Trade & Free Agency 2026/2027

[KillerLeft]

What am I missing? Why does Sasser have to come out of any exception? I thought he was just part of this big trade, done and dusted?

Bobby Marks assumed he was taking up the BAE, but I just assumed he'd made a mistake. Clearly, I haven't accounted for something.

[Scott41theMavs]

What am I missing? Why does Sasser have to come out of any exception? I thought he was just part of this big trade, done and dusted?

I thought it was explained that AJJ and Middleton added up almost precisely to Aldama, so that no new trade exception was generated, and thus Sasser was obtained into the MLE or BAE. I suppose his contract was too big to fit into one of our older trade exceptions, but I wouldn't think so...

[KillerLeft]

I thought it was explained that AJJ and Middleton added up almost precisely to Aldama, so that no new trade exception was generated, and thus Sasser was obtained into the MLE or BAE. I suppose his contract was too big to fit into one of our older trade exceptions, but I wouldn't think so...

I mean, someone is probably going to say that adding Sasser would make the difference too much for the trade to be legal, but then my question becomes: "what was the advantage to including him in this big deal, then?" Does it lessen the need for something to change hands, somehow?

[F Gump]

There is probably no longer a crunch, per se - but still thinking they have a deal or two up their sleeves coming up. Five mouths to feed for three two-way slots (presuming Ishchenko doesn't make the main roster). My bet is a two-for-one, + another deal using the TPE, and that Tyler and Poulakidas are let go in favor of Ishchenko and Cisse making the two-way slots. Sorry, cow.

1 I still think Ishchenko will get stashed, not 2-way, but I accept a change possible if he dazzles in SL. 
2 Otherwise, I think the 2-ways will be Cisse, Lawal, Poulakidis. 
3 We gotta keep in mind that the 2-ways are now intended to be an extended roster, so at what position are they most likely to need some minutes (if the player is good enough)?
4 Every year we dream of 2-for-1's to solve a roster crunch and fit in another player, but reality is that half the league is hoping to do the same. The team who will do that for you is really hard to find.
5 If they want to get another roster spot, Martin needs to be traded. What a Nico blunder. 
6 There are many overlapping parts on this roster, so I can see the potential for another trade of some sort ...
7 ... but I'm not really expecting one. I see lineups that feature Flagg, Kyrie, and then massive competition everywhere else for minutes.

[MFFLER est 01]

I love the roster as it stands today. Let's go to war with these guys

Coop

Kyrie

Klay

Aldama

Sergio

Sasser

PJ

Naji

DLive

Tarik

Nemby

Christie

Gafford

MJJ

Tobi

Cisse (Maybe)

[Scott41theMavs]

I mean, someone is probably going to say that adding Sasser would make the difference too much for the trade to be legal, but then my question becomes: "what was the advantage to including him in this big deal, then?" Does it lessen the need for something to change hands, somehow?

My guess is that FGump and some other pundits were wrong and the Mavs had an exception other than AD big enough to absorb Sasser. I'm sure we're find out in the next day or so.

[F Gump]

More like $12mm, right?  $15-$3.

Thanks for all of the other info.

Perhaps. I'm willing to accept any possibility until we see what Tarik's real numbers are.

[loki]

With all that said, there isn't an imperative to use the TPE now.  We have 15 players and could use it closer to the trade deadline.  Not as fun to think about as a Watson S&T.  Would we give up Naji plus the Laker pick in 2029?  He'd be an interesting addition and very likely better than anything we'd get with that pick (and a better 3 point shooter than Naji will ever be).

I personally like Watson and would give up Naji plus the Laker pick, but it's kind of hard to judge how interested this front office would be. Right now the frontcourt is so loaded it seems like they might be comfortable with Flagg as the starting SF. Of course, that could all change any minute if a PJ deal comes through.

I wonder if there are ways you could get additional value to Denver without including the Laker pick. Maybe sending Gafford to the Clippers for Lopez (expiring to Dallas) and a bunch of 2nds routed to Denver? They could also look at absorbing Zeke Nnaji to sweeten the pot.

[KillerLeft]

My guess is that FGump and some other pundits were wrong and the Mavs had an exception other than AD big enough to absorb Sasser. I'm sure we're find out in the next day or so.

It's not just them. Everyone, everywhere is basically stating Sasser is going into the BAE. 

I'm missing something.

[KillerLeft]

I personally like Watson and would give up Naji plus the Laker pick, but it's kind of hard to judge how interested this front office would be. 

Watson is awesome, and I think Ujiri/Schmitz would love him. I just don't think he's all that available. Restricted, right? I suppose it's not impossible as long as he's out there with no deal.

[Scott41theMavs]

1 I still think Ishchenko will get stashed, not 2-way, but I accept a change possible if he dazzles in SL. 
2 Otherwise, I think the 2-ways will be Cisse, Lawal, Poulakidis. 
3 We gotta keep in mind that the 2-ways are now intended to be an extended roster, so at what position are they most likely to need some minutes (if the player is good enough)?
4 Every year we dream of 2-for-1's to solve a roster crunch and fit in another player, but reality is that half the league is hoping to do the same. The team who will do that for you is really hard to find.
5 If they want to get another roster spot, Martin needs to be traded. What a Nico blunder. 
6 There are many overlapping parts on this roster, so I can see the potential for another trade of some sort ...
7 ... but I'm not really expecting one. I see lineups that feature Flagg, Kyrie, and then massive competition everywhere else for minutes.

Going with the current roster would be an interesting gonzo, out-of-the-box M&M move, but it's not what virtually any other trying-to-win-and-develop-young-players-in-the-context-of-a-properly-constructed-roster FO would do. As has been pointed out many times by KL and as many other times by several other posters combined, this team is weak in creational guard play - unless Sergio quite literally is one of the five most NBA-ready players in this draft. They could stand to shed one, if not two, of the frontcourt guys, and need to add a guard. I just really have to squint to see more than two of Gafford, Naji, PJW, Klay, and Martin fitting here this fall. Three, presuming that Ishchenko is two-wayed or stashed. Re: Ishchenko stashing - there are others who don't think he even steps foot in the US as he has, given the international situation, if he had any intentions of returning home, and trying to stash him might burn that bridge pretty completely if "successful."

[KillerLeft]

Watson is awesome, and I think Ujiri/Schmitz would love him. I just don't think he's all that available. Restricted, right? I suppose it's not impossible as long as he's out there with no deal.

Thinking more about this, however...if it somehow were possible to get Watson, I would be ALL ABOUT IT. Talk about an apex athlete...sheesh. I didn't even know this, but he shot 41% last season on over three 3-pt attempts per game. He's kind of the perfect player, honestly, and would be amazing next to Flagg. 

Watson, Flagg and either Johnson or Lively would be the very top of the front court food chain, basically. 

I wish you guys hadn't even mentioned this. Now my hopes are up, a little.

[Scott41theMavs]

Thinking more about this, however...if it somehow were possible to get Watson, I would be ALL ABOUT IT. Talk about an apex athlete...sheesh. I didn't even know this, but he shot 41% last season on over three 3-pt attempts per game. He's kind of the perfect player, honestly, and would be amazing next to Flagg. 

Watson, Flagg and either Johnson or Lively would be the very top of the front court food chain, basically. 

I wish you guys hadn't even mentioned this.

Unfortunately, he'd be amazing next to Jokic (since he's quickly running out of decent teammates) as well.

[KillerLeft]

Unfortunately, he'd be amazing next to Jokic (since he's quickly running out of decent teammates) as well.

Yeah, I don't think they'll let him get away, either.

[F Gump]

This seems to be right.  I do wonder if possibly the Biberovic deal was ever so slightly lower and fit into the Hardy exception or what is left of it.  Someone (I believe it was CBA Mavs) showed it to be just a few thousand less than what Spotrac is carrying Biber at.

Would make sense, and the numbers might be a great fit, but no, definitely not the answer. Tarik has to be added via a signing exception (MLE, BAE, 2nd Round, minimum, etc). Hardy's is a trade exception.

[FireNicoHarrison]

The guys seems they know what they are doing... A lot of small moves with a project behind.

Good. Masai and Mike are cooking.

We will see if something else is in the making.

[FireNicoHarrison]

I liked Bogdan Bogdanovic very much when he was in Europe, he was a superstar here but he became just a role player in NBA.

Tarik has size but less ballhandling than BB, he can be a better role player despite less talent and skills.

[Scott41theMavs]

Something really discouraging (would be a lot moreso had his acquisition been costlier): at the draft, Ishchenko was reported as 6'8" or at least 6'7". The Mavs website has him listed at 6'3". If that's the case, he probably doesn't make it in the L.

Edit: That height measurement is backed up by NBA.com. Man, if that's the case, that's a huge Schmitz miss. How the freaking eff do you mess up someone's height by four or five inches???

[F Gump]

I thought it was explained that AJJ and Middleton added up almost precisely to Aldama, so that no new trade exception was generated, and thus Sasser was obtained into the MLE or BAE. I suppose his contract was too big to fit into one of our older trade exceptions, but I wouldn't think so...

Once we have exact numbers, we'll know what went where, but ...

1 Aldama VIA  AJJ and Middleton 
2 Sasser (5.1) VIA  BAE (5.5) or part of the 15M MLE or part of the 20.8M TPE
3 Tarik - the big question mark until we get his exact contract - must come out of BAE, MLE, or another signing exception. 

The Mavs have choices.

[Scott41theMavs]

Once we have exact numbers, we'll know what went where, but ...

1 Aldama VIA  AJJ and Middleton 
2 Sasser (5.1) VIA  BAE (5.5) or part of the 15M MLE or part of the 20.8M TPE
3 Tarik - the big question mark until we get his exact contract - must come out of BAE, MLE, or another signing exception. 

The Mavs have choices.

So, regarding Sasser, was I wrong in thinking the Mavs had some other decent-sized TPEs aside from the AD TPE? If that's the case, it's probably that I was looking at TPEs that would supposedly be generated by the Aldama trade or some such that weren't created because of how we did the trade.