MAVS NEWS: Luka Is Hurt, But is Trudging On | DLive's Mom Passes Away| Maxi OUT

[ItsGoTime]

You went from being mildly optimistic to "this is the end of the Luka era" because several podcasters didn't like the moves? I remember every single talking head saying Dirk wasn't good enough to ever win and the Mavs are stupid to try and build around a guy who can't play defense. 

I also remember not just a year ago basically every podcast saying the Kyrie trade was horrific and the Mavs are doomed to lose him in the summer to the Lakers. On and on. The media has never liked the Mavs, I'm not surprised most talking heads don't like the Mavs moves.

Edit: And it's even more confusing because most people acknowledge the Mavs have gotten better, even substantially so. But then lambast the cost it took to improve the team? It makes zero sense. The only reason why the Mavs gave up 2027 is because they didn't give up a single prospect in either of the trades. We still have Green, Hardy, and OMax chilling on the bench. Are those as valuable as 2027? Remains to be seen. But its not like the Mavs can't punch for an improvement trade when they have 3 guys on cost controlled contracts that are young and have potential. And that's before even acknowledging that Gafford and PJ are young as well and have room to improve next to Luka.

They still have 2025 and 2031 to trade. They still will have picks in 2026 and 2028 if they need to draft someone. I know you're worried about Luka forcing his way out, but right now today if the cap continues to climb the next 2 years at the same pace, Luka's supermax will be worth about 400 mil and the Mavs can offer him 100 million more than any other team. Again ONE HUNDRED MILLION!!!!! Guys do not walk away from that kind of money, no matter how much of a winner they are. Like at all. Who is walking away from nearly half a billion for not even a guaranteed chance at a ring?

Like again, I was NOT for trading the 2027 for a PJ Washington level player. But I acknowledge that they didn't just get PJ. They also got Gafford, got rid of G-Will, Holmes, AND kept Omax, Hardy, and Green. The 2 2nds are whatever but another sprinkle of value in the deal.

They turned 2 guys who literally weren't playing a lick, and a guy who was pretty terrible for half the season (and whom everyone was annoyed with), into 2 starting caliber players.

It's certainly a risk that they took, but you have to take some to improve. The Mavs risked it all for Kyrie. I hated the move and that's what I thought would be the end of the Luka era. Incredibly it's worked out so far. They risked it for Wood. It blew up in their faces. They risked a pick on Lively, someone who I didn't think he'd be a rotation player till year 3. And he's currently having one of the best rookie seasons in Mav history. They risked it for G-Will trading a pick swap. It did not work out. See what I'm getting at?

Where was this defense when I said these same things about trading the 27?