06-14-2021, 01:01 PM
(06-14-2021, 10:10 AM)Chicagojk Wrote: I am really having trouble really liking any move/plan that factors both KP and Hardaway back next year. I am just not thrilled with the options. I want Hardaway back. And at this stage, I want KP back just as an asset more than anything else. I think Hardaway is a good fit, but my mantra is to upgrade your starting unit this offseason, and I am really questioning how this is possible if Hardaway is resigned. This leaves the Mavs trying to improve around the edges....the exact spot I don't want to be in.
Therefore, I am really questioning if letting Hardaway go and signing Derozen and a 3 and D wing like Danny Green or Batum would be the better direction. Derozen may not be as good as a fit as Hardaway, but he is the better player and then Green/Batum/someone similar would be signed a little over MLE. This would give you better odds and would also give you a defender/shooter to add to your bench.
It really scares me when you look at the MLE guys from last offseason. Most of them didn't really help their teams that much. More than likely they are good rotation pieces.
This is going to be a weird offseason. I am already checking instagram accounts and wonder if Luka will like KP's offseason post (he didn't). I am also seeing if Cuban likes Jalen's posts as I think he is a sneaky guy the front office uses in a trade (I would like to see Jalen back). I am also bracing for the probably false reports throwing Mavs in every possible trade. I will try to not let a probably false report frustrate me. But this is a huge offseason. I have difficulty believing the Mavs re-sign Hardaway, use the MLE, find a spare trade for Richardson (if he opts in) and try it again. They are feeling the heat now. I expect something bigger....but will they deliver?
I am not a DeRozan fan, especially next to Luka. He can't space the floor, needs the ball to be effective, and is somebody you have to hide on defense even more so than Luka. I would much rather go after Ball or Collins before him. Those guys fit the timeline much better and are guys you could trade for, keep KP and still sign THJ (which I think this FO wants to do).
However, if they do go this route I think you are going to want to start that 3&D acquisition to help offset DeRozan's defensive deficiencies. You would be looking at KP/DeRozan/DFS/Luka/Green. You could stagger Luka and DeRozan so that he can run the second unit, which is something we really need. He would also be very helpful when the defense is over focusing on Luka. But I just don't see that team being good enough defensively to truly compete, nor an easy path to significantly improve the defense (maybe the KP for Turner and Lamb through Wizards trade mentioned earlier?).