06-07-2021, 05:15 PM
The strategy of this team needs to be build around acquiring young talent via free agency/trades that are on good contracts and eating bad short-term veteran contracts. Set yourself up to either acquire the legit #2 option by asset building or via capspace in the future. That´s what needs to happen.
"Forget next season".
I know, I know you will all complain, that we´ll be worse next year (on paper), but this is not about next year. This is about Luka and the next decade. Better to make him "unhappy" next year, when he finds $200M in his bank account than three years down the road with multiple failed post-seasons, Porzingis semi-retired and 32 year old THJ still chucking away.
If you set up your roster (AND PLAY IT, Mr. Carlisle) accordingly, you cannot lose the asset management battle next season.
You...
1) will suck and get a 2022 1st round lottery selection, which has great value to pick or TRADE.
2) will far exceed expectations with a roster full of young talents, which has great value to build around or TRADE.
You don´t even need to like young players or the draft. You just need to use it stragetically for asset management.
So we have established the general plan.
Trade 1
Porzingis + Warren to Kings
Turner + Lamb (expiring) + Wright (expiring) to Mavs
Barnes + Kleber + Green to the Pacers
This immediately cleans $27M in additional capspace for the Mavs in 2022 season. It gives us the first new piece of the puzzle, a young defensive center on a workable contract.
Trade 2
Kevin Knox + Mavs 2021 pick to Mavs
Brunson + Burke + removal of the 2023 protection to the Knicks
This has small cap implications for 2022 with Burke. You get an fallen angel on an expiring contract in Kevin Knox. The main piece of this trade is asset management. You get a 2021 1st round pick and gain flexibility via the removal of the 2023 protection for a potential star trade.
Trade 3
THJ S&T + Cauley-Stein to Lakers
Kuzma to Bulls
Markkanen S&T + Aminu to Mavs
Do not lose THJ for nothing. Another cardinal sin of the Mavs in the last decade. We take advantage of the fact that LeBron James will be pushing for help and that THJ has shown that he excels next to a ball-dominant point forward. The Bulls don´t want to lose Markkanen for nothing, so they get Kyle Kuzma, who is a fairly productive 26 year old on a decent contract (13/6/2 regular season), and unlike LeBron, they can overlook Kuzma´s play-off performance this year (6/4/1, 29/17/67 shooting). Since the Bulls want to keep their cap clean, we eat the Aminu contract in the process.
2021/2022 roster
Turner 18.0
Markkanen 16.0
Richardson 11.6 (expiring)
Powell 11.1
Lamb 10.5 (expiring)
Aminu 10.2 (expiring)
Doncic 10.2
Wright 8.5 (expiring)
Knox 5.8 (expiring)
DFS 4.0
Jaden Singer (21st pick, a 3&D PG/SG from Tenn) 1.9
Terry 1.5
$109.3M
Offer Bonga the remaining cap 15/3 (decreasing). Offer the full room exception to Hartenstein at 10/2. Sign Boban to a veteran minimum contract, if he wants it. Otherwise just convert Tyler Bey to a full veteran minimum contract.
Actual 2021/2022 rotation:
Doncic/Wright/Terry
Lamb/Richardson/Singer
DFS/Aminu/Bonga
Markkanen/Powell/Knox
Turner/Hartenstein/Boban
Now I did all that and it still looks a decent enough team, cause I just acquired veterans Wright, Lamb, Aminu with positive value attached, instead of doing what the Mavs usually do. Sign them to 40/4 long-term contracts in free agency after the latest big plan has failed. Added bonus: no potentially failing long-term commitments.
Since I have enough veteran presence on the roster, we all know Carlisle would successfully manage to ignore Singer, Terry, Bonga, Hartenstein and Knox. Therefore tell Carlisle that there are regular season minimum benchmarks he has to aim for with Jaden Singer (rookie), Tyrell Terry (2nd year), Kevin Knox, Isaac Bonga and Isaiah Hartenstein. He can´t just ignore all the young player development again. If he cannot accept that, you´ll be willing to work out a trade for future pick compensation (with Boston for example).
You have a massive amount of expiring contracts. You have the flexibility of trading the re-acquired 2021 (1st) + 2025 (1st)+ 2027 (1st), maybe one of the blossoming young players, so that you can realistically approch a Lavine trade at the 2021/2022 trade deadline OR the other road....
Doncic 25.4 (caphold)
Turner 18.0
Markkanen 16.0
Powell 11.1
DFS 7.6 (caphold)
Hartenstein 5.2
Bonga 4.7
Singer 2.3
Terry 1.8
Doncic/Terry
X/Singer
DFS/Bonga
Markkanen/Powell
Turner/Hartenstein
That gives you capspace of $32.9M for four roster slots calculated against a $125M cap. Obviously there is still the option to trade (now on an expiring contract) Dwight Powell to further open up capspace.
The Mavs cannot fix this in one summer and they have to be willing to take a step back, but establish a clear plan for themselves and to re-build some trust in the free agency (players/agents) market. Nothing is worse than a bad reputation, when trying to sell your franchise to a max player.
And that is a mofo plan on a mofo plane.
Hope it was worth reading.
"Forget next season".
I know, I know you will all complain, that we´ll be worse next year (on paper), but this is not about next year. This is about Luka and the next decade. Better to make him "unhappy" next year, when he finds $200M in his bank account than three years down the road with multiple failed post-seasons, Porzingis semi-retired and 32 year old THJ still chucking away.
If you set up your roster (AND PLAY IT, Mr. Carlisle) accordingly, you cannot lose the asset management battle next season.
You...
1) will suck and get a 2022 1st round lottery selection, which has great value to pick or TRADE.
2) will far exceed expectations with a roster full of young talents, which has great value to build around or TRADE.
You don´t even need to like young players or the draft. You just need to use it stragetically for asset management.
So we have established the general plan.
Trade 1
Porzingis + Warren to Kings
Turner + Lamb (expiring) + Wright (expiring) to Mavs
Barnes + Kleber + Green to the Pacers
This immediately cleans $27M in additional capspace for the Mavs in 2022 season. It gives us the first new piece of the puzzle, a young defensive center on a workable contract.
Trade 2
Kevin Knox + Mavs 2021 pick to Mavs
Brunson + Burke + removal of the 2023 protection to the Knicks
This has small cap implications for 2022 with Burke. You get an fallen angel on an expiring contract in Kevin Knox. The main piece of this trade is asset management. You get a 2021 1st round pick and gain flexibility via the removal of the 2023 protection for a potential star trade.
Trade 3
THJ S&T + Cauley-Stein to Lakers
Kuzma to Bulls
Markkanen S&T + Aminu to Mavs
Do not lose THJ for nothing. Another cardinal sin of the Mavs in the last decade. We take advantage of the fact that LeBron James will be pushing for help and that THJ has shown that he excels next to a ball-dominant point forward. The Bulls don´t want to lose Markkanen for nothing, so they get Kyle Kuzma, who is a fairly productive 26 year old on a decent contract (13/6/2 regular season), and unlike LeBron, they can overlook Kuzma´s play-off performance this year (6/4/1, 29/17/67 shooting). Since the Bulls want to keep their cap clean, we eat the Aminu contract in the process.
2021/2022 roster
Turner 18.0
Markkanen 16.0
Richardson 11.6 (expiring)
Powell 11.1
Lamb 10.5 (expiring)
Aminu 10.2 (expiring)
Doncic 10.2
Wright 8.5 (expiring)
Knox 5.8 (expiring)
DFS 4.0
Jaden Singer (21st pick, a 3&D PG/SG from Tenn) 1.9
Terry 1.5
$109.3M
Offer Bonga the remaining cap 15/3 (decreasing). Offer the full room exception to Hartenstein at 10/2. Sign Boban to a veteran minimum contract, if he wants it. Otherwise just convert Tyler Bey to a full veteran minimum contract.
Actual 2021/2022 rotation:
Doncic/Wright/Terry
Lamb/Richardson/Singer
DFS/Aminu/Bonga
Markkanen/Powell/Knox
Turner/Hartenstein/Boban
Now I did all that and it still looks a decent enough team, cause I just acquired veterans Wright, Lamb, Aminu with positive value attached, instead of doing what the Mavs usually do. Sign them to 40/4 long-term contracts in free agency after the latest big plan has failed. Added bonus: no potentially failing long-term commitments.
Since I have enough veteran presence on the roster, we all know Carlisle would successfully manage to ignore Singer, Terry, Bonga, Hartenstein and Knox. Therefore tell Carlisle that there are regular season minimum benchmarks he has to aim for with Jaden Singer (rookie), Tyrell Terry (2nd year), Kevin Knox, Isaac Bonga and Isaiah Hartenstein. He can´t just ignore all the young player development again. If he cannot accept that, you´ll be willing to work out a trade for future pick compensation (with Boston for example).
You have a massive amount of expiring contracts. You have the flexibility of trading the re-acquired 2021 (1st) + 2025 (1st)+ 2027 (1st), maybe one of the blossoming young players, so that you can realistically approch a Lavine trade at the 2021/2022 trade deadline OR the other road....
2022/2023 roster
Doncic 25.4 (caphold)
Turner 18.0
Markkanen 16.0
Powell 11.1
DFS 7.6 (caphold)
Hartenstein 5.2
Bonga 4.7
Singer 2.3
Terry 1.8
Doncic/Terry
X/Singer
DFS/Bonga
Markkanen/Powell
Turner/Hartenstein
That gives you capspace of $32.9M for four roster slots calculated against a $125M cap. Obviously there is still the option to trade (now on an expiring contract) Dwight Powell to further open up capspace.
The Mavs cannot fix this in one summer and they have to be willing to take a step back, but establish a clear plan for themselves and to re-build some trust in the free agency (players/agents) market. Nothing is worse than a bad reputation, when trying to sell your franchise to a max player.
And that is a mofo plan on a mofo plane.
Hope it was worth reading.