02-11-2022, 05:25 PM
(02-11-2022, 05:14 PM)Jmaciscool Wrote: I've seen some thoughts about WAS not having leverage since they desperately wanted to get off of DB/SD and therefore the Mavs shouldn't have had to give a pick. I can understand that perspective.
But one thing I'm wondering about is whether or not Dallas was the only team trying to trade a big contract for those two contracts? For example, everyone knows LAL was trying to get rid of WB, so maybe they (or another team in a similar situation) was trying to do the same thing DAL did, so maybe there was actually competition for those players (as hard as that may be to believe) and that added to the cost?
Have no idea if that's the case or not obviously, just trying to think of different situations that might have come into play.
If you look at the Lakers, that loss to Portland without WB before the tradeline cemented their course of actions. Maybe they could convince themselves of addition by subtraction, but LeBron + AD and the rest of the team couldn't beat Portland's G-Leaguers. They probably would have needed to attach their 27 first to move off of WB at the TDL in order to return anything somewhat useful. They wisely just passed, knowing that pick had more future value and that there was no way to make this Lakers team a competitor. Maybe they can make WB's expiring useful in the offseason or during next TDL. It's a smart decision.
I also don't think they were competition to the Mavericks for that trade. They wouldn't take on the long term salary when WB expires next year.
Mark is just trying to have his cake and eat it too. We need to move on from KP. We need rotational pieces. So he talked himself and Nico into this bad trade.