(07-11-2022, 08:07 AM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: I proposed trades at the TDL (what most now wish the FO had done) because I knew he was gone...not because I didn't like him.
There's apparently more to that Brunson analysis.
According to Skin Wade, the Mavs DID do exactly what you wanted. And what we have is that result.
They looked for deals for Brunson at the TDL. However, the return of value wasn't there, and they felt there was more to be gained by keeping him than by trading him.
That was part of the equation of whether to trade or not -- what will a team give for a player who will be a UFA in the summer? Will someone want to ignore the risk and pay for his value as a player?
It's true that they couldn't keep him after all. But unfortunately, they factually didn't have an alternate that would have made a difference, because they did what you proposed and looked for that deal, and it wasn't there. When the trade value was minimal, it apparently made more sense to keep him on the roster, reap his immediate value on the team and hope and and trust you could re-sign him when the time came.