Trade & Free Agency 2026/2027

[BigDirk41]

I see May as seeing Morez anchor his defense. We'll see, but I really think he'll be a starter from day 1. Regardless, I'm looking forward to the kid play. His motor is amazing and he's a freak athlete.

[Smitty]

If you can sign Coby White, I feel a lot better about this team going forward. He is my number 1 target now. Lot of ways it can happen. MLE is the simplest. Using the TPE via SnT. Or using Gafford in a SnT. Still, if you sign Coby and trade/buyout Klay I'm selling Coby on starting in the backcourt with Kyrie and getting to play with Flagg. Max gets to come off the bench, in his proper role. Coby plays a lot of lead guard during the season. 6'5 with PG skills. Career 37% from 3PT on 6+ attempts per game. Make it happen!

Kyrie | (Sergio)
COBY | Christie | AJJ
Flagg | Naji | Martin
PJW | (MoJo)
Lively | Gafford

[Smitty]

@ShamsCharania
Los Angeles Lakers star Austin Reaves intends to sign a four-year, $185 million maximum contract to return to the franchise, with a player option for the final season in 2029-30, sources tell ESPN. Reaves declined his $14.9M player option for the new max deal.

[cow]

Don´t think he´ll start, but he´ll play at least 20 MPG for 82 games, none of this herky jerky rotational mind games BS that Carlisle/Kidd seemed to play with many rookies. You can´t play a rookie 30 MPG for three games/a week,  they average 15 PPG, cause the opposition is soft and then DNP them for two months, cause they not ready for the better players. That´s not the way to develop young players imho. You let them swim, sink and swim again or drown. You don´t let them swim and then sit on the beach for months baking in the sun, while the ocean is right there in front of their noses.

If we trade Gafford, I think Morez will get closer to 30 MPG and start a chunk when DLive is hurt or rested.

[Scott41theMavs]

@ShamsCharania
Los Angeles Lakers star Austin Reaves intends to sign a four-year, $185 million maximum contract to return to the franchise, with a player option for the final season in 2029-30, sources tell ESPN. Reaves declined his $14.9M player option for the new max deal.

Lulz, they cooked.

[mvossman]

If you look at recent NBA champions, it seems like all of them have two bigs in the playoff rotation with at least one of them who can play both the 4 and the 5. I call that guy the swing big. KAT/Robinson, Chet/Hartenstein, KP/Horford, Jokic/Gordon, Draymond/Looney, Giannis/Lopez. That swing big is crucial for lineup flexibility and for those teams to play with space in the playoffs. Jokic will never play the 4, but he has an offensive game that provides all the value of a swing big. The same will be for Wemby when he wins a championship. I think this is part of the reason Minny was willing to dump Randle. They already have that model with Naz/Gobert.

I think this FO thinks Morez can be that swing big. He will play next to Lively as a 4, and he will play the 5. I have heard him referred to as a small ball 5, but he the same size as Gafford (actually a little bigger). His offensive game is going to have to develop to get there, and I think the FO is banking on the huge improvement he made from Freshman to Sophomore to continue.

This plan fits perfectly with Flagg. Your two bigs are elite defenders and strong play finishers while your big wing is an elite creator (and plus defender). Who it doesn't fit with is Gafford and PJ. I never saw Gafford as a long term piece here, and now that we have another viable starter at center he makes even less sense. If we are starting Lively/Morez/Flagg then putting PJ into the lineup pushes him or Flagg down to the two. Don't think that will make a lot of sense. One of the intriguing options with PJ was to play small ball (a valid term for him) center, but that no longer makes much sense. I am struggling where to fit him into the lineup, especially given the increased premium on shooting due to inserting Morez into the mix.

In the short term this team desperately needs to add some offensive creation. Somebody like Coby White for the MLE or a trade would make a ton of sense.

[mvossman]

If you can sign Coby White, I feel a lot better about this team going forward. He is my number 1 target now. Lot of ways it can happen. MLE is the simplest. Using the TPE via SnT. Or using Gafford in a SnT. Still, if you sign Coby and trade/buyout Klay I'm selling Coby on starting in the backcourt with Kyrie and getting to play with Flagg. Max gets to come off the bench, in his proper role. Coby plays a lot of lead guard during the season. 6'5 with PG skills. Career 37% from 3PT on 6+ attempts per game. Make it happen!

Kyrie | (Sergio)
COBY | Christie | AJJ
Flagg | Naji | Martin
PJW | (MoJo)
Lively | Gafford

LOL.  I was in a meeting while writing my post so I didn't see this.  Same page regards to Coby White.

[Mavs2021]

@ShamsCharania
Los Angeles Lakers star Austin Reaves intends to sign a four-year, $185 million maximum contract to return to the franchise, with a player option for the final season in 2029-30, sources tell ESPN. Reaves declined his $14.9M player option for the new max deal.

Like I have been saying. This Luka 2028 return might be a thing or not, but there is no way the Mavs roster won´t be the better option for Luka in 2028, both in terms of fit and talent. Reaves will be 30 in 2028 and the likely 2nd best player on the Lakers. LOL. Sorry.

[Moviemavguy]

Stein was talking late last night about how difficult it actually is to move Gafford and Washington in the 2nd apron landscape. IMO, it'll be a pretty epic fail if neither can be moved when the season starts.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

Austin Reaves 4/$185 back to Lakers

[Mavs2021]

Stein was talking late last night about how difficult it actually is to move Gafford and Washington in the 2nd apron landscape.  IMO, it'll be a pretty epic fail if neither can be moved when the season starts.

Why?

Flagg 36/Marshall 12
Washington 30/Johnson 18
Lively24/Gafford 24

Flagg and Marshall can shift into some guard minutes. Washington/Johnson can shift up/down to SF/C for emergency situations. We all know about Lively´s injury situation, so that alone factors into these projections. You´d probably like one more guy that shoots 38-40% from three from a versatility standpoint, but I really don´t see the issue otherwise. Contracts are all value, too.

The question is whether they can fix the guard positions? 

There seem to be a ton of FA/trade options in the guard positions: Sexton, White, Simons, Powell, Bogdanovic, Huerter, Grimes, Alvarado, Dort, Lavine, Herro, DeRozan, Westbrook, Schroeder, Monk....

.At forward the market is really thin. LeBron and John Collins are like the top free agents. Who is even on the trade block?

[windjc]

Moretz has some of that Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart thing. He knows how to win and he is relentless.

If his college coach says he is the best NBA player on his championship team then that carries a lot of weight. No scout or talking head knows like the coach does and this coach now has a lot of skin in the game - he isn’t just touting a player in the player’s own best interest, he is building his own career with this decision being his first and biggest roster decision. The Mavs had a board and we don’t know where Moretz was on it but he was no lower than 9 and maybe as high as 6.

We also don’t know how the Mavs rated Sergio compared to other point guards. For all we know he was higher than Burries, Flemings and Acuff.

Masai and his GM are basketball nerds. Apparently our coach is too. I’m fine with that. We haven’t had those types before ever in our history.

People around here seems to get lost in the forest for the trees. There’s a lot of ways to build a roster and ours has a lot of upside and flexibility atm.

[FireNicoHarrison]

Austin Reaves 4/$185 back to Lakers

Fantastic news.

[windjc]

Fantastic news.

These max contracts really kill teams.

Oklahoma is next.

[Chicagojk]

I have no idea the market of pj or Gafford but I don’t get Steins comment. Yes, draft picks maybe hard to get. Not impossible though. Salary dump may be tough. But a 1 to 1!deal for a better fitting part is more likely.

I hope Dallas isn’t desperate to move either. They reed to get value in their current tradable assets.

[FireNicoHarrison]

These max contracts really kill teams.

Oklahoma is next.

Yes... Next step is resign LeBron

[windjc]

Maybe just maybe Dusty May is excited about PJW and Gafford and has a plan for them! Wow, wouldn’t that be something? A coach that coaches more creatively than the ideas thrown around on a basketball discussion board.

[mvossman]

Why?

Flagg 36/Marshall 12
Washington 30/Johnson 18
Lively24/Gafford 24

Flagg and Marshall can shift into some guard minutes. Washington/Johnson can shift up/down to SF/C for emergency situations. We all know about Lively´s injury situation, so that alone factors into these projections. You´d probably like one more guy that shoots 38-40% from three from a versatility standpoint, but I really don´t see the issue otherwise. Contracts are all value, too.

The question is whether they can fix the guard positions? 

There seem to be a ton of FA/trade options in the guard positions: Sexton, White, Simons, Powell, Bogdanovic, Huerter, Grimes, Alvarado, Dort, Lavine, Herro, DeRozan, Westbrook, Schroeder, Monk....

.At forward the market is really thin. LeBron and John Collins are like the top free agents. Who is even on the trade block?

I think Morez is going to play some center and Flagg is going to play some 4 (where I think he is best suited).  Once Morez is up to speed I see few minutes for Gafford when Lively is healthy and PJ coming off the bench.  They are both making too much for those roles.

[mvossman]

I have no idea the market of pj or Gafford but I don’t get Steins comment.  Yes, draft picks maybe hard to get.  Not impossible though.  Salary dump may be tough.  But a 1 to 1!deal for a better fitting part is more likely. 

I hope Dallas isn’t desperate to move either.  They reed to get value in their current tradable assets.

I don't think Masai has shown much desperation in his history.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

Why?

Flagg 36/Marshall 12
Washington 30/Johnson 18
Lively24/Gafford 24

Flagg and Marshall can shift into some guard minutes. Washington/Johnson can shift up/down to SF/C for emergency situations. We all know about Lively´s injury situation, so that alone factors into these projections. You´d probably like one more guy that shoots 38-40% from three from a versatility standpoint, but I really don´t see the issue otherwise. Contracts are all value, too.

The question is whether they can fix the guard positions? 

There seem to be a ton of FA/trade options in the guard positions: Sexton, White, Simons, Powell, Bogdanovic, Huerter, Grimes, Alvarado, Dort, Lavine, Herro, DeRozan, Westbrook, Schroeder, Monk....

.At forward the market is really thin. LeBron and John Collins are like the top free agents. Who is even on the trade block?

Most of these holdovers don’t really fit the team without Luka. They’re OK players but not really excited about watching the same cast of characters again.

I guess there’s not much alternative if they don’t have a market. You don’t want to give them away either. Kinda depressing if we go from hoping for a 1st for PJ and Gafford to no one even wants those contracts. (If that ends up being true)