Trade & Free Agency 2026/2027

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Tim MacMahon on Gary Trent Jr: "If you look at the analytics of it, he had negative win shares, a negative box plus-minus, a negative VORP, and he got a mid-level exception basically, a full mid-level. Come on, Brian. This contract stinks. It smells awful."

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Tim MacMahon: "The New Orleans Pelicans giving DeAndre Jordan a fully guaranteed two-year minimum, which, listen, you want DeAndre Jordan to be your vet mentor for the next two years, cool. The problem is when you give him a fully guaranteed two-year minimum, you do not get the savings that come with giving a guy a minimum. So basically, you just burn three million dollars over two years. If it is a one-plus-a-team option, you get the savings. Certainly, a one-year deal."

[speedkilz88]

Oh, ok. Beats saying DeLarea is guess..   

Nick Angstadt said that it is his nickname.

[Chicagojk]

https://x.com/HaymakerNetwork/status/207...deo/1?s=61

Talk about coop as a guard. Interesting talk. I am not sure if it will work now, but as Coop develops and the roster is filled out better, I think you could have a situation where Coop is paired with another wing and Coop is your second creator.

The point they brought up I found interesting is due to lack of bodies and some May comments we assume Max is the starter. That may or may not be the case.

[FireNicoHarrison]

Nick Angstadt said that it is his nickname.

For me is horrible...

[HoosierDaddyKid]

While the LA Clippers, Leonard, and now the Raptors all wait for a conclusion, the investigation has grown in scope since it began, according to multiple sources who spoke to The Athletic on the condition of anonymity to speak freely. Not only has Wachtell Lipton, the league’s go-to law firm hired to conduct the inquiry, inspected whether the Clippers circumvented the NBA salary cap by facilitating a sponsorship deal for Leonard with Aspiration, it has also looked into whether the Clippers improperly covered expenses for Leonard but were not reimbursed for them, those sources said. And the firm has examined if Leonard had a previously unreported endorsement deal with another company, those sources said. While a team source denied that the delay is an implication that Toronto fears or expects some penalty, it does show how the probe is already creating consequences even as it continues to examine possible cap circumvention by the Clippers. Former Aspiration CEO Andrei Cherny signed off on the contract with Leonard, though Sanberg brought the Clippers star in, multiple sources said. The sponsorship deal, sources said, was worth significantly more than the endorsement deals Aspiration reached with the musician Drake, who invested $4 million and received carbon credits, and actor Robert Downey Jr., who received less than $2 million in equity. Sanberg also gave Leonard $20 million in equity in the company, The Athletic reported in September. The deal with the Clippers and a relationship with Ballmer was driven by Sandberg, sources said. Ballmer had “a great relationship with Joe,” one former Aspiration executive said, beyond just sharing a dais during a 2021 news conference that announced Aspiration as a jersey patch partner for the Clippers.

New York Times


And the plot thickens...

[FireNicoHarrison]

NBA is a joke.

Clips had be banned for this draft and Balmor thrown out of the league.
Kawhi forced to retire.

But this the Luka to Lakers trade league, so no news...

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Keith Smith: The San Antonio Spurs have withdrawn the qualifying offer for Harrison Ingram, a league source told @spotrac . Ingram is now an unrestricted free agent.

x.com

[HoosierDaddyKid]

NBA is a joke.

Clips had be banned for this draft, and Balmor thrown out of the league.
Kawhi forced to retire.

But this the Luka to Lakers trade league, so no news...

Balmer is the richest owner in team sports. I highly doubt that with his money and influence, he'll be banned. Now, if they lift the rug and find something, then let the chips fall where they may.

[Jym]

https://x.com/HaymakerNetwork/status/207...deo/1?s=61

Talk about coop as a guard.  Interesting talk.  I am not sure if it will work now, but as Coop develops and the roster is filled out better, I think you could have a situation where Coop is paired with another wing and Coop is your second creator. 

The point they brought up I found interesting is due to lack of bodies and some May comments we assume Max is the starter.  That may or may not be the case.

One of those things that can work in the regular season 
But I think in the last 5 minutes of a playoff game, you want Morez at Center and Cooper at PF 
It'd be my hope that we do the big money signings and trades with that idea in mind

[F Gump]

I think Coop is being groomed to be like Giannis - a forward who has the ball an awful lot and creates offense at times for both himself and others. The goal will be to create matchup issues. The question will be less about the labels and more about which players they put on the floor with him, and I would expect they will experiment a lot to find the best answers to that question.

He's very skilled, and a tremendously quick learner.

My concerns are more about the trajectory of his shooting efficiency, especially on 3s, and less about his handling-passing. If he could become a knockdown shooter on 3s, it makes a huge leap in what the Mavs can do and how good they can be right away.

[Scott41theMavs]

I think Coop is being groomed to be like Giannis - a forward who has the ball an awful lot and creates offense at times for both himself and others. The goal will be to create matchup issues. The question will be less about the labels and more about which players they put on the floor with him, and I would expect they will experiment a lot to find the best answers to that question.

He's very skilled, and a tremendously quick learner.

My concerns are more about the trajectory of his shooting efficiency, especially on 3s, and less about his handling-passing. If he could become a knockdown shooter on 3s, it makes a huge leap in what the Mavs can do and how good they can be right away.

The comparison in my mind has always been Lebron, who has won most of his championships with a guard-creator next to him (Wade, Kyrie), but who creates the shots on offense a good chunk of the time himself. Or, for those who hate Lebron, think of it as a Jordan-level Pippen who needs a Pippen-level Jordan.

KL has said various times that he does not want Coop to be the main initiator, that his greatest strength is in finishing (and also, that then he can still remain fully engaged on D, rather than the Luka/Beard rest half the game and guess which half approach). If there's one thing I believe Coop is not, it is Shawn Kemp. He should not have to initiate the offense most of the time, but failing to rely on him for at least half of your creation when he's on the court is a wasteful mistake. 

If there's one thing that Coop taught me last year, it's not to put ***any*** limitations on "what kind of player" he is. The template is more like Neo ("I know kung fu").

[Scott41theMavs]

It strikes me that we are in a moment of terra incognita for Mavs fans. We are spoiled and used to having a generational talent on roster all of the time (since Dirk emerged as such in 2000 or 2001!), so every season is either 1) championship or bust, or 2) no chance of a championship due to the condition of the rest of roster, so tank. However, we find ourselves in the difficult twilight zone of not having our next four years of 1st rounders, so tanking is out, and our generational talent is in his fledgling stages (think Dirk's trajectory rather than Luka's), so a championship is not realistic regardless of what the rest of the roster looks like.

Others, particularly, FGump, have said it better than me. We aren't at a point to expect our FO to field a championship roster this year, nor is there any urgency of must-win-now due to Coop's youth, but we could use the structure of a well-organized roster that presages how we will play in two or three years when Coop begins what will hopefully be about 10 years' worth of prime. That's why I believe they asymptotically cannot leave the unbalanced roster the way it is.

I do understand that in the meantime, since Nico left the cupboard so ridiculously bare, the goal is to get cheap "assets" and raise their value. I put "assets" in quotes, because it's not a matter of just using our drafted players and other diamonds in the rough as trade fodder which gain in value; some might be part of a future core. But how much do they do that at the expense of the aforementioned "structure?" As some in the Discord were discussing earlier, Jrue or Scoot? Jrue puts this team very close to the final model they would seek, but he quite likely won't be part of the core in the '28-29 season. Scoot gives some stability on paper by providing another rotational guard at the very least, but his learning curve toward what they would hope he would become would insert quite a bit more chaos back into the mix.

All that said, if they just leave the roster more or less the way it is, or if they trade for another frontcourt guy, or even if they trade for a non-creational guard/wing, I won't have any clue what the hell the ultimate goal is.

[mvossman]

I think Coop is being groomed to be like Giannis - a forward who has the ball an awful lot and creates offense at times for both himself and others. The goal will be to create matchup issues. The question will be less about the labels and more about which players they put on the floor with him, and I would expect they will experiment a lot to find the best answers to that question.

He's very skilled, and a tremendously quick learner.

My concerns are more about the trajectory of his shooting efficiency, especially on 3s, and less about his handling-passing. If he could become a knockdown shooter on 3s, it makes a huge leap in what the Mavs can do and how good they can be right away.

No doubt Flagg improving his 3 point shooting would be a big win.  When I read "play Flagg at the 4" more than anything that means to me surround him with shooting.  The season Giannis won the chip the guys on the court with him were Middleton, Donte and Jrue who all shot in the neighborhood of 40% from 3 on roughly 5 attempts.  Even his center could shoot some (34% on 4 attempts per game).  That is the ideal environment for Flagg.  I think its very possible Morez gets to Lopez level shooting, and you want the other guys to be close to 40%.  And as great a creator Giannis is, he had a lot of help in Jure and Middleton.  Flagg is going to need that as well.  There is a world where Sergio can be one of those guys.

[michaeltex]

No doubt Flagg improving his 3 point shooting would be a big win.  When I read "play Flagg at the 4" more than anything that means to me surround him with shooting.  The season Giannis won the chip the guys on the court with him were Middleton, Donte and Jrue who all shot in the neighborhood of 40% from 3 on roughly 5 attempts.  Even his center could shoot some (34% on 4 attempts per game).  That is the ideal environment for Flagg.  I think its very possible Morez gets to Lopez level shooting, and you want the other guys to be close to 40%.  And as great a creator Giannis is, he had a lot of help in Jure and Middleton.  Flagg is going to need that as well.  There is a world where Sergio can be one of those guys.

I would add that we anticipate positive additions from the recently traded/signed players as well. Aldama, Sasser, the other two whose names I can't spell, all have an opportunity in DAL that might be unique in the league. A team with a young core that needs shoring up in scoring and defense, so if they can contribute in those areas, they'll get minutes.

I'm kind of disappointed that there is going to be a lull after SL, during August and September, until training camp starts. But I am looking forward to seeing how this group develops together. Kyrie, Gafford, Naji and Klay are the OGs, so it will be fun to watch the next generation grow together.

[F Gump]

"The comparison in my mind has always been Lebron...." --- At this point in his career, yes, definitely Lebron is a great comp. Both were considered generational talents before they ever hit the NBA, and early on had a knack for impacting the game in multiple ways that transcended size and position and end of the floor.

"No doubt Flagg improving his 3 point shooting would be a big win." --- I think it's not just a good thing, but would be a game-changing development. And the goal should not merely be "improving" but rather becoming a knockdown 3-pt shooter. Forcing defenders to close hard on him opens up even more of the floor than having good shooters around him, because he's such a lethal finisher. Now that he's no longer a rookie, he should start getting the calls that make him and and-1 machine -- which will create so many wide open shots for the rest of the team. If they make those, they will be a really good team. But imo it all starts with Coop himself mastering the 3s to make them at a very high rate.

[Smitty]

No doubt Flagg improving his 3 point shooting would be a big win.  When I read "play Flagg at the 4" more than anything that means to me surround him with shooting.  The season Giannis won the chip the guys on the court with him were Middleton, Donte and Jrue who all shot in the neighborhood of 40% from 3 on roughly 5 attempts.  Even his center could shoot some (34% on 4 attempts per game).  That is the ideal environment for Flagg.  I think its very possible Morez gets to Lopez level shooting, and you want the other guys to be close to 40%.  And as great a creator Giannis is, he had a lot of help in Jure and Middleton.  Flagg is going to need that as well.  There is a world where Sergio can be one of those guys.

That’s the thing. They added shooting, which is a great sign... But they added it with the 10-15 type players on the roster. We wanted them to get younger. They did. We wanted them to add shooting. They did. We wanted them to acquire future draft assets for some of their top Vet rotation players. They didn’t do that part (yet).

This transaction cycle hasn’t checked every box. I don’t think any reasonable person expected it to. It will be interesting to see just how different it all looks by just adding a Kyrie level guard. Then, how great an offensive mind/basketball junkie Dusty May actually is.

Also, don’t underestimate Flagg. We talk a lot about what he can’t do, or shouldn’t be asked to do, and not nearly as much as what he can do, or what his hard work and development can lead to.

[SleepingHero]

APHoops (@APH00PS)
Derrick Jones Jr. is a player that the Denver Nuggets would covet in a sign-and-trade in exchange for Peyton Watson, per @JakeLFischer on @BleacherReport.

[SleepingHero]

The comparison in my mind has always been Lebron, who has won most of his championships with a guard-creator next to him (Wade, Kyrie), but who creates the shots on offense a good chunk of the time himself. Or, for those who hate Lebron, think of it as a Jordan-level Pippen who needs a Pippen-level Jordan.

KL has said various times that he does not want Coop to be the main initiator, that his greatest strength is in finishing (and also, that then he can still remain fully engaged on D, rather than the Luka/Beard rest half the game and guess which half approach). If there's one thing I believe Coop is not, it is Shawn Kemp. He should not have to initiate the offense most of the time, but failing to rely on him for at least half of your creation when he's on the court is a wasteful mistake. 

If there's one thing that Coop taught me last year, it's not to put ***any*** limitations on "what kind of player" he is. The template is more like Neo ("I know kung fu").

I think the most fully realized version of Coop is a more athletic Kawhi Leonard. He's already shown such proficiency as a 3 level scorer paired with great defensive aptitude. Just make him a knockdown scorer and iso matchup nightmare. I don't need Coop with 8 assists. 

Kawhi won twice with two different kinds of teams, one as a 3rd option with as stacked of a team as possible, and another with a star 4 and traditional guard/center. 

Mavs are close to that archetype. Kyrie/Morez/Lively/Gafford/PJ is a solid running mate and as deep of a front court as we can imagine compared to the rest of the league. 1 good point guard away from being a serious team (granted Coop makes the next leap). 
 

If we can get Jrue from Portland this team may be closer than we think.

[F Gump]

If we can get Jrue from Portland this team may be closer than we think.

I can't imagine that Jrue is even remotely being considered by the Mavs. In his best version, he's a great solution, but you don't get that for very long (if you get it at all). And acquiring Jrue means you no longer have significant minutes for DeLarrea (and perhaps Ishchenko) to grow into their potential as quickly as possible. So instead of Jrue, I think they are far more likely to invest those minutes (and whatever it would have cost to acquire Jrue) in working at growing their own Jrue, so to speak.