(05-23-2023, 11:53 PM)SleepingHero Wrote: 1 I assume Cubes would do that because it's exactly that type of thinking that lost the Mavs Brunson.
2 At some point you have to pay to retain talent. At this stage in my opinion, the Mavs HAVE to get good players. It is way easier to fill the team out around good players that are the pillars of the roster vs. a bunch of guys who are basically pieces used to get those good players (and are probably overpaid because you were desperate to get said pieces after all the good players left your team).
3 Kyrie on a 209 million deal vs. 174 million deal is a difference of 10-12 a year.
4 Are we sure we want to risk his ire over that? Are the Mavs even in a position to play hard ball like that?
5 Kyrie at 50 mil isn't a bad deal ...
6 ...considering the Mavs should open up 30+ mil of dead weight turning Bertans+McGee+Powell (33 mil right there). THJ+Bullock is another 27 mil of mediocre to ok salary that can- in a perfect world- be upgraded into 1 good starter and 1 bench player salary wise.
7 Cuban trying to skimp out (and conversely pushing Kyrie to the Lakers) would be right on brand because he's an absolute fucking numskull that I can't stand to look at.
1 I certainly agree with you that Cuban is likely to mess this up, no matter how he approaches it. He lacks finesse and hasn't opted to hire someone who can navigate these negotiation waters with skill.
2 I agree that you pay to keep Kyrie. But I would think there should be more possibilities other than "max" and "walk."
3-7 I agree Cuban might play the excuse game of a cheapskate (since he has many times before) but offering Kyrie to get paid like Luka doesn't feel like that sort of move -- assuming Cuban also does spend the full MLE, and does a SW on Bertans, and is aggressive in scouting and getting good players to develop, and eventually lands just below the 170M hard cap.
But since you mention it, and as I ponder, I think if I was Kyrie and Cuban wanted me to sign for Luka money, I'd want to see the rest of the roster moves and make sure the roster-building is a smart and aggressive route to the future and that the money he's saving on me is spent elsewhere in a way that matters.
ONE IMPORTANT POINT - Under the new CBA, Cuban and Kyrie/his agent can start talking new deal numbers and parameters in June, just as soon as NBA Finals end. That should help a lot imo.