BRUNSON BURNER: to NYK for 4yrs/$104M (no SnT) | NYK docked 2025 2nd for tampering

[jdb152]

I think you are greatly underestimating how much losing their #2 scorer for nothing (or S&T table scraps) would hurt the Mavs. It would take years to recover from that. Wood is not a Brunson replacement, he's a potential fix for a major problem area in the front court. And Hardy is a project who will take years to become a productive NBA player, if he ever does.

More importantly, losing Brunson would be a sign Cuban still isn't serious about winning, and if he isn't serious now, he never will be.

I love Brunson but you're overestimating his loss. I say that as a fan that doesn't want to lose him. For DAL the expectation is most likely this. If he walks, Dinwiddie replaces him in the starting lineup. The return of THJ replaces Dinwiddie on the second unit. Adding Dragic more or less erases his loss entirely, in the short term. Dealing with just the talent on hand, I'm certain they expect a huge leap forward for Josh Green, who has already displayed exceptional ability as a passer. They have options that lead to them not missing a beat.

Where this narrative that MC isn't serious about winning comes from is beyond me. It's like everyone is choosing to forget about the first decade plus because he hasn't been willing to pay the tax for the last decade, a decade that fielded teams with no shot a contention. Were he paying the tax from 2012-2020, I'd have more concerns about his ability as an owner. Nobody willingly pays that kind of money for a shot at being the 7th seed. Now, with their first taste of real success in the Luka era, I have no doubt he returns to the spender he was once mocked, by his colleagues, for being. Playoff success essentially allows you to print money, especially when it is fronted by a 1st team, All-NBA player.