TRADE: Dinwiddie + Bertans to DAL | KP + 2nd to WAS

[Arioch]

Okay... I will admit that the early returns show a much more vast contribution than I was expecting - I am still  concerned Bertrans will not play anywhere near worth his contract, but Din is more than I expected, and then some...

I think Bertrans is and will be a definite asset for this team as far as on-court performance. But I also agree that he will never be worth his contract.

However KP was also not worth his contract, and his contract was a significantly bigger cap problem than Bertrans' contract is. Either living with overpaid Bertrans or finding a positive way to offload him are both easier now than doing either with KP would have ever been.

[donzingis38]

Man.. gotta love all the overreaction in the first pages..lol.

Dallas simply traded for two healthy players who can play and help right now. That was the main point of the trade. 

KP just couldn't stay healthy and mgmt have accepted that reality.

Like RJ said on ESPN, "if you're not helping me (Luka) win, then I have no use for you!" and this is so damn true in sports business.

[Kammrath]

My quick takes on the trade:

1) KP needed to go. This was apparent IMO for over a year. Getting off of him is the single greatest accomplishment here.

2) Bertans is a better player than KP IMO, especially for what Luka needs. I don't know why he hasn't been good this year. But in the previous 3 seasons Bertans was the better player IMO.

3) Both Dinwiddie and Bertans this year are shooting better from three than KP is shooting from three this year.

4) The contract sizes for Dinwiddie/Bertans are much better for futures trades. 

5) Dinwiddie has the potential for being a good value if he can find his game again from 2019-20.

Turns out my take in the first 30 minutes (which was pretty positive) wasn't too bad. I'll be curious how it looks after the playoffs.

[michaeltex]

Turns out my take in the first 30 minutes (which was pretty positive) wasn't too bad. I'll be curious how it looks after the playoffs.

I remember "liking" your summary. Hopefully, the pairing continues to grow from this excellent start.

Good job!

[Kammrath]

I remember "liking" your summary. Hopefully, the pairing continues to grow from this excellent start.

Good job!

Ha! @"donzingis38" mentioned all the initial reactions and I couldn't remember how I had first responded. So I went back and looked...and I was pleasantly surprised.

[Jym]

Turns out my take in the first 30 minutes (which was pretty positive) wasn't too bad. I'll be curious how it looks after the playoffs.

 I hated on it at first, but it'll be a clear win of a trade if Bertans can get his shot back
Dinwiddie has been a perfect fit so far

[F Gump]

I think Bertrans is and will be a definite asset for this team as far as on-court performance. But I also agree that he will never be worth his contract.

However KP was also not worth his contract, and his contract was a significantly bigger cap problem than Bertrans' contract is. Either living with overpaid Bertrans or finding a positive way to offload him are both easier now than doing either with KP would have ever been.

This ^.

The possibility (or likelihood) of DB not being "worth" his contract is such a non-issue in evaluating this trade. Worst case scenario with DB would be he sits injured, and is a clunky or poor quality fit with Luka when he plays. But, unfortunately, what we had in KP was those things more often than not -- but being paid double the salary.

[sterlingmallory]

This ^.

The possibility (or likelihood) of DB not being "worth" his contract is such a non-issue in evaluating this trade. Worst case scenario with DB would be he sits injured, and is a clunky or poor quality fit with Luka when he plays. But, unfortunately, what we had in KP was those things more often than not -- but being paid double the salary.

Great way of looking at it. Even if Bertans is overpaid, at least it's 16 million instead of 30 million in dead salary like when KP was injured. And the bonus is Dinwiddie who has been fantastic, honestly probably a better fit than even KP was. Plus I have faith that Bertans will start to shoot better eventually, enough that even if he's overpaid, at least he's not a net negative.

[F Gump]

 I hated on it at first, but it'll be a clear win of a trade if Bertans can get his shot back
Dinwiddie has been a perfect fit so far

What SD is bringing makes it a win, regardless of what DB does, so long as SD can continue to bring that same caliber of contribution. I don't see why he couldn't -- SD's contribution is just a player with some proven skills, using them where they fit.

Re DB's shot, if I worked for Mavs, I'd be scouring old tape when he was with Spurs and when Brooks was coaching the Wiz, to see what they did to get him more shots and better looks. The defensive book is written on DB - if he's your man, don't leave him, no matter what - which opens the floor for others. But the flip side is that if your role is "shooter," your desire to make a contribution means you'll shoot from somewhere, so too frequently he's forcing up "whatever he can get." Plus, the Mavs have others who love to camp in the corners (and can make them) which keeps him from getting more shots there. So I think a big part of making him a consistent weapon is figuring out how to get him good looks.

[ThisIStheYear]

I was in favor of the trade, but I thought it would be more like the Mavs got two overpaid but marginally useful players and gave up one overpaid player of no use.  In truth, Bertans may actually be worse than I expected, but I can see that every now and then he’ll go on a heater.  SD though is a fine player, probably worthy of being part of a Big 3, who seems happy to be in Dallas. This trade is the kind of unexpected, beat the odds surprise the Mavs needed to give themselves a path to contention.  And it’s also clear that SD is not overpaid at all, which is extremely helpful for roster management. They really just have one terrible contract now, even though it is a high payroll overall.

[Jommybone]

In 6 games, which the Mavs won by a combined 30 points, we’ve been +40 in the minutes with Bertans on the court. If my math is right, I believe that means we’ve been -10 in the minutes without him. While it seems crazy to me that a guy whose only skill is shooting could have this kind of impact in the middle of a cold streak, numbers are numbers.

[Kammrath]

While it seems crazy to me that a guy whose only skill is shooting could have this kind of impact in the middle of a cold streak, numbers are numbers.

1) He gives the needed effort on D and the team D has benefited from that.

2) As @"F Gump" said above, he is creating an incredible amount of space on O even if he is missing his shots. This opens everything else up while he is on the floor.

[Kammrath]

https://clutchpoints.com/mavs-rumors-dal...o-wizards/

“So the Washington thing came together. And the Mavericks basically got to the point of ‘Hey, financially it’s a wash, but it’s two smaller contracts that would be easier to move.’ And they felt K.P. was kind of in the way and those two guys could fill roles off the bench, so they pulled the trigger as soon as they found a deal where they didn’t have to give up a first round pick,” McMahon explained on The Lowe Post podcast, per Real GM.

“A lot of that was the fit with K.P. wasn’t there. It doesn’t mean Porzingis necessarily did anything wrong. The Mavericks took a huge swing and a miss on him. It didn’t work out.”

[Jason Terry]

Mavs coach Kristi Tolliver was a coach for the Wizards 2018-2020. Wonder if she had any influence on the trade having spent time as Bertans coach and involved with the Wizards organization?

[Hypermav]

https://twitter.com/Three_Cone/status/1497420233694490626?s=20&t=F6-BHWd7sqfbSuFpJxvmDg

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https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/mavericks...s-fans-mad

[Kammrath]

https://twitter.com/MavsPR/status/1500271872121974788