10-03-2020, 02:37 PM
(10-03-2020, 02:09 PM)Scott41theMavs Wrote: Kawhi, anybody? He expires in '21, and the Clippers are getting scared to death that he'll leave. I know he went to them because of location, but I think he'd be the perfect fit with Luka and KP.
I'm 99% sure Kawhi is a Clipper for the remainder of his career, given what it took for him to get there. He has been trying to make it home to LA since before he left San Antonio.
But, the idea that he COULD be in play goes a long way towards illustrating how quickly things can change in the NBA. Cap space can be very useful, and not just for signing free agents. Until Luka signs his rookie max extension, you have to maintain the option of going that route in case something pops up.
Once Luka signs that extension, there won't be cap space for a long, long time (we hope). At that point, yes, you take the best trade options available to improve your team, just as the Mavs did throughout the Dirk era. Until then, even the BEST available trade options, MLE signings, etc, MUST be weighed against options that could potentially come up over the next two seasons. This means that if a move isn't an obvious gap double off of the wall (at least) you don't do it, imo.
To make an analogy: choosing to take a shortcut that gets you past some congested traffic because you're sick of sitting still might seem like a good idea at the time, but if that shortcut ultimately makes it more difficult to actually reach your destination this is not a good choice. Just put on a Radiohead album, roll the windows down and try to enjoy the time, somehow.
In my view, rejection of the thinking above by the front office would be shortsighted.