Trade & FA 2023-24: Stein-Ingram Trade Inevitable| LAL Want Lebron Back On Any Terms

[F Gump]

Great post.

Does anyone know the rules? Is there any chance that we extend DJJ and don't make any moves until the summer? If he continues likes this, he will probably be worth MLE.

We aren't contenders this year, so priority should be to extend DJJ and try to make some trade in the summer, while we will have more picks to offer and Holmes and Kleber ase expiring will be worth much more.

There is no way to extend (ie, lengthen the contract of) DJJ to avoid free agency. The Mavs only opportunity will be resign him as a FA.

Right now their commitments project to have them around the tax line, which only leaves room for the taxpayer MLE. That starts at 5.25M and seems way too little.

If they can trim enough 2024-25 payroll between now and July, they can offer the big MLE of 13M, which seems like it should be enough.

I would think the preferred way to do so would be a deadline trade of Holmes for an expiring contract. That would cost a pick, but so long as it isn't a first-rounder, it seems worth it assuming that could create enough room for DJJ.

I would prefer the expiring contract coming back for Holmes be a player who might also have some oncourt utility, such as Olynyk to be the backup center that's needed (he would be a stretch 5 type). His trade price should not be high. And depending on his salary price in the summer, maybe KO could be resigned too? The addition of Lindsey to the front office gives me some optimism that they could pull off something like this.