MAVS NEWS: Grimes Trade Completed | Luka "Ecstatic" About Klay

[Winter]

The more I think about this, the more I think this happened on the Mavs’ terms, not DJJ’s. This Cato info was the last piece of the puzzle to me. 

If that standing 3/$27m offer is true, and he changed agents rather than sign it, I think they basically said “eff it, then, we like Marshall, anyway” rather than go through a NEW negotiation with DJJ, who was obviously in a position (career earnings of only $27m TOTAL) to want to haggle for the most money possible. 

I bet Jones was hoping to get the full MLE. From DALLAS.

Then, when Dallas pivoted, I think Jones panicked and that’s when he did the whole “my old agency needs to negotiate this one” move so he could get paid before the options dried up. 

Big mistake on his part, if I have this right. The Mavs will be much better than the Clippers next season, and he didn’t really do all that much better. He should’ve just signed. OR, maybe he should’ve stayed the course and let his new agents try to get him that full MLE somewhere.

Yes, this is more in line with my thinking as well.

I'm just not completely sold on the "I have to be a starter" reasoning. DJJ has been around the league, and his Mavs experience was by all accounts the best one he's had. Just because Klay was being hunted wasn't going to automatically push DJJ into fewer minutes (he was only averaging 23 mpg). Most players understand that winning and going to playoffs is not easy. I doubt DJJ was so petty that he thought the starting minutes were suddenly critical to his resume. He just doesn't seem like that type of guy. After all, most other teams probably aren't going to give him starter minutes either. This was a pretty ideal situation for him.