there is a pretty long list of solid free agents and there is a good chance that if you aren't among the top 30-40 players on the list you aren't getting more than the vet min.

[SleepingHero]

I think that when he left Denver, he wanted a shot to be “the man” on a team, as well as a shot for the wealth that comes with that. And, he ALMOST made it, doing well enough in that role as a piston to get Portland interested, and then well enough there to get this current crazy contract he has now. At this point, it’s pretty clear that he’s not quite good enough to play that type of role well enough to make a team good. I suppose there’s a chance he doesn’t care about that and will happily just jack up shots for a team that is constantly down by 12 points, hoping that he can get even another big payday when this contract runs out, but I have to think he knows better than that, unlike Kyle Kuzma.

I also think that the line between where he is and “good enough to be the second best player on a good team” is paper thin. I think if most people here were to watch him for about five straight games, they would come away from that experience with a much higher level of respect for the skills he brings on both ends of the floor. He is a great ball handler for his size, capable of running the offense for long stretches. He’s a little bit like prime Lamar Odom, with better shooting range, now that I think about it. Defensively, it’s very true that he has slacked off in recent years, but I really don’t think that is about ability, I think that’s about him being the go to guy on a bad team. I like the chances of him making a defensive impact here if he wants to come. 

I think he might be better suited to play the PJ role than the DJJ role, and that gives me a little pause, but honestly the only thing I really don’t like about him is his contract.

I have a huge trepidation when it comes to Grant solely because of his apparent view on winning/lack of desire for it. His contract also scares me, but the best teams have the highest payrolls for a reason. 

Although I can reason exactly why he made the choice he did to leave Denver to go to Detroit. Up until that point he earned a little over 20 million dollars total for his career. He was 25. Just put together 2 seasons of solid play with OKC and DEN. So he took a bet on himself in Detroit and it paid off money wise. He has since earned a total of 82 million. After this most recent contract his total career earnings will be 243 million dollars(!!!!!!!!!). Essentially he completed his goal to earn life changing money in this league.

So now does he want to actually try and win? Or is he happy just playing out this contract, jacking up shots, and enjoying a lack of accountability? If the Mavs were to trade for him and he starts demanding touches, not playing with the team, etc. I can see a pretty disastrous outcome. I suppose his contract his big enough where we can package it for another big name but I don't want it to come to that. 

On paper Grant is the most ideal player for this team. I agree with you skill wise he's one of the most unique players in this league. Offensively he can do everything. Defensively he can guard 1-5 easily (if he wants to). But that attitude scares me. And we won't/can't have any answers unless Grant himself clarifies his desires or actually shows he wants to win. 

Put it this way, the guy we were terrified over attitude wise during the TDL was Andrew Wiggins. He has at least shown he wants to win in his career. Something Grant has never done! That's scary!

[SleepingHero]

If the Mavs get Avdija, I'd want to add a little more shooting to this bench you have listed; at the guard spot. One of Quentin Grimes or Isaiah Joe.

I'm not sure how to go about getting one of those two though, i.e., in addition to Avdija. Do you have any ideas?

Davis Bertans on a minimum deal!

[SleepingHero]

Just to keep beating the Thybulle drum, here is a clip from when POR played vs. OKC this last March. The clip doesn't show the beginning part of the play where SGA drives right and tries to do his stepback at the elbow jumper. He had been killing Portland the entire game on this shot. Billups finally put Thybulle on SGA and on this first attempt he totally snuffs it out, forcing Shai to pass it out to the corner.

The ball then jumps 2 passes, and the clip starts there. So keep that in mind when watching this clip.

https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&CFPARAMS=&ContextMeasure=FGA&EndPeriod=2&EndRange=14400&GameID=0022300900&PlayerID=1628983&RangeType=1&Season=2023-24&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&StartPeriod=2&StartRange=7200&TeamID=1610612760&flag=3&sct=plot§ion=game

(Okay I don't know why but its not letting me link the right clip. Highlight the entire text and paste it into your URL. It's the missed shot at 4:13)

(Double edit, this shit doesn't work for me. If you guys want go to March 6th 2024, go to the game and go to the 2nd quarter, time stamp 4:13. Watch it there. Technology has betrayed me)

[KillerLeft]

Avdija is about as good as it gets in terms of contract size (less than 100% of outgoing THJ and similar money to PJ, but declining).  He plays plus D and on offense he’s a jack of many trades and while he’s kind of a master of none, he’s fairly good at almost everything (and still on a pretty good growth curve at only 23).

Lively, PJ, Avdija, Kyrie and Luka

Gafford, Maxi/Omax, DJJ, Hardy, Exum

I'm coming around on Advija, for sure. Do we have reason to believe he's available? I mean, so many people are talking about it, and Washington is so terrible, he must be at least a little available. I'm just wondering if there's a source of info I missed that indicates he's being shopped, or if this is just people identifying a guy who fits into the Mavs' hole. I like the way your lineup/rotation works there, quite a bit. I wonder, would Advija be ok coming off of the bench? I know he's a better overall player than DJJ, but I kind of like the idea of him coming in, 6th man style, to play either forward spot. Just a thought.

They did mention Bogan Bogdanovic, yes! I forgot about that. One of the guys really likes him for Dallas (but mentioned him for other teams, too, so my read was that he just likes the player, really). Personally, I think he'd be a nice addition to the BENCH, but I'm not interested in sliding him into this DJJ spot. I'm not quite as excited about him as others, but I think that's just because I have a little more faith in Hardy and Exum than others seem to have, at the moment. Still, he's obviously good enough to jump ahead of either of them in the guard rotation and would improve the team. If the only big thing the team is able to accomplish at forward is to bring DJJ back, I could see Bogdanovic working out as the "other" move.

[SleepingHero]

Ok. There were other names mentioned, and I got confused because I didn't go back to read it all again in order. I get it now. Sorry for the extra work, and thanks for your patience.

THJ+Green+Maxi   39.85
Grant-Thybulle      40.82

Yep, almost legal (will require 100% which takes another player), close enough.

Wouldn't this deal be legal since its above the 29 million dollar threshold (I assume this happens in July) in total and be subjected to the 125% +250k rule? Since both teams will be below the 1st apron upon completion they wouldn't have to worry about 100% match. Mavs team roster $ would be 177,222,039 and can just waive Lawson to get down to $175,101,356

Or am I misunderstanding the rules?

[SleepingHero]

NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral)
The Dallas Mavericks have checked in on Jerami Grant, per @IanBegley

“Teams have tons of conversations about potential trades at this point in the league calendar. Several teams, including the Mavs, have checked in on Jerami Grant’s situation in Portland. Grant, 30, is entering the second season of a five-year, $190 million contract with the Trail Blazers.”

(Via http://bit.ly/3zmTUE5)

[SleepingHero]

Evan Sidery (@esidery)
The Bucks have been shopping Pat Connaughton for a more versatile rotation piece.

Connaughton makes $9.4 million in 2024-25, which also includes a player option for the following season.

Due to current second apron limitations, Milwaukee can’t aggregate salaries in trades.

[SleepingHero]

Evan Sidery (@esidery)
The Knicks and Wizards have had recent dialogue around a potential trade involving Mitchell Robinson, per @IanBegley (https://sny.tv/articles/knicks-notes-cen...artenstein).

New York is hopeful to re-sign Isaiah Hartenstein to a long-term deal as their starting center.

[SleepingHero]

@esidery
Eric Gordon will soon decline his $3.4 million player option with the Suns.

Gordon will receive interest on the veteran’s minimum market from contenders in need of additional floor-spacing.

[mvossman]

https://hoopshype.com/lists/2024-nba-fre...is-summer/

Not sure if it is a great ranking but it still shows the bigger picture. There are only 5-6 capspace teams. Maybe 5-10 teams with the full MLE. But there is a pretty long list of solid free agents and there is a good chance that if you aren't among the top 30-40 players on the list you aren't getting more than the vet min.

That list has Eric Gordon on it, who is lesser than Kinard in every facet and 35 vs 27.  If we are using articles to show the bigger picture, here is a counter example:

The Derrick White All-Stars: 10 Players Who Could Complete a Contender - The Ringer

If Luke Kennard can be had at the BAE or less, it would be a no brainer to sign him, even though I am skeptical Kidd will utilize him properly.

[SleepingHero]

@TheDunkCentral
The Lakers and Clippers are expected to show interest in Chris Paul, per
@TheSteinLine


“I keep hearing that Paul, if he actually makes to free agency at some point, would draw interest from the Clippers as well as the Lakers. Paul's desire to play as close to his L.A.-based family as possible is well-known, but I'm told interest in bringing him to the Lakers might not be unanimous within the organization despite Paul's well-chronicled friendship with LeBron James.”

[SleepingHero]

@TheDunkCentral
The New York Knicks are a team to watch for Paul George, per
@TheSteinLine


“Another trusted source has advised me to keep the Knicks on the list as a potential trade suitor for George if the All-NBA swingman indeed opts into the final season of his current contract at $48.8 million. That step would position George to push for a trade to another team.”

[DanSchwartzgan]

Wouldn't this deal be legal since its above the 29 million dollar threshold (I assume this happens in July) in total and be subjected to the 125% +250k rule? Since both teams will be below the 1st apron upon completion they wouldn't have to worry about 100% match. Mavs team roster $ would be 177,222,039 and can just waive Lawson to get down to $175,101,356

Or am I misunderstanding the rules?

We have to think on two planes.  One is legal versus the trade rules (as you’ve done here) and one is legal versus the apron rules.  That is the point FG is making in saying we need one more player added to the proposed deal.  We need to send out more salary than we take back or we are hard capped.

BTW, I’m listening to the latest Locked On driving home from a weekend in Fort Worth.  Nick doesn’t get this stuff AT ALL.  He needs to hire FG as a consultant or CBA Mavs or someone.

[DanSchwartzgan]

I'm coming around on Advija, for sure. Do we have reason to believe he's available? 

I’ve not seen anything that says Washington is shopping him.  But, if you Google Avdija trade rumors, there is chatter from a lot of teams.  He’s pretty easy to plug in a lot of places.

I think the other thing is the fact Washington may end up with a 3/4 or 4/3 with the second overall pick.  They already have Kuzma, Avdija and Kispert that kind of fit that description.  Meanwhile, other than Poole and FA Jones, they are hurting at guard and don’t have much of anything at center either.

It seems like something that clears the deck for Sarr, fills a hole somewhere and adds draft equity would be in order.

[dirkfansince1998]

That list has Eric Gordon on it, who is lesser than Kinard in every facet and 35 vs 27.  If we are using articles to show the bigger picture, here is a counter example:

The Derrick White All-Stars: 10 Players Who Could Complete a Contender - The Ringer

If Luke Kennard can be had at the BAE or less, it would be a no brainer to sign him, even though I am skeptical Kidd will utilize him properly.

Maybe Kennard gets more than the minimum. Maybe not. I just included Kennard because he fit into the shooting specialist role.  It's not about a specific name. It is about the amount of rotation players vs available contracts above the minimum. Point is that legit rotation players will miss out on bigger contracts and play for the minimum. Including players that fit into the THJ (bench shooting) role.

[SleepingHero]

We have to think on two planes.  One is legal versus the trade rules (as you’ve done here) and one is legal versus the apron rules.  That is the point FG is making in saying we need one more player added to the proposed deal.  We need to send out more salary than we take back or we are hard capped.

BTW, I’m listening to the latest Locked On driving home from a weekend in Fort Worth.  Nick doesn’t get this stuff AT ALL.  He needs to hire FG as a consultant or CBA Mavs or someone.

Ok thanks that clarifies it for sure. Thank you.


Regarding Locked On, CBA intricacies have never been Nick or Isaac's forte. I remember Nick this entire year basically saying it's impossible to trade Josh Green because of his poison pill contract.

I'd say he should be better at this by now after 7 years, but truthfully covering the team every day and having to make a 30 minute podcast is a lot. So he probably doesn't have the desire to learn it.