DAL OFFSEASON: Trade & FA | Mavs "mostly done...but you never know."

[Scott41theMavs]

I believe the Mavs could be closer to reasonable contention simply by trading their trade pieces (absolutely including THJ) for two average (but defensively capable) NBA starters who expire in 2021 because that would be better than what they have.

Sure, IF the "starters" are the right players, and not just more things for people like you to complain about next season. The former would be great, but the absence of the latter should be the goal. Every move should be an improvement from here on out, and whether you're right or wrong about what some players bring to the team, that's no guarantee that what's available to them through trade will be better. There's a (reasonably good, now that they're a playoff team) chance it will be worse.

IF they can pounce on something that actually gets them to a championship contending level (or at least help, not hinder their growth towards that) then they absolutely should! But, IF those moves aren't there and they make moves just to make moves, they could easily make themselves worse, in the scheme of things. This mentality is how bad moves happen.

My point is that it seems logical, since they have no picks to trade and really only role players to deal, that what's available to them through trade is likely to be less enticing than what's available through Free Agency. This might not be the case, but until you have your team, it would be super dumb to close any doors to the point where they can't be re-opened.

Frankly, I'm super glad some of you guys aren't in charge of the team.

Wow, KL, U mad?

The only conceivable way I see to make the team irretrievably worse via "do something just to do something" as it pertains to my "get two new starters at all costs" approach is by trading for, or somehow signing, a player who is overpaid beyond the summer of 2021. The specific suggestion I made for what I said was the worst-case acceptable scenario was to trade our trade assets (minus #18, as I specifically said, and I don't regard DFS, Curry, and Maxi and not even Bobi as guys you trade for less than a major long-term starting upgrade) for two average starters, which is better than what we have now (hint: two average starters would make up the slack between them for what we lose from THJ on offense), who are expiring in 2021. The only ways that hurts the team long-term is 1) one or more of those guys is someone who permanently nukes the locker room, and I don't think the Mavs would trade for that guy anyway, or 2) Luka gets mad because he is convinced that we would have been better with THJ et al., but that's not the case, or 3) the Mavs can't get any free agents in 2021 despite keeping the powder dry and end up worse the following season - but then that's not because of the 2020 trades we made at all, but because we were never going to get good free agents in the summer of 2021 to begin with. It's the ultimate "no harm no foul" scenario for those insistent on the Mavs having powder in 2021 (as you put it, "what seems to be the Mavs' plan").

What would you do if you were the Mavs' GM?