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

[Smitty]

I would break it down and say the only decision they NEED to make is if they want to sell high on the vets listed and if they want to offer extensions to the ones eligible.

We will know their path soon enough.

[Chicagojk]

https://x.com/mavsfilmroom/status/201560...85312?s=61

[Winter]

https://x.com/mavsfilmroom/status/201560...85312?s=61

Spot on. Thanks for posting.

[Smitty]

https://x.com/mavsfilmroom/status/201560...85312?s=61

Looks like they’re willing to sell high on Naji. Meaning the extension talks this summer are a likely factor. But don’t have to do anything, if they don’t get a deal they like. That’s the position you want to be in as we near the TDL.

[cow]

Considering offers on Christie is a pleasant surprise. Don't ask, it's completely irrational.

[mvossman]

Naji Marshall, and to a slightly lesser extent, Gafford, are basically gold to contenders right about now. Both good players (Marshall's play currently reaching all time high levels), both on good contracts (especially Marshall, but Gafford's is good, too, provided his new team has a starting role in mind). Both of them are worth a first or two for sure, considering the type of firsts good teams have to offer.

Again, the problem is "why?" There is a very low chance that you'd find a player as good as either with a late first round pick, and even if you hit on the pick(s) it will be 2-4 years (starting when the pick is made - the drafts in question might be a few years down the road already) before you have a player who's the equivalent of what you're giving up with either of those two. If you think you'll be bad for the next few years, that's a decent risk to take because before long those guys (Marshall and Gafford) will be old and worth less, anyway. But, if there's a chance of being good in the next year or so, letting go of those guys (for draft capital, at least) could be a mistake (unless you get back better fitting pieces of equivalent quality, not just picks).

I just don't know what I think they should do, frankly. Honestly, if there was just a starting level PG here, I might be in favor of trying to compete next season, in which case I'd be looking at reshaping the roster in a completely different light. It's really that close of a call for me.

I mean we got both PJ and Gafford with crappy first round picks.  Getting picks back does not mean we can't turn those around later into getting better fitting players.  I don't think it makes any sense to hold onto Gafford if we are not trading AD.  Naji is tougher.  I really like the player, but the fit is questionable and the value is probably at its peak.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

Again, the problem is "why?" There is a very low chance that you'd find a player as good as either with a late first round pick, and even if you hit on the pick(s) it will be 2-4 years (starting when the pick is made - the drafts in question might be a few years down the road already) before you have a player who's the equivalent of what you're giving up with either of those two. If you think you'll be bad for the next few years, that's a decent risk to take because before long those guys (Marshall and Gafford) will be old and worth less, anyway. But, if there's a chance of being good in the next year or so, letting go of those guys (for draft capital, at least) could be a mistake (unless you get back better fitting pieces of equivalent quality, not just picks).

I just don't know what I think they should do, frankly. Honestly, if there was just a starting level PG here, I might be in favor of trying to compete next season, in which case I'd be looking at reshaping the roster in a completely different light. It's really that close of a call for me.

The why is future assets.  If for example a player you like such as Darius Garland becomes available, future 1st rd picks are needed.  The more you have, the better.  It's not really about the player picked using that pick being as good as Naji or Gafford.

The chances of being good next year are about what they were this year.  Being good would require Anthony Davis to be healthy.  We've seen how that goes.  We're gonna be stuck in this never ending loop of "if AD was healthy..."

It feels to me like people are looking at all the recognizable names the Mavs have on paper.  That does not make a good team.  Most of their top players have health or fit concerns.  Cooper Flagg and Max Christie are the only certainties.

[KillerLeft]

I mean we got both PJ and Gafford with crappy first round picks.  Getting picks back does not mean we can't turn those around later into getting better fitting players.  I don't think it makes any sense to hold onto Gafford if we are not trading AD.  Naji is tougher.  I really like the player, but the fit is questionable and the value is probably at its peak.

I don't disagree on any particular point. I just can't escape the feeling that anything they do at this point could end up being the wrong thing. I know that's always and constantly true, but I don't normally feel that way. I'm usually pretty confident in my opinions about how the team should move forward. I have no damn clue how this will play out, or what steps should be taken for it to play out favorably.

[mvossman]

I don't disagree on any particular point. I just can't escape the feeling that anything they do at this point could end up being the wrong thing. I know that's always and constantly true, but I don't normally feel that way. I'm usually pretty confident in my opinions about how the team should move forward. I have no damn clue how this will play out, or what steps should be taken for it to play out favorably.

I don't think there is that big of a difference between running it back and a full reset anymore, not after the latest AD injury.  I don't think they will get an offer that they think will be worth getting off him.  He was the biggest swing decision.

I think the bigger driver is if they are willing to pay tax.  They may want to run it back but not pay tax.  The best way to do that is probably to shed some cap now.  The most obvious candidates are Gafford and Klay.  Maybe they can get somebody to take on Dlo.

So with AD likely not moving, there is not much difference between running it back while avoiding tax and a full reset.  The only real difference might be your stance on Naji, but I could see both sides saying only if the offer is really good.

My fear is that they won't clear that cap due to indecision and decide/realize at some later point that they need to stop the bleeding when it becomes much more painful to do so.  

My bigger fear is that they push hard to make the play-in and lower (possibly significantly) the value of one of their biggest assets.

[meistermatze]

We have to factor one thing in: We don't have a FRP for several years after next season and we have a chance for picking high. What is our great plan to build a contender after that?

I understand most rationals being thrown around here, but if we miss out on a potentially great pick now, what is our clear path forwards? I don't see it.

[DL2RimRocker]

We have to factor one thing in: We don't have a FRP for several years after next season and we have a chance for picking high. What is our great plan to build a contender after that?

I understand most rationals being thrown around here, but if we miss out on a potentially great pick now, what is our clear path forwards? I don't see it.

The path doesn't appear easy but I think it is there.

Coop, Max, Nembhard, Lively, and Cisse (and maybe Ajinca) are nice young pieces to start the rebuild process.
We should have a decent pick this year that we simply can't miss on to add to that group.

If we can yield another young player with some upside and a draft pick from some combination of trading Klay, Gaff and Naji, that would be 1 or 2 more. Then we have AD and PJ as trade bait for the off season. If we can get a player or 2 with one year left on their contracts from
AD and PJ trades ,  we could have some space to sign a decent young player.

[Kidnova]

The path doesn't appear easy but I think it is there.

Coop, Max, Nembhard, Lively, and Cisse (and maybe Ajinca) are nice young pieces to start the rebuild process.
We should have a decent pick this year that we simply can't miss on to add to that group.

If we can yield another young player with some upside and a draft pick from some combination of trading Klay, Gaff and Naji, that would be 1 or 2 more. Then we have AD and PJ as trade bait for the off season. If we can get a player or 2 with one year left on their contracts from
AD and PJ trades ,  we could have some space to sign a decent young player.

Seems pretty optimistic to lump Cisse into the building block bucket.  Even Lively is hard to count on as a core piece as his health is always a concern.  Coop is a future MVP candidate and Max and Nembhard seem like good role players, but your list is why I think this team is 3 or 4 years away from being a contender again, not 1 or 2 years.  That's why I'm in the tear it down and start over camp.  I don't think there's a competitive window available on Kyrie or ADs timeline, so accumulating as much draft capital as you can in the near term is important.

[JamesConway912]

Not a single name on that list will ever just sniff an allstar game. You need a clear nr 2 though even IF Flagg can turn into an all nba guy one day. A Brunson, a Kyrie or what they hoped KP could turn into when they traded for him. 

The problem is they are so asset-ridden that they barely will even get a shot at drafting or trading for one of those types during Flaggs career. 

And now they are too proud / incompetent to maximize the last draft pick opportunity they will have for a long time essentially sabotaging the Flagg-era already with their nonexistent team building strategy after it has barely even started.

They dicked around enough and finally need to put on their big boy pants and make some trades to get on Flaggs timeline. 

Right now there is a HUGE chance they will mess up the pick and end up with another DSJ instead of a building block. 

They wont even be able to make a big trade offer for an upcoming guy like KP bc there just isnt anything on the roster worth a damn outside of Flagg in a season or two if they continue like that.

[JamesConway912]

Seems pretty optimistic to lump Cisse into the building block bucket.  Even Lively is hard to count on as a core piece as his health is always a concern.  Coop is a future MVP candidate and Max and Nembhard seem like good role players, but your list is why I think this team is 3 or 4 years away from being a contender again, not 1 or 2 years.  That's why I'm in the tear it down and start over camp.  I don't think there's a competitive window available on Kyrie or ADs timeline, so accumulating as much draft capital as you can in the near term is important.

THIS

Nembhard could easily be out of the league by his mid 20s just like Yogi Ferrell. Christie is a 6‘5 wing who cant create. If hes more than your 5th best starter you, well, are essentially the team you are right now and has been for 12 months.

All the guys who want to compete now / next season need to lay down where they think this magical progress will come from. The team is essentially the same for a full calender year. Guys are what they are.

Every single joke of a 3 game winning streak gets pushed around here like we just saw the second coming of the 2011 squad. Its insane how low standards have become. T

This team is trash and will only continue to miss the playoffs season after season barring any changes.

Naji Marshall is fun but if he is your most dependable ballhandler then what the f are we doing around here.

This is as dumb as pretending to want to build around Harrison Barnes, Nerlens, Wes and DSJ for a while a few years ago before getting Luka.

[KillerLeft]

We have to factor one thing in: We don't have a FRP for several years after next season and we have a chance for picking high. What is our great plan to build a contender after that?

I understand most rationals being thrown around here, but if we miss out on a potentially great pick now, what is our clear path forwards? I don't see it.

Everyone here (well almost) is and has been focused on this summer's pick since day 1. You won't find any argument there. 

The issue is the following seasons, tbh. The kind of picks you're likely to get for guys like Gafford and Marshall aren't any kind of replacement for your own picks that you've traded away if you have to tear the house down to the studs and rebuild from scratch. That's why the Mavs are trying to avoid doing that, I'm sure. SO, what's the best way to move forward? Do you accept a less than favorable outcome on an AD trade (should an offer even manifest) in order to shed salary, so that you can keep guys like Thompson, Marshall and Gafford? Do these guys even fit well enough to consider keeping? Do you reshuffle those guys instead, hoping to add Kyrie and AD to a team that actually works next season? This trade deadline is potentially a huge crossroads for the franchise.

[Chicagojk]

I think Marshall has been great recently.  I will be really surprised if he is moved this year, but he does have some questions moving forward.   His next contract and lack of perimeter shooting are big questions.   For me a question that sort of goes hand and hand with those are how does he fit in in a lower usage role?  Fact is, the last two years where he has played his best it has been in a heavy usage role.   With a team at full health or a better team, he would be in a substantially lower usage role.  How does he fit in that role and does he want it?   Ideally it is as a heavy bench role.   I can see him being a key cog in one of the leaders of the second unit.   Maybe 25 minutes a night.    I just wonder if that is the best for him or if he wants that role.

[JamesConway912]

I think Marshall has been great recently.  I will be really surprised if he is moved this year, but he does have some questions moving forward.   His next contract and lack of perimeter shooting are big questions.   For me a question that sort of goes hand and hand with those are how does he fit in in a lower usage role?  Fact is, the last two years where he has played his best it has been in a heavy usage role.   With a team at full health or a better team, he would be in a substantially lower usage role.  How does he fit in that role and does he want it?   Ideally it is as a heavy bench role.   I can see him being a key cog in one of the leaders of the second unit.   Maybe 25 minutes a night.    I just wonder if that is the best for him or if he wants that role.

Marshall is roughly 100 games away from his next and potentially last big NBA contract. He has been great but getting value for him needs to be priority nr 1 right now. Hes a 14ppg wing who can defend and handle the ball a bit. 

He‘d be a fool to not go to the highest bidding team the second he hits UFA in July 2027. Chances that he will stick around here are slim so it’s time to cash in for DAL.

[mvossman]

Seems pretty optimistic to lump Cisse into the building block bucket.  Even Lively is hard to count on as a core piece as his health is always a concern.  Coop is a future MVP candidate and Max and Nembhard seem like good role players, but your list is why I think this team is 3 or 4 years away from being a contender again, not 1 or 2 years.  That's why I'm in the tear it down and start over camp.  I don't think there's a competitive window available on Kyrie or ADs timeline, so accumulating as much draft capital as you can in the near term is important.

I agree with all of this but I would not put Nembhard in the same category as Max.  Max is developing into a quality starter.  I don't think Nembhard has that kind of ceiling.

[mvossman]

Everyone here (well almost) is and has been focused on this summer's pick since day 1. You won't find any argument there. 

The issue is the following seasons, tbh. The kind of picks you're likely to get for guys like Gafford and Marshall aren't any kind of replacement for your own picks that you've traded away if you have to tear the house down to the studs and rebuild from scratch. That's why the Mavs are trying to avoid doing that, I'm sure. SO, what's the best way to move forward? Do you accept a less than favorable outcome on an AD trade (should an offer even manifest) in order to shed salary, so that you can keep guys like Thompson, Marshall and Gafford? Do these guys even fit well enough to consider keeping? Do you reshuffle those guys instead, hoping to add Kyrie and AD to a team that actually works next season? This trade deadline is potentially a huge crossroads for the franchise.

yep, and we have an interim committee making the calls.

[KillerLeft]

I agree with all of this but I would not put Nembhard in the same category as Max.  Max is developing into a quality starter.  I don't think Nembhard has that kind of ceiling.

I don't think it's clear that Nembhard WON'T develop into a quality rotation player, but I also agree that it's way premature to assume he will. He has some skills, but his fans around here are jumping the gun, imo. If he's even the 2nd PG on the roster at the beginning of next season I'll be pretty disappointed. 3rd is about right for him, and he'll still get plenty of time to play/develop with injuries (as we've seen). I think getting him on a real contract would be a good move, but I wouldn't have him penciled into the team's top 9 rotation yet. With Christie, the conversation is more "5th starter, or 7th man?" Totally different.