Trade & Free Agency 2026/2027

[DanSchwartzgan]

The Kyrie and Mavs dynamic will be interesting to watch.  They appear to be aligned now, but what happens if this is a 30plus win team next year?

I personally think despite the Mavs leadership saying they don't want to skip steps in building around Flagg that they may have a faster timeline than we expect.  Especially if Flagg makes a leap.   I don't think I would be on board with that as I am not sure we could compete against OKC and SA anytime soon.   I just have a sneaky suspicion if they intend to keep Kyrie they may be searching for that surprising move.  Their moves and non moves this summer sort of hint to that.  

The K. Leonard trade rumor this summer was really surprising.   Zach Lowe thought that there was nothing there, but I am keeping my ears perked for something like that hitting in the next 6 months.

I think you go one of two ways with Kyrie.  If the plan is to move him, the TDL is the better timing than this summer to maximize value.  Let the world see how good he is and wait for a contender to get desperate.  The issue there is dealing Kyrie almost certainly brings back multiple players.  But, we aren’t constructed to where it makes sense to bring back a 3-for-1 with some of those being young potential stars.  

OTOH, if the plan is to keep Kyrie, it wouldn’t be to be a middling playoff team.  We would be looking for a consolidation trade that brought in another high-level vet to pair with Kyrie and Flagg.  To me, all of the additions feel more like this approach.  We have enough depth - on good short contracts - that we could easily do a 3-for-1 and still have very good depth.  

I have no idea who that player might be at this point, but I think your mention of the Kawhi interest lines up with this thinking.  Some might call this accelerating the timeline and some might call it rushing the timeline.  I think we’ll know it when we see it and it will depend on what goes out and what is retained.  Right now it feels like we are filling up the depth to a point of overflowing at very little cost than a bunch of seconds.  If that depth is eventually used to bring in a high level veteran, then we will have turned very little value into something of significant value - which is the name of the game.

[Chicagojk]

Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania)
Free agent guard Brandon Williams has agreed to a one-year, $2.6 million deal to sign with the Golden State Warriors, agents Derek Lafayette and Curtis Lawrence tell ESPN. Williams averaged 13 points, 3.9 assists and 22.2 minutes per night across 66 games for Dallas last season.

Good for Williams.   I was more of a Nembhard fan, but despite Williams poor three point shooting and subpar defense, I thought he earned a chance for another contract.  Hopefully it is guaranteed.   If so, if he can get that three point percentage up to respectable, he could stay in the NBA for a while.   He doesn't really fit the prototype GS guard, but does provide juice.   Personally, I thought he would have been better for Denver than a guy like Tyus Jones, who has shown very little the last few years.

[DanSchwartzgan]

Good for Williams.   I was more of a Nembhard fan, but despite Williams poor three point shooting and subpar defense, I thought he earned a chance for another contract.  Hopefully it is guaranteed.   If so, if he can get that three point percentage up to respectable, he could stay in the NBA for a while.   He doesn't really fit the prototype GS guard, but does provide juice.   Personally, I thought he would have been better for Denver than a guy like Tyus Jones, who has shown very little the last few years.

Wasn’t there a rumor that Williams would be done once LeBron was resolved?  I wonder if there was something we were going to do with GSW had he selected GSW instead of Philly.

[SleepingHero]

Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania)
Free agent guard Brandon Williams has agreed to a one-year, $2.6 million deal to sign with the Golden State Warriors, agents Derek Lafayette and Curtis Lawrence tell ESPN. Williams averaged 13 points, 3.9 assists and 22.2 minutes per night across 66 games for Dallas last season.

Glad he got another deal.

Fantastic scorer and has a great ability to get in the lane, but the lack of 3pt shot or ability to create for others limits his entire role due to his height. 

If he was around 10-15 years ago I could see him getting a lot more money then.

[SleepingHero]

@TheHeatCentral
REPORT: The Dallas Mavericks DID NOT want to trade for Nikola Jovic in a Klay Thompson deal, per @BannedMacMahon


Windy: They did the Giannis deal and the Bucks pretty much had their pick of anybody on the roster not named Bam and he (Jovic) wasn’t in the deal

Tim: The Mavericks didn’t want to trade Klay for him. The contract is not looking good now but again, he’s 23 years old

[mvossman]

I think you go one of two ways with Kyrie.  If the plan is to move him, the TDL is the better timing than this summer to maximize value.  Let the world see how good he is and wait for a contender to get desperate.  The issue there is dealing Kyrie almost certainly brings back multiple players.  But, we aren’t constructed to where it makes sense to bring back a 3-for-1 with some of those being young potential stars.  

OTOH, if the plan is to keep Kyrie, it wouldn’t be to be a middling playoff team.  We would be looking for a consolidation trade that brought in another high-level vet to pair with Kyrie and Flagg.  To me, all of the additions feel more like this approach.  We have enough depth - on good short contracts - that we could easily do a 3-for-1 and still have very good depth.  

I have no idea who that player might be at this point, but I think your mention of the Kawhi interest lines up with this thinking.  Some might call this accelerating the timeline and some might call it rushing the timeline.  I think we’ll know it when we see it and it will depend on what goes out and what is retained.  Right now it feels like we are filling up the depth to a point of overflowing at very little cost than a bunch of seconds.  If that depth is eventually used to bring in a high level veteran, then we will have turned very little value into something of significant value - which is the name of the game.

Not sure the additions seem like that approach to me.  Every player they have added since arriving is 25 or under and most of them need some development.  Those are not the kind of moves you make if you plan on trading for a big fish and try to win now.  My guess is we will see more of this at the TDL with some combination of Gafford/PJ/Kyrie outgoing for more youth/assets.

[Chicagojk]

@TheHeatCentral
REPORT: The Dallas Mavericks DID NOT want to trade for Nikola Jovic in a Klay Thompson deal, per @BannedMacMahon


Windy: They did the Giannis deal and the Bucks pretty much had their pick of anybody on the roster not named Bam and he (Jovic) wasn’t in the deal

Tim: The Mavericks didn’t want to trade Klay for him. The contract is not looking good now but again, he’s 23 years old

Yeah, no joke.  He should have never been an option for Dallas.  Dallas is filled with the PF postion and used resources for more PF/wings this offseason.  Jovic does not play a ton of games, had a bad year last year and has a big contract.    

He is still young and could rebound but it never made sense for Dallas to add a player like him to their current roster.

[SkenfromLMF]

The biggest issue in thinking of trading Kyrie at the TDL/or any in season point is that there will be very few players available for a one to one salary match. Most of the destinations that would be accommodating to Kyrie (and vice versa) are not able to accept his salary without sending back multiple pieces in the deal. Then Dallas will be looking at eating multiple years of a player such as Martin to get back to 15.

This tells me that they are willing to hold Kyrie until the end of the contract and maybe longer. I can see them being willing to trade him, BUT it will be for a VERY specific type of deal of which I do not see a lot of teams capable of achieving.

[mvossman]

The biggest issue in thinking of trading Kyrie at the TDL/or any in season point is that there will be very few players available for a one to one salary match. Most of the destinations that would be accommodating to Kyrie (and vice versa) are not able to accept his salary without sending back multiple pieces in the deal. Then Dallas will be looking at eating multiple years of a player such as Martin to get back to 15.

This tells me that they are willing to hold Kyrie until the end of the contract and maybe longer. I can see them being willing to trade him, BUT it will be for a VERY specific type of deal of which I do not see a lot of teams capable of achieving.

It doesn't seem like it would be that hard.  If nothing else they can just cut Cisse.

[KillerLeft]

Yeah, no joke.  He should have never been an option for Dallas.  Dallas is filled with the PF postion and used resources for more PF/wings this offseason.  Jovic does not play a ton of games, had a bad year last year and has a big contract.    

He is still young and could rebound but it never made sense for Dallas to add a player like him to their current roster.

I was semi-open to the idea (Jovic is intriguing, a little, despite the negatives you mention) prior to the Aldama acquisition. With Aldama here there's no reclamation runway left for Jovic, I don't think.

[MFFLER est 01]

Im betting on Kai retiring as a Mav

[Scott41theMavs]

It doesn't seem like it would be that hard.  If nothing else they can just cut Cisse.

...and lock themselves into Gafford! No thanks! This keeps getting brought up as the "easy fix." If the Mavs do a 1 for 2 or 3 trade, they'll likely have to do another 2 or 3 for 1 trade.

[DallasMaverick]

Yeah, no joke.  He should have never been an option for Dallas.  Dallas is filled with the PF postion and used resources for more PF/wings this offseason.  Jovic does not play a ton of games, had a bad year last year and has a big contract.    

He is still young and could rebound but it never made sense for Dallas to add a player like him to their current roster.

No more bad payroll!!

[mvossman]

...and lock themselves into Gafford! No thanks! This keeps getting brought up as the "easy fix." If the Mavs do a 1 for 2 or 3 trade, they'll likely have to do another 2 or 3 for 1 trade.

I mean one of the two players coming back could be a center.  Gafford may be even harder to move at the TDL than he was this offseason.  Either way you can clean up the roster next offseason.  If you are sending out Kyrie you obviously are not looking to seriously complete in the short term.

[Scott41theMavs]

No more bad payroll!!

One of the most sensible things you've ever posted.

[Scott41theMavs]

I mean one of the two players coming back could be a center.  Gafford may be even harder to move at the TDL than he was this offseason.  Either way you can clean up the roster next offseason.  If you are sending out Kyrie you obviously are not looking to seriously complete in the short term.

True.

[DanSchwartzgan]

Not sure the additions seem like that approach to me.  Every player they have added since arriving is 25 or under and most of them need some development.  Those are not the kind of moves you make if you plan on trading for a big fish and try to win now. 

Aren’t those exactly the types of players a team trading away a ‘big fish’ would want?

[mvossman]

Aren’t those exactly the types of players a team trading away a ‘big fish’ would want?

I suppose that is true.  It seems like the youth movement is more pervasive than collecting a few assets to send out in a big trade.

[SkenfromLMF]

...and lock themselves into Gafford! No thanks! This keeps getting brought up as the "easy fix." If the Mavs do a 1 for 2 or 3 trade, they'll likely have to do another 2 or 3 for 1 trade.

If there is to be a follow up trade it has to be done before the season starts/final cut-down. Once the rosters are maxed out the cuts (or the 2/3-for-one trade) would have to come before a Kyrie for multiple contracts in return trade could happen.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, Kuminga’s decision is coming soon now that it has come down to two teams, with the Lakers seemingly having the edge over the Timberwolves. “Comes down to Minnesota or Los Angeles,” Fischer said. “Kuminga, I think, has seemed to prefer going to the Lakers. They have the most opportunity to negotiate there. … “That's going to come to some type of conclusion here soon. I thought it could have happened last week, but I still have been told nothing to suggest that Kuminga's situation is not coming down to the Lakers or the Timberwolves.”

Sports Illustrated