Trade & Free Agency 2026/2027

[Smitty]

The problem is the contract. 

Looking at the Mavs' contracts, PJW's is the longest running they have and the biggest total left owed on the roster. They'll have extensions to negotiate soon. Maybe Marshall doesn't get one, maybe Lively doesn't either (debating those isn't the point right now), but soon. Before you know it, they'll be up against the tax line (maybe sooner than we thought)...then they'll be a tax team, then they'll be at Apron 1...and up against Apron 2. I'd like to put that stuff off as long as possible by being as smart as possible, so the team has a chance to stay together a while and grow. 

If you think PJW is a great fit with Flagg, you probably don't care. You'd probably rather move Marshall, Kyrie and even Lively (the next wave of extension eligible players) instead. But, as big a fan of PJW as I am, I think he's a pretty bad fit with Flagg. Not horrible, but also not good...or even ok. Slightly BAD. Given that (if I'm right about it, anyway) he's just too damn expensive to keep around. Sooner or later he's got to go. 

What I don't like about this deal you've proposed is that it neither removes the salary from the books nor transforms it into a useful rotation player who DOES fit. You can say Carr counts as the latter and I can get there for sure, only Vandergrift and his contract (smaller, but almost as long) are just going to sit there, clogging everything up. I think, even in the worst case scenario where you end up having to execute a straight salary dump for some unforeseen reason, PJW will be easier to move at any point in the future than Vandergrift. 

It's risky, imo.

I actually think it’s the Lakers that balk at the trade proposal. Which is fine by me. The Vanderbilt contract is whatever. With a rebuilding team, that’s supposed to be trading Vets for future assets (picks), this checks that box. I’m obviously not in that boat as a fan, but I know several on the board are. That’s why I thought it was worth discussing. I think it comes down to if you like Carr or not.

[KillerLeft]

I actually think it’s the Lakers that balk at the trade proposal. Which is fine by me. The Vanderbilt contract is whatever. With a rebuilding team, that’s supposed to be trading Vets for future assets (picks), this checks that box. I’m obviously not in that boat as a fan, but I know several on the board are. That’s why I thought it was worth discussing. I think it comes down to if you like Carr or not.

Totally agree the Lakers don't make that deal. They just drafted Carr and that's the very last shred of draft capital they can put their hands on. 

It did make me think for a while, so it was an interesting proposal.

[Mavs2021]

Interesting thought process. What if Lebron does not want just the MLE in FA. He says I come to Dallas, but I need 23M. Don´t sign me outright. Trade me for PJ Washington. You know Luka and the Lakers would want it. Would you do it straight up? What assets do you want from the Lakers? Do you want Bronny? Do you flat out tell Lebron MLE or nothing.

[david75090]

I don't think the Mavs make a trade sending out one and bringing back two. Roster spots are at a premium, especially if they're trying to bring that other guy in from Europe.

[Smitty]

Interesting thought process. What if Lebron does not want just the MLE in FA. He says I come to Dallas, but I need 23M. Don´t sign me outright. Trade me for PJ Washington. You know Luka and the Lakers would want it. Would you do it straight up? What assets do you want from the Lakers? Do you want Bronny? Do you flat out tell Lebron MLE or nothing.

Are you trolling or being serious?

[Smitty]

I don't think the Mavs make a trade sending out one and bringing back two. Roster spots are at a premium, especially if they're trying to bring that other guy in from Europe.

I agree that it’s unlikely the Mavs send 1 and receive 2. However, Nembhard can be waived easily. Klay can be bought out easily. There are ways to create roster spots, if needed.

[Scott41theMavs]

I agree that it’s unlikely the Mavs send 1 and receive 2. However, Nembhard can be waived easily. Klay can be bought out easily. There are ways to create roster spots, if needed.

Waive Nembhard…. They better have traded for a damned good PG if they do that. Even less creation/playmaking/distribution. Yeah, I don’t see that at this point at all. Nothing is easy with their current roster crunch. In fact, the situation now would seem to indicate they have a two-for-one trade the other way planned that may or may not work out.

[Mavs2021]

Are you trolling or being serious?

Why would I not be serious? It´s a question. What if Lebron expects more money than the MLE? Would you consider a S&T and under what conditions?

[Mavs2021]

I agree that it’s unlikely the Mavs send 1 and receive 2. However, Nembhard can be waived easily. Klay can be bought out easily. There are ways to create roster spots, if needed.

I bet Masai has assigned one of his staff members just to come up with ideas how to get rid of Caleb Martin. I still can´t believe Nico pulled off another Luka trade (obviously on a smaller scale) a few hours, days, weeks after the original. Even stretch-waiving him means 4M for the next five years.

[Smitty]

Waive Nembhard…. They better have traded for a damned good PG if they do that. Even less creation/playmaking/distribution. Yeah, I don’t see that at this point at all. Nothing is easy with their current roster crunch. In fact, the situation now would seem to indicate they have a two-for-one trade the other way planned that may or may not work out.

I remember when many on this board were saying Nembhard wouldn’t even take the conversion to the 15-man, so that he could be a FA, and get $10m+ a year. That was short lived, of course. He’s a decent 3rd PG type. Maybe he’ll become more. I don’t want to put a cap on his potential. He was just meh to me last year. He doesn’t fit the size and position versatility mold that this FO is clearly all about. I always root for the small guy, and hope he proves me wrong, I just don’t see “it” yet.

BUT I’m saying that he’s an easy waive because of his $2m salary. If roster spots become a problem, he’s one of the easier ones to release.

[david75090]

I agree that it’s unlikely the Mavs send 1 and receive 2. However, Nembhard can be waived easily. Klay can be bought out easily. There are ways to create roster spots, if needed.

Those things are possible, but seem, to me, to be worse than a 1 for 2 trade. It would be waiving a ball-handler to justify the trade or buying out someone who could be traded and losing the buyout money. The Mavs could avoid those two options by not making a 1 for 2 trade. Better to do nothing.

[Smitty]

Why would I not be serious? It´s a question. What if Lebron expects more money than the MLE? Would you consider a S&T and under what conditions?

I can never tell with you, tbh. No, I would not do any SnT deal with LAL to land LeBron. Especially not at $20m+

[loki]

Ok...but think of all those who'd be extension eligible between now and then. Are you just going to let them all walk? Trade them all? 

I'm not saying I think your opinion/take is wrong. I just think so much will change over the next few years. I don't think it's so easy to predict where they'll be at that time. Heck, we might be reading about a Kyrie extension next week. I wouldn't do it, but that doesn't mean it won't happen. Marshall? Lively? Christie? Allll decisions that will need to be made soon.

They'll get a little relief along the way, even if they do nothing, when Thompson and Martin come of the books, and when that awful McGee stretch waive hell ends, but...Idk, it just seems like getting ahead of this is the way to go, imho.

There's room for a few extensions if Christie takes a step forward or Lively can get healthy. I'd probably even support a Lively extension right now if they felt confident in his recovery and put a games played clause in future years before that money becomes guaranteed.

Guys like PJ and Gafford I would trade eventually regardless of the cap space play. I don't view them as core pieces moving forward. To me Naji isn't the type of player you extend. I'd let him test free agency and try to re-sign at a decent price, which should probably be less than what Champagnie got (45/3). 

I'd also hold off on a Kyrie extension due to the age and injury history. I think you have to listen to trade offers as well. He's been huge for this team, but I don't see how it makes sense to rush into another expensive contract when he'll be 36 in 2028.

For me the core right now is Flagg, Morez, Lively, Christie, Sergio in that order. As long as you don't have too many role players clogging up the books you can invest whatever is needed in those guys and still be a factor in 2028 free agency.

Just as a quick 2028 example, if you had Lively on the books for 25, Christie for 18, and Irving at 30 (along with Flagg/Morez/Sergio), that still leaves $60M in projected cap room.

[Scott41theMavs]

Roster crunch (trades aren’t official until the 6th, so not including those yet; just the outgoing off the books):

1) Flagg
2) Kyrie
3) PJW
4) MoJo
5) Gafford 
6) Max Christie
7) Marshall
8) Martin
9) Lively
10) Klay
11) Nembhard
12) Sergio

Two-ways:
A) Lawal
B) Tyler
C) Poulakidas

Supposedly incoming:
13) Aldama
14) Ishchenko
15) Sasser
16) Tarik

Still need to be resolved:
17) Middleton
18) Cisse 
19) Powell (yep, he’s still lurking out there)

The crunch is bad. There’s got to be a two for one - if not, frankly, two of them, or perhaps trading a player for picks.

[Scott41theMavs]

I remember when many on this board were saying Nembhard wouldn’t even take the conversion to the 15-man, so that he could be a FA, and get $10m+ a year. That was short lived, of course. He’s a decent 3rd PG type. Maybe he’ll become more. I don’t want to put a cap on his potential. He was just meh to me last year. He doesn’t fit the size and position versatility mold that this FO is clearly all about. I always root for the small guy, and hope he proves me wrong, I just don’t see “it” yet.

BUT I’m saying that he’s an easy waive because of his $2m salary. If roster spots become a problem, he’s one of the easier ones to release.

You have Mapka in the discord arguing that Kyrie isn’t a point guard. Some of the better posters here have said very similar things. Not to mention he’s likely to be out a bald-skull minimum 20 games, and that’s presuming he comes back healthy. Sergio has some significant developmental issues to work through before he can be played in a winning NBA context. People are saying Sasser is more a lil’ 3&D + microwave SG than a PG. Those issues make it arguable that tiny Nemby is the only PG we have on roster.

[Smitty]

You have Mapka in the discord arguing that Kyrie isn’t a point guard. Some of the better posters here have said very similar things. Not to mention he’s likely to be out a bald-skull minimum 20 games, and that’s presuming he comes back healthy. Sergio has some significant developmental issues to work through before he can be played in a winning NBA context. People are saying Sasser is more a lil’ 3&D + microwave SG than a PG. Those issues make it arguable that tiny Nemby is the only PG we have on roster.

He’s the only true PG type on the roster, sure. That doesn’t mean it’s at a NBA starter level, or even rotation level. He’s an undrafted 5’11 PG. Position locked. In a league that’s all about size and versatility. If he plays in the NBA for 4 more years, it’d be an incredible career. Of course, we all hope for more. Like being the next JJB. The reality is that every team has a player like Nemby…fringe NBA guy with potential/upside. If he was on another roster, none of us would even know who he was.

[windjc]

You have Mapka in the discord arguing that Kyrie isn’t a point guard. Some of the better posters here have said very similar things. Not to mention he’s likely to be out a bald-skull minimum 20 games, and that’s presuming he comes back healthy. Sergio has some significant developmental issues to work through before he can be played in a winning NBA context. People are saying Sasser is more a lil’ 3&D + microwave SG than a PG. Those issues make it arguable that tiny Nemby is the only PG we have on roster.

What is this “assuming Kyrie is healthy” stick? He is healthy. He’s been healthy. What’s so hard to understand about that?

[Scott41theMavs]

What is this “assuming Kyrie is healthy” stick? He is healthy. He’s been healthy. What’s so hard to understand about that?

Hey, I have a confidence level similar to yours. I think he’s going to come back in camp and the regular season at at least 95% of pre-injury ability. However, there are all these folks here and elsewhere who say, “You gotta be crazy to think a thousand year old player coming back from having his legs ripped off is going to be just as good as he was.” Here I was more concerned about placating those folks than the other side.

Zero apologies for saying Kyrie’s a 50-60 games player. That’s who he is. If he plays 82 this year, fantastic, but it’s a felicitous anomaly if it happens.

[windjc]

Hey, I have a confidence level similar to yours. I think he’s going to come back in camp and the regular season at at least 95% of pre-injury ability. However, there are all these folks here and elsewhere who say, “You gotta be crazy to think a thousand year old player coming back from having his legs ripped off is going to be just as good as he was.” Here I was more concerned about placating those folks than the other side.

Zero apologies for saying Kyrie’s a 50-60 games player. That’s who he is. If he plays 82 this year, fantastic, but it’s a felicitous anomaly if it happens.

Yeah I will concede that there is no way to know the level he will be at returning at his age, but there is no doubt he is healthy and could have played a long time ago. I think some people don’t understand the human body and assume he can never recover.

He has taken a ton of extra time to heal so I think his risk of compensation injury is very low. Also there is not a lot of wear and tear on his tires overall. He might as well be 31-32 years old in terms of how much he has played in his career.

I expect him to come back having fun and feeling blessed.

[windjc]

Kyrie Irving is feeling highly optimistic, re-energized, and at peace with his game as he nears the final stages of his recovery from a torn ACL suffered in March 2025.
Because the Dallas Mavericks chose to sit him out for the entire 2025–26 season to ensure a full rehabilitation, Kyrie has had over 15 months to focus entirely on his body. 
Here is exactly where he stands right now on his physical recovery and his basketball skills:
On His ACL Recovery
During a Twitch stream update, Kyrie shared that he is "definitely close to being over at 100%" and expressed deep gratitude for the extended timeline the Mavericks gave him. Rather than rushing back for a late-season push, the time away allowed him to experiment safely in the weight room and on the court, pushing his personal limits without fear. 
On His Basketball Skills & Mindset
Despite being 34 years old and coming off a major reconstructive knee surgery, Kyrie feels his skill set and understanding of the game have actually evolved:
The Game is Slowing Down: He noted that at this stage of his career, mental processing has taken over. He feels he can operate "more efficiently" on the floor than before. 
No Inhibitions: He stated he is ready to "put everything on the table" for the 2026–27 season and live with the results. 
A Deeper Perspective: Kyrie mentioned he has "made peace" with why he continues to play basketball, shifting his focus toward his personal growth, legacy, and inspiring the youth rather than letting external pressures dictate his mindset. 
Behind the scenes, Mavericks management has lauded his daily work ethic and leadership, noting that he has spent his recovery heavily invested in mentoring younger teammates like Cooper Flagg. He is expected to be fully cleared and "1,000% ready" by the time training camp opens for the 2026–27 season.