FA: Frank Ntilikina (6'4" w/o shoes, 7'1" wingspan) to DAL

[Kammrath]

https://twitter.com/MavsPR/status/1438666684894785537

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Who needs Dragic when you got Frankie Smokes....

[Borkhan]

Finally! Mavs can now form starting team completely and solely out of ex-Knicks players.

[ItsGoTime]

In all honesty, I think I would have preferred DSJ after seeing that he wanted to be here. I think he has a better shot at making an impact on this team. Can’t deny Frank’s defensive acumen, but that offense is pretty putrid despite looking pretty fluid in those highlights.

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Would actually love to have both and get rid of Burke and Terry!

[Kammrath]

In all honesty, I think I would have preferred DSJ

[KillerLeft]

DSJ after seeing that he wanted to be here

What makes you say he wanted to be here? Don't get me wrong, I believe you, I just want to make sure I didn't miss something important.

[Mavs2021]

What makes you say he wanted to be here? Don't get me wrong, I believe you, I just want to make sure I didn't miss something important.

That he signed a training camp contract with the Blazers. He´d want to be on every of the 30 teams at a guaranteed contract.

[Chicagojk]

Nice low cost gamble imo.   I would assume the first year is guaranteed at the minimum, right?



https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/...2665151494

[TXBamanut]

In all honesty, I think I would have preferred DSJ...

Without question...

[TXBamanut]

That he signed a training camp contract with the Blazers. He´d want to be on every of the 30 teams at a guaranteed contract.

Exactly.  At this point in his career, he can't wait for "maybes".  He doesn't have a lot of options here.  I wondered if the Mavs were trying to make some moves, legitimately would have given him a training camp invite, but only after they made some moves, then he signed with the Blazers because he had a legit opportunity in hand.

Then again, Frankie Smokes or DSJ's invites to Dal and Portland could have just been favors to agents...who knows?

[KillerLeft]

I guess I just interpreted that IGT meant DSJ particularly wanted to be here in Dallas...like more than he wanted to play for other teams. Do we have reason to believe that, maybe something I missed?

[Jmaciscool]

I guess I just interpreted that IGT meant DSJ particularly wanted to be here in Dallas...like more than he wanted to play for other teams. Do we have reason to believe that, maybe something I missed?

I feel like I saw something where an interviewer asked DSJ if he would be willing to play for Dallas again and DSJ indicated he would like to play in Dallas again. 

Not sure if that was what IGT was referring to or not, but as others pointed out at this point in DSJ's career it should be his response no matter what team was asking the question.

[cow]

Following the Knicks blueprint for team building under Phil Jackson seems like the smartest of moves.  What could go wrong?

[fifteenth]

I think I'd take Frank over Dennis. I'm not sure what DSJ's path forward to viable NBA player is. He hasn't shown that he's a good point guard and he hasn't shown he can be a good scoring off guard. 

Frank also hasn't shown that he's a point guard. He's worse than Dennis at that, I think. 

BUT, Frank seems to have a path forward to NBA viability. He has NBA level defense and NBA wing size. Drop the idea of what he was drafted to be and think of him as a potential 3&D wing with a little bit of ball handling and passing added.  He has the defense and he shot the corner three last year. He may be a 3pt shot (in not just the corners) away from being similar to DFS and Bullock. We waited for DFS's shot and were rewarded for it. And Frank might have more upside than DSJ because of his ball handling and passing, which would be good for a 3&D wing.

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Following the Knicks blueprint for team building under Phil Jackson seems like the smartest of moves.  What could go wrong?

Phil planned to go "Transcendant 6'7" PG + 3 point shooters who can play D?"

[Mavs2021]

1+1 veteran minimum with a team option is a great deal for both sides actually. It looks bad on paper for the player, because the Mavs will just lock him in for another year at the minimum, if he performs. At the same time the 2nd year option actually gives the Mavs an legit incentive to invest into the development of Ntilikina.

Of course that is the kind of stuff that should have been done three years ago during the rebuilding instead of signing washed-up veterans that didn´t help winning anyway. Whether it´s truly a new dawn will be determined, when we find out who the casualty is (Brown or Burke).

[Thukydides]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDStWUKsznA

Watching this I have a hard time figuring out, how this player can be had for nothing. What´s the point here. He hits open catch n shoot threes and plays ridiculously good defense. Can anyone explain this to me? That sounds like a young Pat Bev. Why was he let go? I don´t get it.

All I know is that one normally can´t put together such a mixtape of a minimum free agent. Noone can convince me otherwise.

[Omega_Supreme]

I am loving our wing depth, if Josh Green can take the next step we are set on wings.

The real issue is power forward and secondary ball handler. 

We only have one legit PF on the roster assuming KP is fulltime at Center.

[fifteenth]

Watching this I have a hard time figuring out, how this player can be had for nothing. What´s the point here. He hits open catch n shoot threes and plays ridiculously good defense. Can anyone explain this to me? That sounds like a young Pat Bev. Why was he let go? I don´t get it.

All I know is that one normally can´t put together such a mixtape of a minimum free agent. Noone can convince me otherwise.

The problem is that it's a highlight reel. He didn't do the good things you see often enough, didn't and fell way short of the expectations of his draft position.

[Thukydides]

The problem is that it's a highlight reel. He didn't do the good things you see often enough, didn't and fell way short of the expectations of his draft position.

I don´t know. If someone can lock down Harden, Lillard and Luka in several crunch-time plays, he should have more value than Rokas Jokubaitis, DeWayne Bacon, even Kevin Knox (all on the Knicks roster rn). This is a special, special skill.

If I was the Knicks, I don´t give up on a guy like that. He´s still so young. Btw I can´t understand anyone asking for DSJ instead. But I am interested in the case for that.

To double down: I think, this is by far the best move, the Mavs have made this off-season - so good, I expect people to totally shake their head on, what the Knicks were thinking, in a few years.

[ItsGoTime]

I feel like I saw something where an interviewer asked DSJ if he would be willing to play for Dallas again and DSJ indicated he would like to play in Dallas again. 

Not sure if that was what IGT was referring to or not, but as others pointed out at this point in DSJ's career it should be his response no matter what team was asking the question.

Yes, it was a tweet a couple weeks or so back. We discussed having him here right after that.


DSJ seemed to have a bit of something the last time he was here. Wouldn’t mind seeing if be could improve on that.