Charania: Kyrie Reaches out to Lebron to team up in DAL. Lebron: I'll think about it

[SleepingHero]

I think there are three ways to look at this:

1.  Kyrie is just having some fun

2. This is a leverage play...'get Kyrie here or I might force my way out'.  We've kind of played out the Kyrie to Laker scenarios ad nauseum already.  So, no fund in repeating that.

3. There is some world in which this is real (like a tweet I read said, this was the grand plan all along).  McGee has to stay (he was part of the grand plan.  Hardy (Klutch) has to go (Klutch will insist on Hardy getting shots and that won't happen on the LD/KI/LJ Mav's). 

So, if those are the parameters, how do you help LA build around AD, Rui, Vanderbilt, Reaves and Hardy?  Picks?  Yep.  Expiring contracts like Bertans and/or Reggie?  Yep.  THJ?  Probably not.  You need about $8.44mm in addition to Hardy/Bertans/Reggie (plus picks).

3. Seems like the most plausible scenario to me as it has the hallmarks of the general absurdity of Mavs future planning (in that they shoot for the moon on the longest of shots), and satisfies the trend of the roster building the Mavs have been doing for the last 3 years.

The hiring of Kidd was puzzling at the time. He was considered a long shot by many here given the other candidates. The McGee signing and Kyrie trade infuriated many people here. ALL of this is easily explained by the fact the Mavs wanted to make the ultimate play for Lebron in his twilight years to help teach Luka to win.

To answer the puzzle: How do we get to 8.5 mil with guys that make sense? If the Lakers are going to take a vet, it's going to be THJ as his value is probably the highest out of the rest of the remaining guys on the roster that can be parlayed into something bigger.

There is probably a 3 team trade we are all missing. I am naturally gravitating towards IND as always. I remember reading some reports of IND getting ready to trade Duarte as Mathurin is an obvious replacement and Duarte fell out of the rotation. After a strong start to his rookie year, he's largely been just an okay guy. Nothing special.

Maybe there is a deal here with:

Hardy+Duarte+THJ+Bullock+#26 to LAL

Bertans+10 to IND

Buddy+Lebron to Dallas

The logic here is that IND gives the prospect that's fallen out of favor (that the Mavs don't have), take on a bad expiring salary in Bertans, and their reward is #10 and getting off of Buddy's 19 mil expiring. They save nearly 7 mil in salary for next season doing this, which cancels out Bertans' future buyout.

Lakers get a bunch of role players with 2 prospects included along with a first for a guy who is forcing his way out. All of them fit pretty well around a D'Lo/Reaves/Rui/Vando/AD lineup.

Mavs get their big 3. Buddy replaces THJ's shooting AND fits the mold of guys Lebron typically targets when he gets to new teams (I.E. the JR Smith role).