2022 NBA Draft: #37 Jaden Hardy (6' 3", 6' 9" WS) to DAL | two 2nds to SAC

[F Gump]

In any case I'm glad were in agreement on Mark Williams. Dude looks like the exact type of center we need. But I think we should rethink the move if the cost is Powell+THJ since we could probably get a more established center in the league based with that package (*cough* Gobert).

I accept that Powell has pluses that are useful -- but the fact that he can't be used very much in the playoffs, and especially when the Mavs were in dire need of someone to merely give them decent-value minutes, makes me willing to move on.

Yes that creates minutes to be filled for 82 games when Powell was playable, but if you are getting both Favors and Williams, I think you'll be fine, and I can't see how that combo would be LESS useful in the playoffs than DP has been. (Plus, having minutes to fill isn't a bad thing, as you need playing time for those additions.)

Speaking of minutes, if you move THJ, you free up minutes for a 3rd wing, which opens space for someone to want to come play for the $6.2M MLE. If you don't have rotation minutes, good veteran players won't ring chase here. If you do, they might.

About your comparison of what you can get (in theory) for Powell-THJ (if OKC wanted both), it needs one significant addition
a) Gobert, or
b) Favors, Williams, and about $30M-$40M of payroll each year (plus two TPEs, $21M and $11M)

I am okay if Gobert was available for that price and they opted to go that route, I think, but I believe there should be more efficient uses of $40M+ of payroll each year.

Just as an example, I'd much rather spend 40M on the DFS-Bullock-Maxi trio over Gobert, and they cost about the same. I get that this would be adding Gobert to that trio, but I'm saying I think another trio like that would prove to be more useful than Gobert. In practical terms, when my center gets played off the floor in the playoffs by small ball, I want it to be Favors-Williams making $15M combined, where I also have a big wing getting $15M (or 6.2M) to insert instead at that point, rather than Gobert and all of my 40M idled. Plus, smaller salary pieces are easier to move if you need to swap out someone to fill a hole, or change the mix somehow.