(06-04-2024, 06:26 PM)Jakeospikez Wrote: It's not just about when you have a perfect roster. Regular season is a grind you gotta get through healthy. Players are going to get rest days. There will be some injuries. It's probably better to have young guys that aren't ready for big minutes yet but can fill in if necessary due to injuries or b2bs or whatever rather than a guy trying to play as much as possible and will get pissed if not getting minutes. Can the Mavs survive if Kyrie/Luka is out a month or 2. Green/Hardy/Exum minutes probably go way up. OMax probably plays a lot more, etc.

(06-04-2024, 04:51 PM)F Gump Wrote: Of course there would be more minutes available if you trade away half the backups. 

If you don't have minutes for Green, just trade him. His salary is too big for him to sit. That means he's also an avenue to payroll reduction, perhaps. But not sure the Mavs would really want to move him.

(06-04-2024, 03:13 PM)omahen Wrote: If 1+1 is not on the table, I would really like to target Utah capspace and #29 pick in this draft, if there is someone Mavs like. Two ways to get there - trade THJ into capspace for pick in 2025. Utah gets a pick next draft and gamble that it will be better than whatever is available at #29 this season. The alternative could be to trade Green to Utah for #29. They get a better player they might be able to snatch at #29 and Mavs get the space to resign DJJ. Than use THJ and 2025 for a bench upgrade to replace Green and THJ. 

The third option is to use THJ and 2025 and get a serviceable player on a cheap deal back. Not many options though, as we already discussed several times.

(06-05-2024, 02:09 AM)omahen Wrote: We were speaking about trading THJ only and I outlined where the minutes would be coming from. Luka and Kai play less minutes in regular season. There are injuries and so on. THJ was also playing significant minutes in the regular season and Mavs still had regular minutes for Green, Exum and regular development minutes for Hardy. The time where minutes could be scarce and roles reduced is playoffs only. But all guys will get their fair chance of opportunities to fight for their roles.

(06-05-2024, 10:44 AM)F Gump Wrote: C - Gafford, Lively, DP
PF - PJW, Maxi, Omax, Morris (DC)  
SF - DJJ, 6th Man
SG - Kyrie, Hardy, Lawson
PG - Luka, Exum

(06-05-2024, 11:38 AM)Scott41theMavs Wrote: What does DC stand for? Designated criminal?

(06-05-2024, 10:44 AM)F Gump Wrote: Yeah, I get it, but I just didn't buy all that.

The fact is that THJ has been eased out of minutes, and it's really not just a playoff equation anymore. The addition of PJW and Gafford sopped up minutes and there was a ripple effect. Then DJJ got elevated with more minutes, as they went to a defensive approach. Green got healthy. And whatever minutes remained for a shooter with crappy D, Hardy got those minutes.

They aren't going back to THJ. He has 0 minutes on this roster. In the present paradigm, if the Mavs played a regular season game, with a regular lineup, THJ is probably the 11th-15th man, and sitting next to Morris. They have PLENTY of better players to more than fill all the minutes, and more (if needed). The reality is, THJ's a 0 minutes guy now, and if you trade him for a player who you plan to play for 30 mpg more or less, you don't have those minutes to offer

So if your answer is to give 0 minutes to others who would otherwise play, the answer is not "well, THJ got minutes in 2023-24" because that ship has sailed. You gotta deal with the here and now, and plan accordingly.

In particular, that's about Green. If you add a 6th man who will gets significant regular minutes, there's no point in keeping him, because Green's getting 0 minutes (and they really can't afford to spend 12.6M on a lightly used 3rd-stringer, either. THAT MEANS if you trade THJ for a guy getting Green's minutes, then you might as well do another trade and move Green as well. I like his good shooting (if he shoots) and his defensive disruption and his speed, but his continued lack of productiveness makes him a real luxury that may just be too expensive to be practical, in a cap world with real limits on payroll.

TAKING THAT TO ITS PRACTICAL CONCLUSION, HERE'S HOW IT PLAYS OUT

1 The Mavs trade away BOTH Green and THJ. They get back 1 player from some part of that, who will be in your plans to be 6th man/JET-type player off the bench.
2 You leave enough room to sign DJJ to whatever amount it takes within MLE limits.
3 Your 15-man roster looks something like this

C - Gafford, Lively, DP
PF - PJW, Maxi, Omax, Morris (DC)  
SF - DJJ, 6th Man
SG - Kyrie, Hardy, Lawson
PG - Luka, Exum
 .... You have one more roster slot to fill. It might be a ring-chasing vet. It might be a development guy. But it's a player getting minimum salary, one year contract.

4 Your payroll limits - hard cap at Apron 1 (about 179M).
5 Your roster-building limits:
For paying DJJ and 6th Man (combined), you have around 27M to work with in total.

(06-05-2024, 10:44 AM)F Gump Wrote: C - Gafford, Lively, DP
PF - PJW, Maxi, Omax, Morris (DC)  
SF - DJJ, 6th Man
SG - Kyrie, Hardy, Lawson
PG - Luka, Exum

(06-06-2024, 04:47 AM)RGP1981 Wrote: For a 6th man, I think I would lean more towards getting a scorer with some play-making ability 

(06-06-2024, 06:37 AM)omahen Wrote: You will have same problem with this kind of guy as you have with THJ. You can't really play him next to Luka and Kyrie, therefore his minutes will be very limited in the playoffs. You can't have a good defense with three guys that are limited on that end (despite Luka and Kai playing great defense in this playoff run). This guy doesn't have to be an elite defender, but he has to be a positive one. White imho doesn't fit the profile.

(06-06-2024, 11:54 AM)Jason Terry Wrote: Jones Jr says he’s staying as long as “we get everything situated”.

It sounds like full MLE and not tax with a promise.

(06-06-2024, 11:31 AM)SleepingHero Wrote: https://twitter.com/Mavs_FFL/status/1798722370435494237


DJJ was asked by a reporter about his upcoming free agency:

"Im planning on being here. I don't want to go nowhere. I told Nico, I told Fin, I told Jason, I tell everybody, I love it here. As long as we can get everything situated, I'm staying. I love it in Dallas"

(06-06-2024, 01:42 PM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: He's said this a dozen times now in different settings.  Even though it is exactly what I'd tell him to say if I were his agent, I believe he is sincere.  Of course, everything depends on the definition of getting "everything situated".  That qualifier is just as important (maybe more so) than the part about loving Dallas.

People tend to forget that he's had an MLE level deal in the past.  I suspect he isn't gunning for 40% of an MLE deal.  We don't have to get anything 'situated' to offer that.  It is going to take us opening up space.  We already pay several guys who are 5th-8th in the rotation in this range including Green, Gafford and Maxi.  No way DJJ takes $5mm or even $7mm.  I don't see it being less than $9mm and very likely it s the full $12.9mm