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

[Smitty]

I guess I don’t see the minutes crunch that everyone else does. Especially when you factor in the long list of injury prone guys. Exum, AD, and Lively WILL miss time. It’s written in stone at this point. Even so, the top 11 are pretty clear to me and Kidd usually runs 11-man rotations. Are we really upset that Hardy, Omax and Powell won’t get regular minutes while Kyrie is out?

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Marc Stein
@TheSteinLine
The Clippers’ salary cap management has indeed opened the door to signing both Bradley Beal (conditional on a Phoenix buyout) and reuniting with Chris Paul.

The Suns and Clippers have been the two potential spots for Paul since June 29 as covered here: https://tinyurl.com/3nfhybht


*******************
I don't know how much Stein is making on his independent journey, but I just want to note a job well done.  He has consistently provided real news this offseason.  I think more than anyone.  Shams typically is the one who releases news, but this is typically when the deal is done.  He is clearly getting his info from agents.  Not much intel before hand from him.  Stein and Fischer have been really good with giving intel before it happens.

Shams has been somewhat a disappointment to me. He has a hard time speaking clearly and he's just not as respected as Woj was. Maybe it changes as he gets comfortable in the job. But so far, I'm not impressed

[Chicagojk]

I guess I don’t see the minutes crunch that everyone else does. Especially when you factor in the long list of injury prone guys. Exum, AD, and Lively WILL miss time. It’s written in stone at this point. Even so, the top 11 are pretty clear to me and Kidd usually runs 11-man rotations. Are we really upset that Hardy, Omax and Powell won’t get regular minutes while Kyrie is out?

I agree there will be injuries.  I also don’t think having too many good players is not a bad thing.  It can be if the players don’t handle it well though. I think looking how most of the good teams are really deep, looking at the good teams who are not deep are the ones who may underperform.  Especially when a game or two may really matter.

[KillerLeft]

I agree there will be injuries.  I also don’t think having too many good players is not a bad thing.  It can be if the players don’t handle it well though. I think looking how most of the good teams are really deep, looking at the good teams who are not deep are the ones who may underperform.  Especially when a game or two may really matter.

Agreed. 

Although I go back and forth on this over the years. An argument could be made that even the deepest depth won't help if your top 6 aren't good enough. Case in point: if one of Russell or Exum doesn't step up and play at a level that would surprise their detractors, I'm not sure it's going to matter how deep the rest of the roster is this season. There were years during the Dirk era when I felt the team was super deep, but the top end of their talent wasn't enough. I think it's all a balancing act.

[SleepingHero]

They have two seasons before they become really expensive. At that time they will have some 65 mil to pay rest of team and stay below the second apron (lets say 2nd apron is a hard cap limit). They are paying "rest of team" over 100 mil now. Seems like it will be difficult for them to keep Hartenstein and Dort.

OKC owners have already broken up a super team because they were afraid of luxury tax. I can't imagine they'd be happy with a 1st apron team let alone a luxury tax team.

[KillerLeft]

OKC owners have already broken up a super team because they were afraid of luxury tax. I can't imagine they'd be happy with a 1st apron team let alone a luxury tax team.

That's what I'm saying. I'll believe they'll keep this team together when I see it.

[OBX Maverick]

Minutes are really tight.  Some players are not going to be very thrilled with their roles.    I have been listening to some pods who assume Cooper gets minutes at the two...even starting at the two.  I don't think I buy that now.   Although, if it does happen they talk about how Klay's and Max's minutes (not even mentioning Caleb's) get crunched.   I even heard one of the Mavs podcasts saying Max being out of the rotation.   

I think this would be bad news.  As you mention, Max is a young player.  I think he plays a smart game.  He has upside still.  I am not sure if he is going to be a top 5 player here, but I think he could potentially be a really nice high minute bench player.   To bury him on the bench would be bad news imo.

Minutes will be real tight.  That’s one reason I’m surprised Dallas never packaged Naji in some kind of deal for a PG or perimeter defender. He outperformed his contract and one would figure he’d have some appeal to other teams.  I guess when they got DR for pennies, that idea went off the table. I honestly can’t see where Marshall gets any minutes for this team unless it’s out of position again at the point to spell Russell.

[DallasMaverick]

I guess I don’t see the minutes crunch that everyone else does. Especially when you factor in the long list of injury prone guys. Exum, AD, and Lively WILL miss time. It’s written in stone at this point.

Nope.  

They replaced their training staff, so this is the year they won't have any injuries.

Take it to the bank.

No injuries.

[myconsumerclub]

If Dlo and Exum suck that bad do you think Kidd is going to let them start at PG.

I feel like he will force Flagg to get it right at PG if he sees that happening.

A lot of us think B Will is the one we need to start till Kyrie is back and if he could produce enough to position us for a nice 2nd half when Kyrie returns then BWill and Cooper might be good enough if they split time at the point with some Nembhard as a relief PG.

I bet we would have done just fine in such a situation and that spending a ton of money on DLo and Exum was not needed.

The leash I would give DLo and Exum is short. They should hit 40% on 3's and win with decent assists and low turnover rates or we look at the young guys playing more so we can see if they are keepers or not.

Look how many PG's we have on this team we need to filter a few out and develop the ones that fit best and do so with a mind to develop youth for Coopers timeline if possible.

[mvossman]

If Dlo and Exum suck that bad do you think Kidd is going to let them start at PG.

I feel like he will force Flagg to get it right at PG if he sees that happening.

A lot of us think B Will is the one we need to start till Kyrie is back and if he could produce enough to position us for a nice 2nd half when Kyrie returns then BWill and Cooper might be good enough if they split time at the point with some Nembhard as a relief PG.

I bet we would have done just fine in such a situation and that spending a ton of money on DLo and Exum was not needed.

The leash I would give DLo and Exum is short. They should hit 40% on 3's and win with decent assists and low turnover rates or we look at the young guys playing more so we can see if they are keepers or not.

Look how many PG's we have on this team we need to filter a few out and develop the ones that fit best and do so with a mind to develop youth for Coopers timeline if possible.

We spent 5 mil on Dlo and vet min on Exum.  Not exactly ton of money.  Dlo has his warts but he has been a decent starter most of his career.  Williams had a nice short run as a two way.  Not to mention Dlo is a Nico guy and word is the other Nico guys (Kyrie, Klay and AD) asked for him.  I would not hold my breath that he is going to lose his spot any time soon.

[KillerLeft]

We spent 5 mil on Dlo and vet min on Exum.  Not exactly ton of money.  Dlo has his warts but he has been a decent starter most of his career.  Williams had a nice short run as a two way.  Not to mention Dlo is a Nico guy and word is the other Nico guys (Kyrie, Klay and AD) asked for him.  I would not hold my breath that he is going to lose his spot any time soon.

Plus, it is an unbelievably ambitious ask of Cooper Flagg to expect him to come in and play point guard during his rookie season better than guys who have been doing it for years and years. 

SIde note: I've never seen a player coming onto the team with such high expectations. People are acting like he can do anything, and maybe he can, I don't know. But it's funny that we're assuming he's going to be one of the best players in the league, seemingly in any role we feel like saying he should play, without ever having seen him wear a Mavs jersey. For the record, I think he'll be able to competently run the offense at some point, for some possessions, at least. And, I think we're about to see him run it a lot...in summer league. I struggle with the expectation that the ball will be in hands with any sort of consistency for the first half of this season, and I'm not even 100% sure that ends up being his toehold role in the league. He'd have to be way better at it than Jason Tatum to live up to that, just for example. Like way, way better.

[F Gump]

In forecasting how minutes will get split at G, don't underestimate Exum. WHEN HE IS HEALTHY, there is no question Exum will play a regular role with solid minutes. And play well.

Other than the injuries, Exum is exactly what Kidd wants in a PG or combo G. He is big, he habitually forces the pace, he shoots 3s at 40%, he plays strong (!!) defense, and passes the ball well with low turnovers. He can be the 2nd ball handler and play SG because his D holds up and he makes 3s.

The Mavs can't prioritize Exum as The Guy because he gets hurt too much. But when he's healthy, he will be a fixture in the lineup.

[KillerLeft]

In forecasting how minutes will get split at G, don't underestimate Exum. WHEN HE IS HEALTHY, there is no question Exum will play a regular role with solid minutes. And play well.

Other than the injuries, Exum is exactly what Kidd wants in a PG or combo G. He is big, he habitually forces the pace, he shoots 3s at 40%, he plays strong (!!) defense, and passes the ball well with low turnovers. He can be the 2nd ball handler and play SG because his D holds up and he makes 3s.

The Mavs can't prioritize Exum as The Guy because he gets hurt too much. But when he's healthy, he will be a fixture in the lineup.

Totally agree. I kind of think his lack of ability to score at all three levels (especially midrange) prevents him from doing some things, even if he was a lock to stay healthy, but then again, he played much more aggressively once Luka was gone last year, so he might have a little more in that area that originally met the eye. I definitely feel better about the season with him on board.

Sidenote: it sucks that Hardy can't figure it out, because HE has a plethora of moves and counters to get shots off from all three levels. If he ever learned how to stay focused on the big piture he'd be one hell of a pick and roll guard.

[Razzmatazz_Hopskidillydoo]

If Dlo and Exum suck that bad do you think Kidd is going to let them start at PG.

I feel like he will force Flagg to get it right at PG if he sees that happening.

A lot of us think B Will is the one we need to start till Kyrie is back and if he could produce enough to position us for a nice 2nd half when Kyrie returns then BWill and Cooper might be good enough if they split time at the point with some Nembhard as a relief PG.

I bet we would have done just fine in such a situation and that spending a ton of money on DLo and Exum was not needed.

The leash I would give DLo and Exum is short. They should hit 40% on 3's and win with decent assists and low turnover rates or we look at the young guys playing more so we can see if they are keepers or not.

Look how many PG's we have on this team we need to filter a few out and develop the ones that fit best and do so with a mind to develop youth for Coopers timeline if possible.

"Suck this bad" refers only to Dinwiddie.

Exum isn't bad, he just has this Josh-Green type of mental issue with him -- he does not want to score and is contended with pushing the tempo and distributing. As 3rd PG he is better than most, as a back-up it depends. If Mavs are getting pre-injury Mavs Exum he is good, but if the Mavs are getting the Exum of last season then -- he goes from good to "at the very least he defends" category.

DLO is the version of THJ as a PG. His performance can swing widely, but he is not a constantly going to be at a "pull-yer-hair-out-everygame-sucktitude" level. And with Kyrie out, and offensive creation is in question, I like the signing. He would be useful than not.

Flagg as a PG? Barring "Tyson Chandler is an SF in his early years in the NBA"  kind of comments (which is of course stup!d), I would not bet on Kidd seeing Flagg as a PG. Yes he would definitely experiment with this during the season. But Flagg at PG would not be a thing. Even if Flagg's loose and messy ball handling improves, he'd just play PG in extreme situations: like a singular play, a five minute stretch where Kidd sees a clear advantage, or injury to most of the current ball handlers. Flagg as PG can work though, but he still needs a good ball handler to bring up the ball as you wouldn't want Flagg to do this, which makes Exum and DLo still essential for the team. And if you have those guys then, why opt for Flagg as a PG?

DLo and Exum aren't very good PGs, but they don't suck. Luckily for the Mavs they have Flagg who can mask the PG weakness by just being on the floor with anyone of them.

[KillerLeft]

Exum isn't bad, he just has this Josh-Green type of mental issue with him -- he does not want to score and is contended with pushing the tempo and distributing. As 3rd PG he is better than most, as a back-up it depends. If Mavs are getting pre-injury Mavs Exum he is good, but if the Mavs are getting the Exum of last season then -- he goes from good to "at the very least he defends" category.

I agree with this, only I feel like I've seen Exum play aggressively well, and recently (when they gave him the ball after the Luka trade and Kyrie's injury). It was a new Exum I've never seen before, and if he can do THAT consistently, I'm confident he can be one of the above average backup PG's in the NBA (barring injury, of course). Plus, his positional and role versatility is through the roof. I think he's a great player to have around, especially at the minimum. 

One thing that has become abundantly clear about Harrison - he follows basketball. I don't mean to suggest that he understands the game better than anyone else, really, but he seems to remember the big lottery talent, even years later. We used to make such a big deal back in the Fish days about Donnie and his "fallen angels." Well, don't look now, but this team is LOADED with former lottery picks. I believe there are three former #1's on the team now. DLO went #2. Exum went #5. Thompson went #11. PJ and Lively both went #12. I can't remember the Mavs ever being this stuffed with "blue chip" players, regardless of how we feel about how their careers have played out so far. This is a different game than Donnie Nelson and Cuban were playing all those years, that's for sure.

[Knutsen]

Even if it hurts my Mavs soul - great quotes from Ayton about teaming up with Luka - probably the first time LeBron was more of an afterthought for a long time when it’s about the Lakers:

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/4569...ion-doncic

[SleepingHero]

Even if it hurts my Mavs soul - great quotes from Ayton about teaming up with Luka - probably the first time LeBron was more of an afterthought for a long time when it’s about the Lakers:

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/4569...ion-doncic

Honestly I want the best for Luka always. It will be interesting to see him play with Ayton. I remember fighting hard for having Ayton come to Dallas before he was eventually traded to Portland (and before the Mavs had Lively/Gafford).

I still think that him and Luka could be a pretty dynamic duo, but it hinges on Ayton fighting off the tendencies that has made him pretty much an afterthought at this stage of his career.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Nope.  

They replaced their training staff, so this is the year they won't have any injuries.

Take it to the bank.

No injuries.

Hyperbole much?

[mvossman]

Hyperbole much?

This is his bit.  Don't take it too seriously.

[Scott41theMavs]

This is his bit.  Don't take it too seriously.

His defense of last year's training staff is just eldritch.