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+--- Thread: Trade & FA 2025-26: Free Agency Starts 5pm CST/6pm EST (/showthread.php?tid=3856)
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RE: Trade & FA 2025-26: - F Gump - 05-28-2025
STEP ...
1 Fire NTI, yep.
2 Tear it all down and rebuild? Not interested at all.
3 Trade AD (specifically), yep. Bad fit in every way. Paid to (and eats up payroll appropriate for) an every day team centerpoint who carries the team on his back day after day, but while he has the skills, he doesn't have the health. Also, he's clogging the team's position of strength at PF (forcing other players to play elsewhere, or be traded) while not being able to man it himself.
4 Trade AD for another superior creator of offense, to complement Kyrie. Not instead of. Right player on the right contract. Obviously these 2 are n/a, but Halliburton or SGA is the model to envision. The idea is to use AD in a trade in the same way OKC used PG, looking for a salary match plus a younger player who has already shown the skills. Does not have to be today, just find that trade.
5 While looking, keep and build talent and win all you can. Not getting great picks regardless, so might as well win a title while working on the AD-for-the-future-guy swap.
RE: Trade & FA 2025-26: - surfpuckmd - 05-28-2025
(05-28-2025, 03:21 AM)F Gump Wrote: STEP ...
1 Fire NTI, yep.
2 Tear it all down and rebuild? Not interested at all.
3 Trade AD (specifically), yep. Bad fit in every way. Paid to (and eats up payroll appropriate for) an every day team centerpoint who carries the team on his back day after day, but while he has the skills, he doesn't have the health. Also, he's clogging the team's position of strength at PF (forcing other players to play elsewhere, or be traded) while not being able to man it himself.
4 Trade AD for another superior creator of offense, to complement Kyrie. Not instead of. Right player on the right contract. Obviously these 2 are n/a, but Halliburton or SGA is the model to envision. The idea is to use AD in a trade in the same way OKC used PG, looking for a salary match plus a younger player who has already shown the skills. Does not have to be today, just find that trade.
5 While looking, keep and build talent and win all you can. Not getting great picks regardless, so might as well win a title while working on the AD-for-the-future-guy swap.
I'm concerned that the rest of the NBA won't value AD as much as Nico Harrison did. He's 32 and not the most durable or the most skilled player. As he refuses to play the 5, he needs to be paired with a center who can shoot. I'm not seeing too many perfect fits around the league.
I'm sure we could get Brandon Ingram or Jamal Murray for him. Jaylen Brown might work if AD hadn't burned that bridge. If we're looking for upside, maybe Shaedon Sharpe? Ja Morant might be available but we'd need to involve a third team as neither JJJ or AD want to play the 5.
AD for Zach Lavine and Keegan Murray?
AD for Norm Powell and Bogdonovic?
AD for Jimmy Butler and Podz?
I like Paul George as a reclamation project with some good draft capital coming our way. That's not tearing it down. It's renovating methodically. I don't think Nico Harrison is capable of that so I'm hoping someone other than NTI makes these decisions.
RE: Trade & FA 2025-26: - FireNicoHarrison - 05-28-2025
(05-28-2025, 03:21 AM)F Gump Wrote: STEP ...
1 Fire NTI, yep.
2 Tear it all down and rebuild? Not interested at all.
3 Trade AD (specifically), yep. Bad fit in every way. Paid to (and eats up payroll appropriate for) an every day team centerpoint who carries the team on his back day after day, but while he has the skills, he doesn't have the health. Also, he's clogging the team's position of strength at PF (forcing other players to play elsewhere, or be traded) while not being able to man it himself.
4 Trade AD for another superior creator of offense, to complement Kyrie. Not instead of. Right player on the right contract. Obviously these 2 are n/a, but Halliburton or SGA is the model to envision. The idea is to use AD in a trade in the same way OKC used PG, looking for a salary match plus a younger player who has already shown the skills. Does not have to be today, just find that trade.
5 While looking, keep and build talent and win all you can. Not getting great picks regardless, so might as well win a title while working on the AD-for-the-future-guy swap.
We are on the same page Gump. Nice.
RE: Trade & FA 2025-26: - Chicagojk - 05-28-2025
This would be good news for the Mavs, I believe.
https://x.com/JakeLFischer/status/1927772941384569074
RE: Trade & FA 2025-26: - Mavs2021 - 05-28-2025
AD to the Kings
Martin + Murray + Hardy to the Blazers
Lavine + Simons to the Mavs
Irving/Simons
Lavine/Christie
Flagg/Klay
Washington/Marshall
Lively/Gafford
That would probably be the most balanced team you can get out of this.
RE: Trade & FA 2025-26: - Winter - 05-28-2025
(05-28-2025, 12:36 PM)Chicagojk Wrote: This would be good news for the Mavs, I believe.
https://x.com/JakeLFischer/status/1927772941384569074
I saw and read a lengthy article about this subject, but it was on my phone and now I can't find it.
For the record, the article is about how almost every NBA executive expects this to be a very busy trade season. Also, how three-team trades are becoming more common.
I had a similar thought about it being good news, as a three-team trade looks like a more promising possibility for Mavs to get in on the action.
RE: Trade & FA 2025-26: - Ghost of Podkolzin - 05-28-2025
(05-27-2025, 06:58 PM)F Gump Wrote: We get it already -- the Mavs badly need better PG's.
You propose Sexton which is less than satisfying. You think we should hold our nose and tolerate Sexton. On its face, I can see some validity to Sexton. Tolerate. Hope.
HOWEVER. Then we come to the deal it would take to get Sexton (who I am not highly enamored of anyhow) and I think there you'd lose me entirely, because of the A2 issues and the salary that has to be sent (probably 22M or more) to match, Then factor in who will be negotiating with NTI (Ainge, Danny) and leveraging the Mavs need to send salary to swindle NTI, 22M or more of talent, Ainge "helping" NTI find a solution (just like NTI's bosom buddy Pelinka did), and I really don't like where such a deal would end up. Scary. Recipe for total disaster.
Agreed. I mean, is Sexton really that better Hardy with the same opportunity?
RE: Trade & FA 2025-26: - YaBoyAplus - 05-28-2025
It looks like we can only afford one of Gafford or PJ and I'd rather keep PJ. If we can use Gaffords salary to get Sexton I'd be up for that. He's now a good 3pt shooter and one of the best PG defenders in the NBA. Send Gafford to ATL, and peices from us n ATL to Utah
RE: Trade & FA 2025-26: - Winter - 05-28-2025
Could someone lay out the contract\salary issues in a potential trade of AD for Durant? Salaries aren't off by much, but it's not perfect.
RE: Trade & FA 2025-26: - david75090 - 05-28-2025
AD. Durant. Two mid-thirty PF types on large contracts with injury histories. Cooper Flagg, the next big thing, 18 years old. A SF/PF. Looks, to me, like the Mavs would want to go younger, healthier, cheaper, as opposed to older, more infirmed, higher priced.
RE: Trade & FA 2025-26: - SleepingHero - 05-28-2025
(05-28-2025, 08:01 PM)YaBoyAplus Wrote: It looks like we can only afford one of Gafford or PJ and I'd rather keep PJ. If we can use Gaffords salary to get Sexton I'd be up for that. He's now a good 3pt shooter and one of the best PG defenders in the NBA. Send Gafford to ATL, and peices from us n ATL to Utah
The Mavs could afford both actually. All they would have to do is trim the excess money on the roster elsewhere. Shipping out guys like Naji+Martin for 2 guys making around 4-5 mil is enough. Add in giving away Hardy at 6 mil per year and the Mavs could comfortably afford both Gafford+PJ even on their extensions while largely keeping the rest of the roster the same.
Of the two, I'd prefer to keep PJ at all costs. But I am also not super motivated at just giving away Gafford. Especially without a suitable backup in place. There is a reason why so many teams would want Gafford right now and its because finding a reliable big man today that can do "big man" things is a rare commodity.
The issue is with your hypothetical trade regarding Sexton is that any trade the Mavs make this summer HAS to end up with the Mavs receiving less salary than they are sending out because of the 2nd apron issue.
Because of Kyrie's expected cap hold and Flagg's upcoming deal, the Mavs have to operate like a 2nd apron team and follow 2nd apron rules. So they cannot aggregate players in a trade, nor trade for more money than they are sending out. Unless they end a trade where they are below the 2nd apron, their hands are tied.
Given Sexton's current deal has him making 5 mil more than Gafford, that means a trade for him is technically illegal. That is, unless, the Mavs send out about 25 mil of salary in a Sexton trade. Which means it'd be Gafford+Martin (or Naji). Powell+Hardy you'd think would get them there, but they have minimum roster charges to factor in worth about 1.6 mil, which means it doesn't work. And at this point, is Sexton worth 2 core rotation guys? I don't think so.
But for example, if ATL wants to send #13+#22 and a guy like Niang for Gafford? Then I'm all ears. Niang is a stretch 4, which gives our F slot a bit more variation of shooting. Mavs can then use 13+22 along with a guy like Martin to find a guard making around 10-12 mil.
RE: Trade & FA 2025-26: - SleepingHero - 05-28-2025
(05-28-2025, 08:49 PM)Winter Wrote: Could someone lay out the contract\salary issues in a potential trade of AD for Durant? Salaries aren't off by much, but it's not perfect.
It'd be a one for one trade. Durant makes about 600k more than Davis, which means PHX can take back AD without a problem.
After that trade, the Mavs are in the same position as they currently are, now though about 4.1 mil over the 2nd apron factoring in Kyrie's rumored extension and Flagg's deal, and have to find a way to cut about 4.1 mil of salary.
Does the roster make way more sense with Durant? I'd argue that it makes more sense in some ways but less in others.
The Cons:
- Durant is also injury prone as AD now
- Durant is older than AD
- We do take a step back defensively in this trade
- Durant is still arguably a better player than AD despite his age.
- I mean its Kevin Durant, sheesh.
- His offensive versatility allows him to essentially function as a 2 guard out there and it'd allow the Mavs to run out a hypothetical line up of:
Kyrie
Durant
Flagg
PJ
Lively
On the face of it, it doesn't seem like there is much PG play, but Durant and Kyrie are offensive initiators and can create for others as much as they can create for themselves just due to the gravity they generate. Flagg also being a willing passer and someone that could potentially initiate the offense might make it work. It's interesting for sure. AD is a much better defender. KD is a much better scorer.
However,
1) I don't think PHX would be interested. AD is a bit younger than KD, and there is a Kentucky reunion with Booker, but he doesn't necessarily fix the issues PHX has which is that they are extremely top heavy with a 50 mil dead weight player in Beal preventing them from getting better. Sure AD fills a positional hole for them as a big man, but KD wasn't the problem in PHX.
2) Nico isn't interested in trading AD. I mean, if he wanted KD so bad, why didn't he just trade Luka to PHX for KD? Nico said it himself that he RANKED a list of guys he wanted for Luka and went down that list. Following the rumors, he called the Wolves for Edwards and the Bucks for Giannis, then he called the Lakers. Which means he values AD more than KD.
RE: Trade & FA 2025-26: - F Gump - 05-29-2025
(05-28-2025, 08:01 PM)YaBoyAplus Wrote: It looks like we can only afford one of Gafford or PJ and I'd rather keep PJ. If we can use Gaffords salary to get Sexton I'd be up for that. He's now a good 3pt shooter and one of the best PG defenders in the NBA. Send Gafford to ATL, and peices from us n ATL to Utah
The Mavs can afford both, if they wish. The practical hard limit is Apron 2, and with Kyries PO they are a sliver over with 14 players. A redo in which he declines the PO and signs a new deal with more years easily solves that much. They have MULTIPLE players they could move (Martin, Hardy, Powell, maybe OMax) to acquire more flexibility.
(05-28-2025, 08:49 PM)Winter Wrote: Could someone lay out the contract\salary issues in a potential trade of AD for Durant? Salaries aren't off by much, but it's not perfect.
Very true. But not hard to solve. (The bigger issue is balancing value, because AD would have HUGE value to PHX as a complement to Booker/Beal, and much younger than KD.) But one easy-to-see path would be AD/KD swap, and then Mavs send Powell to team 3 (with unused cap room) along with enough cash to pay his salary, and a future 2nd (or 2nd pick swap). That also fixes the need to get below A2 at the same time.
(05-28-2025, 09:35 PM)david75090 Wrote: AD. Durant. Two mid-thirty PF types on large contracts with injury histories. Cooper Flagg, the next big thing, 18 years old. A SF/PF. Looks, to me, like the Mavs would want to go younger, healthier, cheaper, as opposed to older, more infirmed, higher priced.
In theory I certainly agree. But the issue is to find that team who has AND WOULD GIVE UP those younger, cheaper, healthier players for AD. For example, someone posited AD to ATL for Daniels, Johnson, and Mann, and of course. I'd love that ATL or any team would see AD as their missing piece whose 2-way presence as a big is just what they are missing AND has desirable young players and some filler to make a legal deal.
One problem with AD is how do you get out from under that deal that runs forever? And what does he REALLY offer, when you have plenty of C/PFs that can give you good minutes? KD deal is also huge BUT it ends real soon, and then I am not FORCED to keep paying 55M or more for a player who sits all the time. Maybe he walks, maybe it's a deal with smaller numbers.
KD is an easy salary match (which is a huge issue with such a high AD salary). He is still a major talent, and he is expected to be on the move. His offensive prowess is a way bigger fit than AD on THIS team. I consider his shorter contract to be a big plus. He doesn't have the AD overlap to clog the roster at C and PF when the Mavs have excellent players there already.
RE: Trade & FA 2025-26: - F Gump - 05-29-2025
(05-28-2025, 11:37 PM)SleepingHero Wrote: 1 After that trade, the Mavs are in the same position as they currently are, now though about 4.1 mil over the 2nd apron factoring in Kyrie's rumored extension and Flagg's deal, and have to find a way to cut about 4.1 mil of salary.
2
1) I don't think PHX would be interested. AD is a bit younger than KD, and there is a Kentucky reunion with Booker, but he doesn't necessarily fix the issues PHX has which is that they are extremely top heavy with a 50 mil dead weight player in Beal preventing them from getting better. Sure AD fills a positional hole for them as a big man, but KD wasn't the problem in PHX.
3
2) Nico isn't interested in trading AD. I mean, if he wanted KD so bad, why didn't he just trade Luka to PHX for KD? Nico said it himself that he RANKED a list of guys he wanted for Luka and went down that list. Following the rumors, he called the Wolves for Edwards and the Bucks for Giannis, then he called the Lakers. Which means he values AD more than KD.
1 I think the Mavs after a simple KD/AD swap would only be 1.76M over A2 (diff in salaries is < 600K). That's BEFORE any Kyrie redo. That's 14 players, which is all they need. Doing nothing more than move Powell for air as part of the deal (Martin or Hardy are the better answer and offer bigger help, of course), and they are good to go (sign Jones to fill that slot and they are only 219K over with Powell as the salary dump, easily solved by a Kyrie redo). PS - The apron limits get easily solved (despite NTI) by doing such deals in the proper sequence.
2 I think they might, because of the oncourt fit making way more possibilities to win than the present one. Yes Beal is the problem, but he's not really an option for PHX to move anywhere (or they would have). KD is rumored to be on the move somewhere, not Beal, for those very reasons (which means PHX will be looking for a fit.) PHX likely wants to get better and win, not prioritize getting pieces for down the road. AD might be a home run for them, frankly.
3 I initially wondered the same, but it just wouldn't have worked. The fact that salaries change on July 1 changes the necessary moving parts. At TDL, DAL-PHX ran into Apron rules and relative salaries and roster limits. More than that, it also didn't solve for what PHX would have wanted (a big, not a perimeter player), and VERY important, no one thinks Luka and Booker could co-exist (especially on a losing team). A 3-way (Luka to LA, AD to PHX, KD to DAL) actually just multiplied the issues. July 1 also lends easier opportunity for a salary dump on the side to teams with cap room and open roster spots.
As you note, AD wasn't Nico's only (or 1st) choice, but he was the best available at the time. Is he married to AD, or merely talking a good game when he touts him as The Guy? We'll see. But KD wasn't even an actual option then.
Yes I'm speaking as if NTI can see the handwriting on the wall and do something good, and speaking from that wishful angle. Yes, like everyone else, I agree there's certainly great reason to think he would never trade AD even though it's probably the best thing he could do. NTI is called that because he's proven himself to be worthy of the name. But I wanna talk about what they SHOULD do, even if NTI is too stupid to do it.
RE: Trade & FA 2025-26: - DL2RimRocker - 05-29-2025
(05-28-2025, 12:36 PM)Chicagojk Wrote: This would be good news for the Mavs, I believe.
https://x.com/JakeLFischer/status/1927772941384569074
Something about the combination of a busy trade offseason and Nico makes me cringe.
I'm not so sure this is good news.
RE: Trade & FA 2025-26: - SleepingHero - 05-29-2025
(05-29-2025, 12:35 AM)F Gump Wrote: 1 I think the Mavs after a simple KD/AD swap would only be 1.76M over A2 (diff in salaries is < 600K). That's BEFORE any Kyrie redo. That's 14 players, which is all they need. Doing nothing more than move Powell for air as part of the deal (Martin or Hardy are the better answer and offer bigger help, of course), and they are good to go (sign Jones to fill that slot and they are only 219K over with Powell as the salary dump, easily solved by a Kyrie redo). PS - The apron limits get easily solved (despite NTI) by doing such deals in the proper sequence.
2 I think they might, because of the oncourt fit making way more possibilities to win than the present one. Yes Beal is the problem, but he's not really an option for PHX to move anywhere (or they would have). KD is rumored to be on the move somewhere, not Beal, for those very reasons (which means PHX will be looking for a fit.) PHX likely wants to get better and win, not prioritize getting pieces for down the road. AD might be a home run for them, frankly.
3 I initially wondered the same, but it just wouldn't have worked. The fact that salaries change on July 1 changes the necessary moving parts. At TDL, DAL-PHX ran into Apron rules and relative salaries and roster limits. More than that, it also didn't solve for what PHX would have wanted (a big, not a perimeter player), and VERY important, no one thinks Luka and Booker could co-exist (especially on a losing team). A 3-way (Luka to LA, AD to PHX, KD to DAL) actually just multiplied the issues. July 1 also lends easier opportunity for a salary dump on the side to teams with cap room and open roster spots.
As you note, AD wasn't Nico's only (or 1st) choice, but he was the best available at the time. Is he married to AD, or merely talking a good game when he touts him as The Guy? We'll see. But KD wasn't even an actual option then.
Yes I'm speaking as if NTI can see the handwriting on the wall and do something good, and speaking from that wishful angle. Yes, like everyone else, I agree there's certainly great reason to think he would never trade AD even though it's probably the best thing he could do. NTI is called that because he's proven himself to be worthy of the name. But I wanna talk about what they SHOULD do, even if NTI is too stupid to do it.
Re point 1) I appreciate you. You just led me to catching a typo on my spreadsheet! My numbers match yours now.
2) For Phoenix, I don't see how the on-court product changes drastically, if at all, given AD now brings a new set of issues for them. Offensively they take a step back, and defensively they get better but by how much? It honestly reminds me a bit of the situation in New Orleans where AD was tasked to be the guy but never really worked because the depth behind him was so lacking AND he was injury prone. I can see all the pros though. AD does let them win now. AD does fit their situation. AD does match up better with Booker.
3) The caveat of the salaries not lining up is an interesting wrinkle. There was a lot of buzz of a KD to DAL trade rumored post TDL and it made sense since this team was all in and had no future. I think Flagg changes that calculus a bit. And I suppose a better question we should be asking is who fits better next to Flagg vs. who is a better fit for the team as a whole? As to whether Nico is married to AD, I think that answer is a yes. When it's all said and done, how the Luka trade will be viewed not only in how the Mavs do as a whole, but what AD contributed to said success as well. To trade AD four months after the Luka trade for KD will be a massive PR nightmare.
If anything, I'd expect NTI to quadruple down and just sell the farm for KD, 2nd apron be damned. PJ+Gafford+Martin+Naji+Hardy for KD and then roll with vet min ring chasers like CP3, Jaxon Hayes etc. That to me seems more plausible than Nico trading AD.
Kyrie/CP3/Williams
KD/Klay/Christie
Flagg/Ring Chaser
AD/OMax/Ring Chaser
Lively/Jones/Powell
An incredibly top heavy, old, injury prone, super team. I'd almost love for it to happen truthfully because it would truly be a 2 year window and then the Mavs can get to work really building around Flagg+Lively.
RE: Trade & FA 2025-26: - FireNicoHarrison - 05-29-2025
KD was on sale last TD, trade street clothes for him will be a bonehead move... It's like Luka for KD + scrubs. Ouch.
RE: Trade & FA 2025-26: - F Gump - 05-29-2025
(05-29-2025, 02:34 AM)FireNicoHarrison Wrote: KD was on sale last TD, trade street clothes for him will be a bonehead move... It's like Luka for KD + scrubs. Ouch.
YOU, of all people, would rather have AD than KD? Wow, never saw THAT reaction coming.
To my way of thinking, the bad deal for AD is done, and it's a sunk cost now. Can't go back and remake it. And no wisdom in valuing AD by what you paid, rather than what he's really worth.
If we think he's valuable and is the best answer to make this team better, by all means keep him, but keeping him doesn't repair or undo or make better the Luka lunacy by NTI.
I think he has good value as a player, but his bad fit (in the context of the rest of the roster) makes his value much lower in Dallas. So I'd much rather change him into some other good value player or players while we can, and before we move down the road of remaking the roster (by getting rid of valuable players on well-priced contracts who want to be here) to make the fit better.
RE: Trade & FA 2025-26: - surfpuckmd - 05-29-2025
(05-28-2025, 04:45 PM)Ghost of Podkolzin Wrote: Agreed. I mean, is Sexton really that better Hardy with the same opportunity?
Yes. Sexton is much better than Jaden Hardy. Sexton is a proven NBA rotation player and a very talented, efficient offensive player.
Jaden Hardy would be an NBA minimum guy this coming season if Nico hadn't given him the generous extension.
RE: Trade & FA 2025-26: - Winter - 05-29-2025
"To trade AD four months after the Luka trade for KD will be a massive PR nightmare. "
I can imagine a scenario where Nico can defend this realistically (at least internally) now that Cooper Flagg is a Maverick. Getting Flagg changes the roster so dramatically that fixing the front line is only possible through a trade.... and that's entirely true. It comes with a lot of media attention, but if Nico weds himself to Flagg's development and makes that his mission in public and private, he can get away with this.
And let's face it, there's nothing Nico can really do anyway. He's persona non grata no matter what happens or how the rotation changes.
But it would be a PR nightmare for the owners. That's why I don't expect it. Because even though it may be a reasonable move, it's too big, too messy, and to much publicity coming on the heels of Doncic. I doubt the owners would OK something like this coming from Nico. They're probably too exhausted as it is. Flagg is a positive vibe now. A big AD trade might kill it.
If it did happen, they would likely have multiple meetings internally, and go through all the analytics and every imaginable public relations scenario. It wouldn't be anything like the Luka trade.