Trade & FA 2024-25:

[F Gump]

This is pretty incredible.  Here am I thinking Mavs may have a decent asset by having Philly's second round pick.  Only to find out OKC has Philly's first round pick protection from 1-6. Look at their other potential picks this draft. 

2025 1 - PHI
Protected 1-6

2025 1 - HOU or LAC
OKC has the right to swap its 2025 1st round pick for HOU's 2025 1st round pick protected for selections 1-10 or the LAC' 2025 1st round pick; HOU then has the right to swap its pick or the OKC pick to BKN for PHX's 2025 1st round pick; if the HOU pick falls within its protected range, then HOU's obligation to OKC will be extinguished and HOU will instead have the right to swap its pick to BKN for the PHX pick [LAC-OKC, 7/10/2019; HOU-OKC, 7/16/2019; BKN-CLE-HOU-IND, 1/16/2021; BKN-IND-MIL-PHX, 2/9/2023; BKN-HOU, 6/26/2024]

2025 1 - Own

2025 1 - UTA
Protected 1-10

2025 1 - MIA
Protected 1-14

The question is how OKC will be able to keep a slew of picks, since they already have a full roster. And a secondary question is whether they end up with good picks or bad picks (or no picks, in some cases). Right now they would get 8, 22, and 29 and PHI may already be tanking to keep what's now pick 8.

Here's the situation:

UTA pick - No pick due to protections, and UTA will tank to protect it

PHI pick - right now PHI is at draft slot 8, but the team has been mediocre and could opt to tank to keep their pick (PHI keeps the pick if it is 1-6) - PHI is 3-7 over the last 10. The ideal outcome for the Mavs is for PHI to tank to keep their pick, in which case the Mavs get a very good SRP.

MIA pick - No pick currently (MIA must make the playoffs, and currently sits 9th for a play-in). If MIA rises in the standings, the pick could be no better than 15, and they could feasibly ascend 1.5 games to having EC seed 5 and pick 23.

HOU/LAC pick - currently pick 22 (OKC gets whichever is better)

OKC pick - pick 29

[ballsrchr]

Yeah, it is disappointing.  Just when it appears he was making a jump.   He just can't get a 30-40 game run of health.    Last year, Gafford really filled in the gaps and was really good.   He is in a funk or struggles playing without Luka or something.   Gafford just really hasn't had the same impact this year.   I have always thought I think he has a fragile ego and can get down on himself quickly.   I think you need to handle him carefully.

I brought up a name like Thybulle previously.   Heck, I am not really that familar with his game or a huge fan.   I just wonder if having a guy like that right out of your normal rotation now would help more than a scorer.   Last night, they had no answer for Murray.   If this team is going to have success, they need to be able to throw things at SGA, JA, Murray, Harden, Edwards, etc.  It would be nice to have another good defender.  Even if he was questionable at other things or even out of your main rotation.

This is my thought as well.  And I fear they are not handling him "carefully".

[StrandedOnBeauboisHill]

Do we need to start talking about this? I don't know that it's safe to pencil in Lively anymore. Starting to get to a point that it's a luxury or bonus if he's available. 

I think it's frustrating because he's so valuable to this team's success but I also think that everything has been like just rolled ankles and freak injuries like the Gobert thing last year.  He's availability has also increased every year since he entered college so hopefully that continues.

[SleepingHero]

@esidery
The Suns have been unable to find a single team willing to take on Jusuf Nurkic’s contract in a trade, per
@Gambo987.

Nurkic likely becomes the fourth-string center the rest of the season behind Nick Richards, Oso Ighodaro and Mason Plumlee.

[SleepingHero]

@esidery
The Mavericks have dangled Daniel Gafford in trade talks around the NBA to hopefully acquire an impact wing defender, per @cclark_13
(https://nytimes.com/athletic/6067459/202...de-rumors/).

Gafford is averaging 11.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 20 minutes per game this season.

[KillerLeft]

@esidery
The Mavericks have dangled Daniel Gafford in trade talks around the NBA to hopefully acquire an impact wing defender, per @cclark_13
(https://nytimes.com/athletic/6067459/202...de-rumors/).

Gafford is averaging 11.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 20 minutes per game this season.

Yeah. Not sure they'll trade him, obviously, but it would be crazy not to at least find out what he's worth. No matter how good we think he is/isn't, his future here is backup center, and he's the rotation player most likely to be of less use in the playoffs. Mix in the salary cap situation, and I think it's pretty easy to see what they might be debating internally as an organization.

[BigDirk41]

Yeah. Not sure they'll trade him, obviously, but it would be crazy not to at least find out what he's worth. No matter how good we think he is/isn't, his future here is backup center, and he's the rotation player most likely to be of less use in the playoffs. Mix in the salary cap situation, and I think it's pretty easy to see what they might be debating internally as an organization.

I'm curious about what makes you think Gafford will play less in the playoffs? I've seen you say that several times. I don't think Maxi will even be here after the trade deadline, but I also haven't seen anything to make me believe Kidd play play Maxi over Gafford. Do you think Lively will get almost all of the center minutes in the playoffs?

[HoosierDaddyKid]

@esidery
The Suns have been unable to find a single team willing to take on Jusuf Nurkic’s contract in a trade, per
@Gambo987.

Nurkic likely becomes the fourth-string center the rest of the season behind Nick Richards, Oso Ighodaro and Mason Plumlee.

My goodness, at one time Nurk was considered a very good big, now he's 4th string? Oh how far the mighty have fallen...

[BigDirk41]

My goodness, at one time Nurk was considered a very good big, now he's 4th string? Oh how far the mighty have fallen...

Is this because of his fight with Naji? They seemed to sour on him after that happened.

[KillerLeft]

I'm curious about what makes you think Gafford will play less in the playoffs? I've seen you say that several times. I don't think Maxi will even be here after the trade deadline, but I also haven't seen anything to make me believe Kidd play play Maxi over Gafford. Do you think Lively will get almost all of the center minutes in the playoffs?

Easy. He's hurting them on defense when he plays now, in the regular season, when teams have less opportunity to game plan and exploit weaknesses. One of the most common weaknesses good teams try to exploit on any team is to get the other team's slowest player, almost always a big, into defensive rotation and move the ball until it finds a shooter to which said slow player isn't able to close out, hopefully in the corner, which is the most efficient shot from the three point line. I'd say more than half of the guys playing center in the NBA become pumpkins in a 7-game series against one of the top 6-8 offenses. 

When it gets down to the good teams, everyone can shoot. Period.

[Chicagojk]

Really wondering if this is true. if so, what level. Cam Johnson is probably the highest rated guy, and it appears most teams would want him, so Mavs may have too little here. Just curious with their roster what type of move they are looking for, if true.

Also, the Jordan Clarkson names opens up even more questions.

https://x.com/BrettSiegelNBA/status/1880302816419315753

[StrandedOnBeauboisHill]

Easy. He's hurting them on defense when he plays now, in the regular season, when teams have less opportunity to game plan and exploit weaknesses. One of the most common weaknesses good teams try to exploit on any team is to get the other team's slowest player, almost always a big, into defensive rotation and move the ball until it finds a shooter to which said slow player isn't able to close out, hopefully in the corner, which is the most efficient shot from the three point line. I'd say more than half of the guys playing center in the NBA become pumpkins in a 7-game series against one of the top 6-8 offenses. 

When it gets down to the good teams, everyone can shoot. Period.

It's surprising to me that people are forgetting how ineffective he became when the games became important.  He was pretty bad against the Thunder and the Celtics.  Gafford is very fun to watch and is great when he has a center he can bully around but if you let that happen again this postseason with a healthy Maxi on the bench then I would say that's poor coaching.

[BigDirk41]

I still think these are people's personal opinions and not the way Kidd coaches. I fully understand the reasons of a traditional center not playing in the playoffs, but I don't think Kidd coaches that way.

[BigDirk41]

It's surprising to me that people are forgetting how ineffective he became when the games became important.  He was pretty bad against the Thunder and the Celtics.  Gafford is very fun to watch and is great when he has a center he can bully around but if you let that happen again this postseason with a healthy Maxi on the bench then I would say that's poor coaching.

Maxi is not going to play long stints in the playoffs. You can't play 4 on 5 offensively. He's not what he used to be and I expect him to be traded anyway.

[StrandedOnBeauboisHill]

Maxi is not going to play long stints in the playoffs. You can't play 4 on 5 offensively. He's not what he used to be and I expect him to be traded anyway.

He might be traded for sure.  Feels like it's either Gafford+ or Maxi+Grimes+ as our offerings or we do nothing.  I would assume we do nothing.

But if Maxi is on this roster and healthy this post season I would bet every dollar I have that he plays long stints.

[KillerLeft]

Really wondering if this is true.  if so, what level.  Cam Johnson is probably the highest rated guy, and it appears most teams would want him, so Mavs may have too little here.    Just curious with their roster what type of move they are looking for, if true. 

Also, the Jordan Clarkson names opens up even more questions. 

https://x.com/BrettSiegelNBA/status/1880302816419315753

Well, the rumor says "impact wing defender," I think. Not sure Cam Johnson is that, really. He's a nice player, for sure.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_...d-deadline


Five players most likely traded by the deadline.

[michaeltex]

Feeling impatient and maybe a little desperate after the recent games and before next week's schedule. Just trying to think outside the box a bit, but...

What if the outgoing was Maxi + Gafford? That's about $24.4M in salary. Does that open up any opportunities? Of course, it puts a BIG hole in the rotation and would move DP up to #2 center, unless another option was coming back. I have no concept of where to go with this, I was just trying to generate a bigger trade number for more flexibility in trades.

An example would be trading those two for Thybulle + Williams III from Portland. Sort of Bigs for Bigs and possibly move DP back to #3 center spot.

Hey, it's all spit ballin' right now anyway.

[mvossman]

I still think these are people's personal opinions and not the way Kidd coaches. I fully understand the reasons of a traditional center not playing in the playoffs, but I don't think Kidd coaches that way.

There is some evidence.  When Lively was out late last season he started Gafford, but many times he finished with Maxi.  He also played Maxi at center some (about a third of his minutes) when both Lively and Gafford were healthy in the playoffs.

[mvossman]

Feeling impatient and maybe a little desperate after the recent games and before next week's schedule. Just trying to think outside the box a bit, but...

What if the outgoing was Maxi + Gafford? That's about $24.4M in salary. Does that open up any opportunities? Of course, it puts a BIG hole in the rotation and would move DP up to #2 center, unless another option was coming back. I have no concept of where to go with this, I was just trying to generate a bigger trade number for more flexibility in trades.

An example would be trading those two for Thybulle + Williams III from Portland. Sort of Bigs for Bigs and possibly move DP back to #3 center spot.

Hey, it's all spit ballin' right now anyway.

My guess is that the net of the offseason will be both of those guys gone with a 4/5 coming in who can backup both positions at roughly 10 mil in order to open up space for other things.  

My issue with Thybulle is that when healthy we already have a minutes crunch at 1-3 and I don't see him has an upgrade over any of our rotation guys.

Its hard to see this team make any kind of move right now with all of the uncertainty due to injuries.