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

[omahen]

Naji's value will never be higher.  He's playing the best ball of his career.  If we can start a small bidding war and get some real value for him, you trade him. Love the guy but now may be the time. 

He's 28. Not a great shooter and next year is a contract year. His long term fit. Well there doesn't seem to be one. 

Almost every contender can use a Naji Marshall type. He's not a superstar but his value is a 6th, 7th guy on a playoff rotation. A defensive wing who will play hard and play solid D.  And surprisingly score when needed. Every championship team has a Naji type.  He can have similar impact as Dort for OKC. Or Bruce Brown for the Nuggets when they won. Think DeShawn Stevenson for our 2011 championship team.  

If you're a contender this year like Detroit, Boston, Houston, San Antonio.  You'd want to be the team acquiring a guy like that and not by someone you'll have to play in the playoffs.

I don't think Naji is anywhere close to what Dort is. Dort is an absolute pest on defense. While I am not trying to say that Naji is a bad defender, he is good. But there are levels to good and Dort is a couple of them higher. Dort is also a very good 3pt shooter. Bruce Brown in his best year could be a better comparison, although I would also say that he was a better defender. 

I would claim that all of those teams you listed already have their Naji on their rosters. Or a couple of them. Detroit has Ausar starting (much better defender plus high upside), LeVert, Green and Holland on the bench. Their biggest need is a better PF to replace Harris and additional shooting (they really miss Beasley, imho). 

Boston builds their game on 3pt shooting. Other than centers, everyone on their team is required to shoot a lot. I don't really see them as a fit for Naji. 

Houston has arguably longest list of 3-D wings in the league. Durant, Smith and Amen are starters. They have DFS, Tate, Eason and Okogie on the bench. 

San Antonio, similar to Detroit, could use a better PF instead of Barnes when aiming for a title. They have Keldon Johnson in the role Naji would be playing for them, and he has an awesome season so far.

[mvossman]

Agree about Gafford's lack of fit here now. I've written often about that. I just wouldn't expect significant cap relief AND "getting assets back." That's my worry. I think whatever method they choose to acquire cap relief, said cap relief will be viewed by all parties as part of the return value, and perhaps a significant part. In other words, I worry you'd be significantly lowering your talent in the exchange, not just your team's age and salary. Maybe you'd get a small something else, but not nearly as much, I don't think, as you would if you were willing to take salary back that extends past this summer. Under those circumstances, you could get better young player(s)...better pick(s), whatever. 

With an AD trade for mostly expirings, all your financial issues just disappear with one, quick nose-pinch of a stinky bite. I don't love that, either, and to be clear I'm not sure it's the way to go, but I do think I'd be considering it if the decision was mine to make. If nothing else, it would concretely clear the way for Gafford/Marshall/PJW/Thompson, whomever, to be dealt for on court basketball reasons, exclusively.

I think expiring contracts are cheap right now.  For example, I think the Hawks would be happy to convert some of their 70+ in expiring salary into players they want instead of messing with free agency.  Expiring contracts in general don't have nearly as much value as cap space that you can simply absorb contracts into.  They are basically trade fodder that provides a small value.  That's why I think its most efficient from an asset standpoint to go that route.

As down as I am on AD, I think he has more on court value to Mavs than Gafford + Klay and its not really close.  If you can't get a significantly better return for AD than those two, you might as well just go with those two.

[KillerLeft]

As down as I am on AD, I think he has more on court value to Mavs than Gafford + Klay and its not really close.  If you can't get a significantly better return for AD than those two, you might as well just go with those two.

I suppose it might end up really being as simple as the above, end-of-day. I agree, of course.

[RDB]

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.

The day we won the lottery is the day our vision shifted.  We are a team that’s been built for now.  Post Flagg, I assume most agree that a pivot from a “now” to a “Flagg centric” mindset is necessary.  And if true, that becomes our new North Star.  Player fits, urgency, acceptable returns, pain thresholds, etc, etc. are all informed by our new North Star.

The plans are directional.  Maxi may be a long-term fit but available for the right price.  Naji could be an intermediate fit, which may influence acceptable returns. But you can’t be beholden to competing “win now” and “pivot to Flagg” priorities.  That’s not a vision, especially when you’re asset poor with cap challenges.  Does winning play a role?  Sure…it informs your pain threshold.  OKC accepted losing to not skip steps.  Plenty of others choose the opposite.

IMO, the crossroad you suggest is less about the pivot and more about the execution.  And without an idea of the plan, we can only read tea leaves and speculate.  But the pivot is logical and few would likely question.  It’s not like we are blowing up a contender.  Our friends to the north can tell you what that feels like.

[RGP1981]

Who says no?

• G: Kyrie, Nembhard, BWill
  
• G: Christie, White, Hardy
  
• F: Cooper, PWill, Martin
  
• F: Buzelis, PJW, Collins
  
• C: Gafford, Lively, Cisse

+ 2026 Mavs and Bulls 1st round picks added in the summer.

I think Buzelis and Flagg could be a really good fit at the Forward position. The Mavericks could also try to trade for Andrew Nembhard in the near future, to keep his brother company and replace Kyrie.

[cow]

OKC accepted losing to not skip steps.  Plenty of others choose the opposite.

76ers embraced the process too.  OKC is interesting as they had a lot of success with KD/Russ/Harden and then with KD/Russ and then with Russ, but got out of the Russ business at the appropriate time.  All that success buys you a lot of grace with the fanbase and they had a good GM with a vision.  

Comparatively, here we are coming off of a bad GM who gave us a large deficit in draft capital.  We have no incentive to be bad after this year and I think Cooper has shown enough that he can prevent you from being a bottom feeder even with a supporting cast that is mostly hurt and/or role players.  Our neighboring basketball teams look to be the cream of the crop in the West for the near term.  That sets my sights on 5-7 years from now which gives us time to get a new GM to dig out of our current mess while developing Cooper and hopefully a running mate in this years draft.  Because of our asset situation, I'm in no rush to make any moves.   Yes, I'd like to be a little worse this year, but that can be accomplished without trading players away.  And as favorable as the ping pong ball God were to us this past year, I expect we return to the norm after that incredible luck.  And while our situation isn't ideal, there is a lot of freedom to be had in not being married to anyone on the roster outside of Cooper (I'd argue Nembhard too) and also not having to be bad after this year.   Keep developing Cooper and trade away the plus assets when it makes the most sense to build towards five years from now.

[mvossman]

76ers embraced the process too.  OKC is interesting as they had a lot of success with KD/Russ/Harden and then with KD/Russ and then with Russ, but got out of the Russ business at the appropriate time.  All that success buys you a lot of grace with the fanbase and they had a good GM with a vision.  

Comparatively, here we are coming off of a bad GM who gave us a large deficit in draft capital.  We have no incentive to be bad after this year and I think Cooper has shown enough that he can prevent you from being a bottom feeder even with a supporting cast that is mostly hurt and/or role players.  Our neighboring basketball teams look to be the cream of the crop in the West for the near term.  That sets my sights on 5-7 years from now which gives us time to get a new GM to dig out of our current mess while developing Cooper and hopefully a running mate in this years draft.  Because of our asset situation, I'm in no rush to make any moves.   Yes, I'd like to be a little worse this year, but that can be accomplished without trading players away.  And as favorable as the ping pong ball God were to us this past year, I expect we return to the norm after that incredible luck.  And while our situation isn't ideal, there is a lot of freedom to be had in not being married to anyone on the roster outside of Cooper (I'd argue Nembhard too) and also not having to be bad after this year.   Keep developing Cooper and trade away the plus assets when it makes the most sense to build towards five years from now.

If your outlook is really 5-7 years (I think its possible to be a lot sooner than that) then shouldn't the focus be maximizing your assets now?  Wouldn't it also be crazy to spend a massive tax bill and maintain repeater status for even larger bills in the future?  That is basically where I am at, maximizing assets while getting out of the tax.  I don't know if the goal is to avoid tax, but it will have to be eventually due to repeater penalties, so better now than closer to your outlook window.

[cow]

If your outlook is really 5-7 years (I think its possible to be a lot sooner than that) then shouldn't the focus be maximizing your assets now?  Wouldn't it also be crazy to spend a massive tax bill and maintain repeater status for even larger bills in the future?  That is basically where I am at, maximizing assets while getting out of the tax.  I don't know if the goal is to avoid tax, but it will have to be eventually due to repeater penalties, so better now than closer to your outlook window.

We don't have a GM.  I don't care about the tax bill, especially if that's being leveraged against me in negotiations (Dumont could think differently of course).  I think those two factors work against maximizing our assets.  I'm not opposed to making trades now, but I also don't have urgency to do it either.   If the right deal is there, take it, but don't make trades just to make trades.  I'm perfectly fine going into next season with the current roster.  I do think we'll eventually trade AD, Gafford, Nanji, PJ and Kyrie (possibly others, but those are the ones that I think can return valuable assets).

My 5-7 outlook is putting together a championship team, but I do think we'll be a playoff team prior.  That timing let's some of the power players in the west figure themselves out.

[mvossman]

We don't have a GM.  I don't care about the tax bill, especially if that's being leveraged against me in negotiations (Dumont could think differently of course).  I think those two factors work against maximizing our assets.  I'm not opposed to making trades now, but I also don't have urgency to do it either.   If the right deal is there, take it, but don't make trades just to make trades.  I'm perfectly fine going into next season with the current roster.  I do think we'll eventually trade AD, Gafford, Nanji, PJ and Kyrie (possibly others, but those are the ones that I think can return valuable assets).

My 5-7 outlook is putting together a championship team, but I do think we'll be a playoff team prior.  That timing let's some of the power players in the west figure themselves out.

I think the tax issue will only grow and in the future would be leveraged against them more heavily than it will be now.  I think they have the best opportunity to avoid that tax now and it will only get more expensive in assets in the future.  That does not mean make bad deals just to get out of the tax now, but it does mean they should be active this TDL instead of doing nothing in waiting for a GM hire and then asking him to shed 27 mil of cap in the offseason.

[F Gump]

I don't care about the tax bill, especially if that's being leveraged against me in negotiations (Dumont could think differently of course).  I think those two factors work against maximizing our assets. .

This ^ is why I am in favor of finding (if possible) a trade of Martin-Hardy- Russell with a tip, for air. I'm looking at BKN and/or WAS. To me that deal (if available) would be far more valuable IN THIS SITUATION than those moving talented players for a pick.

[RasheedsBigWhiteSpot]

As was discussed on Locked on Mavs:

OKC has so many 1sts to the point that they're undervalued. Unlike most teams, they can almost afford to toss them aside in an effort to tweak on the margins.

I love Naji and Max, but if you could get back the Clippers'pick, another 1st, Topic, and fitting salaries for those guys, do you do it? I started the "this is the time to sell high on Naji (good numbers on cheap salary), so I'm fine with moving him. But I gotta be gaga over the return for Max. I think he has a chance to be a regular 18 ppg SG on good %'s.

Even Naji for the Clippers pick + Dieng is a good deal.

[mvossman]

As was discussed on Locked on Mavs:

OKC has so many 1sts to the point that they're undervalued. Unlike most teams, they can almost afford to toss them aside in an effort to tweak on the margins.

I love Naji and Max, but if you could get back the Clippers'pick, another 1st, Topic, and fitting salaries for those guys, do you do it?  I started the "this is the time to sell high on Naji (good numbers on cheap salary), so I'm fine with moving him.  But I gotta be gaga over the return for Max.  I think he has a chance to be a regular 18 ppg SG on good %'s.

Even Naji for the Clippers pick + Dieng is a good deal.

I'm having a hard time with why we would want to move Max.  He is continuing to improve, fits the timeline, fits with Flagg, and seems to like it here.  I mean if you get blown away by an offer I guess you have to, but he would not be on my radar at all to move.  Naji has fit questions, timeline questions and his value may be peaking.  He makes more sense if you like whats coming back.

[Nowitzki Way]

I'm having a hard time with why we would want to move Max.  He is continuing to improve, fits the timeline, fits with Flagg, and seems to like it here.  I mean if you get blown away by an offer I guess you have to, but he would not be on my radar at all to move.  Naji has fit questions, timeline questions and his value may be peaking.  He makes more sense if you like whats coming back.

The only way i'd do it is trade for an equally valuable guy that may fit better.   Like a 22/23 year old ball handler vs a shooter like Max. But we need shooting too. 

But this rumor, if true, seems like its other teams interested to see if they would part with him. Mavs may be trying to be smart and get value while its at the greatest point. its possible they think he's reached his ceiling. This he is what he is.  He does have that player option after next year that could complicate the long term fit if they dont value him at what he would demand on the open market.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

https://x.com/ohnohedidnt24/status/2015883634939515352


Has Giannis played his last game in a Bucks jersey?

[Chicagojk]

Personally, I am not expecting much at the trade deadline.  Would be fine with any deal that I think put us in a better position.  Of the regular players, Gafford probably has the best odds of being moved.  Although, without a permanent GM (if they really are looking), I just have trouble looking at a lot of moves.   One move sort of pushes you in one direction, while another moves pulls you in another direction.    I would like to leave those decisions to a guy who has the vision to rebuild this team.  Especially as I don't think any of the guys will lose value from now to the summer.  This summer PJ is trade eligible too, so you have someone who know what he wants and can build the roster in his vision.  

I would like to see Klay moved to a contender and DLO (and the other non rotation players) moved.   Just don't know if there will be a market for any of them.

[mvossman]

Personally, I am not expecting much at the trade deadline.  Would be fine with any deal that I think put us in a better position.  Of the regular players, Gafford probably has the best odds of being moved.  Although, without a permanent GM (if they really are looking), I just have trouble looking at a lot of moves.   One move sort of pushes you in one direction, while another moves pulls you in another direction.    I would like to leave those decisions to a guy who has the vision to rebuild this team.  Especially as I don't think any of the guys will lose value from now to the summer.  This summer PJ is trade eligible too, so you have someone who know what he wants and can build the roster in his vision.  

I would like to see Klay moved to a contender and DLO (and the other non rotation players) moved.   Just don't know if there will be a market for any of them.

Do they need a GM to determine if they want to pay tax?  If the goal is to stop the repeater train, it will probably be a lot easier to do it now than wait until offseason.

[Chicagojk]

Do they need a GM to determine if they want to pay tax?  If the goal is to stop the repeater train, it will probably be a lot easier to do it now than wait until offseason.

Well hopefully that is where Klay for an expiring and DLO getting a condo at the Marina Bay Sands takes care of that.

[mvossman]

Well hopefully that is where Klay for an expiring and DLO getting a condo at the Marina Bay Sands takes care of that.

We need to shed roughly 27 mil.  That would be a good start, but there would still be some meat on that bone.

[F Gump]

Do they need a GM to determine if they want to pay tax?  If the goal is to stop the repeater train, it will probably be a lot easier to do it now than wait until offseason.

The elite GM should offer way more answers than that, all of them crucial to determining what to do or not do re the tax questions.

[mvossman]

The elite GM should offer way more answers than that, all of them crucial to determining what to do or not do re the tax questions.

Sure, but they have already said they are waiting until offseason and that will be too late to take advantage of any opportunities at the TDL.  Given all of the rumors they are at least acting like decisions could be made.  I would rather have the GM now, but I don't think the right strategy is to do nothing until they get one.