06-24-2022, 06:07 PM
(06-24-2022, 06:01 PM)cow Wrote: Jalen is certainly the guy that grabs the keys on a road trip with friends. He had playoff success with and without Luka this year. He's made about six million in his NBA career, a little over half a million more than his dad, and is soon to be 26. His next contract will be life altering no matter the decision he makes but his potential will always be held back in Dallas alongside Luka. That's not to say he'll reach that potential elsewhere, but if he could bring any type of success to the Knicks he'd be a god to them and have a lot of lucrative marketing opportunities. And if he elevates his game again, his next contract would far outclass the next contract he'd earn if he stayed here.
I don't see a lot of downside in him leaving the Mavs, even if his tenure with the Knicks isn't a smashing success. He'll still be elite at what he does and have all the shortcomings as well. Leaving the Mavs dashes what I'd consider already slim title hopes and of course leaving those developed relationships.
And while I think there are contract numbers that are far too expensive to retain Jalen, short of medicals, I don't think the Mavs outbidding the competition would ever leave you with a contract that is untradeable or one that doesn't hold some positive value.
This is great stuff.
After seeing what JB did against UTA in the playoffs without Luka, I started to believe he would leave. It's ironic because I wanted to trade him before I saw that....then I saw it and 100% wanted to keep him, but seeing that might have ruined the chances of keeping him. And to your point, DAL should be willing to match/outbid anything NYK decides to offer.
But even with DAL doing that I am not sure it is enough for him to stay. DAL is not an overwhelming title favorite with JB staying. Getting back to the WCF is not a given (and most of that lies at the feet of Luka's growth IMO).
Hearing Stein on this and thinking through it soberly I think JB is a coin toss situation, 50-50 this could easily go either way. And if I was forced to choose a favorite I would lean toward NYK despite the reporting of Fischer (who I think is REALLY good, but I don't think JB's teammates honestly know what he is going to do).