(11-10-2021, 03:46 PM)Kammrath Wrote: When Nico was asked about Brunson and the possibility of an extension or being an unrestricted free agent in the summer, he responded:Maybe. It struck me as an answer a PR flack could have written out for him before the question was ever asked. "Well, we'll see what happens, and then make the right decision for the team." (Besides Kidd having already told us this several times.)
This is a REALLY intriguing answer to me. To me it shows that he is looking big picture and so that means an individual player like JB has to fit or not fit in that big picture. It's not about JB and his contract situation, it is about the team and what the team needs.
So my read and interpretation is this:
If Nico likes "who we are" as a team 25 games in, then I think he will lock up Brunson somehow, someway. But if he doesn't like "who we are" then JB will likely be part of a trade that works to change the reality of "who we are."
Testing my understanding of this matter, since it comes up with some frequency --
If I understand the situation, Nico is not in a position to lock Brunson up after 25 games just because Nico "likes who we are." Brunson has indicated that he thinks he can get more by waiting on free agency, and he may well be right.
Nico is also not in a position to force Brunson to stay here beyond this season, if Brunson wants to go elsewhere, or Cuban is not willing or able to meet Brunson's goals.
Additionally, Nico is not in a position to trade Brunson for a game-changing player who transforms the identity of the team. Brunson's low salary limits the amount that can be extracted for him in an in-season trade. His low salary also complicates the ability to use him in a S&T in the summer.
If I have not understood Brunson's situation vis-a-vis the CBA, someone with more expertise can correct me, and I would welcome that. But if I understand it correctly, whether Nico likes where we are or doesn't like where we are, he just can't do some of these things some fans are talking about, and it would be a tall task to do others.
It seems to me that if Cuban wants to keep Brunson, within certain budget and roster-construction limits, Mark's best bet is to make the situation as attractive as possible for Brunson (consistent with those limits) for next season, and hope Brunson bites.
If Cuban doesn't want to keep him, or thinks the price will be too high, the best decision really could be to keep JB for the rest of the season and then wish him well in the summer. Considering that it may not be possible to get much of anything back for him in trade, maybe the best use of this asset would be to use him to give the team their best chance in this year's playoffs. (Not saying that's for sure, but I can see that being a reasonable decision.)