(06-22-2025, 12:17 PM)Winter Wrote: I'm just ambivalent about the whole trade. KD is never happy no matter where he goes. He should not be the leader of that team. I think it's possible someone else takes the leadership role and I think they would be better off if that happened. I think Houston still needs a trade or two to get in the mix.

(06-22-2025, 08:23 AM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: Stein mentioned Ball and Paul early on along with Jrue.  So, those two are still on my list.  v

In other news, Zach Lowe says he's hearing Boston could be a facilitator in a Durant deal with Jrue Holiday going somewhere besides Phoenix.  Phoenix seems to want a center and has been turned down on Poeltl and Ware and probably doesn't want to pay Gobert.   Maybe Gafford ends up in Phoenix, Holiday ends up here and Durant ends up with one of the rumored destinations.  

No matter how you slice it, you eventually need someone in the deal who can take back more salary than they send.  You also need someone far enough below the second apron that they can send out multiple players and stay below the second apron.  That would seem to favor SA, Miami, Toronto and maybe the Clippers over Minnesota or Houston as the Durant destination.   Dallas would still need to get enough salary combined with Gafford to cross over Jrue's $32.4mm number and would need some method of being under the second apron after the deal.

Edit:  In this construct, you have to figure out what else Phoenix wants besides Gafford.  You also have to figure out what Boston wants.  I could see Boston taking back an expiring lesser contract.  For instance, it would make great sense if they ended up with Harrison Barnes for a year.  The Clippers and Miami also have medium sized expiring contracts on useful vets who could step in for Tatum (or Jrue) for a year.  

Under this set of assumptions, Phoenix has Booker, Beal and Gafford as starters.  So, they need more salary from us and more from the KD destination to fill in their rotation.

(06-22-2025, 10:02 AM)Jmaciscool Wrote: I bet they've had a deal in place for a little while but are deferring to announce it until after the finals

(06-22-2025, 12:23 PM)cow Wrote: Yes, he can be a bit mercurial. Realizing he couldn't get to wear he wanted with Westbrook was smart.  He was foolish to leave Golden State, but he probably got stuck in his own head that the championship he earned there were somehow diminished by it being a super team.  HKyrie kind of screwed him in Brooklyn.  Suns GM/Ownership screwed over the entire team with the Beal trade.  I'm not sure I'd call KD a great leader, but I'm not sure I'd call him a negative in that regard either.  A net neutral seems more fair.  He probably regrets a lot of his career decisions, but that can be used to describe just about any person.

(06-22-2025, 12:51 PM)Mavs2021 Wrote: He was foolish to leave OKC. Westbrook was the leader. Presti was the mastermind. He´d have won multiple titles there imho and gotten all the credit as the best player. Now he has two meaningless titles that everybody attributes to Steph and is on his 5th(?) team, because there is always drama following him around.

(06-22-2025, 01:01 PM)cow Wrote: Disagreed.  I think that team maxed its' potential when they crumbled the Dubs in the conference finals.  Going to GSW was a smart move as he got to play in basketball nirvana, got multiple titles and multiple finals MVPs.  That was probably the best choice of his career.

(06-22-2025, 01:20 PM)Mavs2021 Wrote: So you saying he was never good enough to win a title as the top guy. I´m fine with that assessment. People just need to stop putting him on top 20 or even top 15 all-time lists.

(06-22-2025, 01:26 PM)OBX Maverick Wrote: I like this trade because, if for no other reason, it eliminates any risk of Nico making a move for KD.

(06-22-2025, 01:39 PM)Scott41theMavs Wrote: Can't believe there isn't about 10 times the discussion on this topic here than there is.

(06-22-2025, 08:23 AM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: Stein mentioned Ball and Paul early on along with Jrue.  So, those two are still on my list. 

In other news, Zach Lowe says he's hearing Boston could be a facilitator in a Durant deal with Jrue Holiday going somewhere besides Phoenix.  Phoenix seems to want a center and has been turned down on Poeltl and Ware and probably doesn't want to pay Gobert.   Maybe Gafford ends up in Phoenix,  

(06-22-2025, 01:26 PM)OBX Maverick Wrote: I like this trade because, if for no other reason, it eliminates any risk of Nico making a move for KD.

(06-22-2025, 01:47 PM)DanSchwartzgan Wrote: When I was writing this I had an entire paragraph devoted to Green coming to Dallas and Gafford going to Phoenix.  I pulled it because it muddled the main point I wanted to make.  I'm not a Green fan, but he's not trash.  He is overpaid for the role he's best suited for (and that isn't the Ant Edwards Alpha role).  Someone in Phoenix needs to go.  I don't see Dallas as the most likely destination, but I could hold my nose and build a package around Gafford and depth.  At that point, your youth movement is Flagg, Lively, Christie and Green.

(06-22-2025, 02:41 PM)Smitty Wrote: Agh… the Jrue Holiday trade is going to be ugly. The more I think about it, that’s 100% what Nico is going to do. The name of it all. The defense first stuff. It’s happening.

I don’t think there’s any way the C’s are sending picks to the Mavs in any Jrue trade. Something that I think could happen:

Mavs: Holiday, Pick #22 via ATL
ATL: Gafford
BOS: Naji, Martin

The Mavs can take a stab at a young PG like Walter Clayton Jr. or Tyrese Proctor, which completes the rumor of wanting to get into the late first... Sign Kai Jones and/or Exum.

Jrue | B-Will | (Pick 22 - WCJ/Proctor)
Klay | Exum* | Hardy
Flagg | Christie
PJW | (AD) - Omax
AD | Lively | Kai Jones* | Powell (Vet Cheerleader)

Kyrie -Out
*VetMin

(06-22-2025, 02:46 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: I would do that deal without a moment's hesitation. The positives are obvious. There are two negatives, one small, one significant:

Small negative: you're giving up BOTH of your backup 3's. I know Thompson and Flagg are going to play a lot there, but I'd prefer a way to keep either Marshall or Martin, if I'm being honest. In the grand scheme of things, I think this is pretty nitpickish, however. 

The big negative is committing to Holiday's salary for the next three years and the possible negative implications of that next year and beyond. For this season, I think that deal makes the team much, much better.

(06-22-2025, 02:41 PM)Smitty Wrote: Agh… the Jrue Holiday trade is going to be ugly. The more I think about it, that’s 100% what Nico is going to do. The name of it all. The defense first stuff. It’s happening.

I don’t think there’s any way the C’s are sending picks to the Mavs in any Jrue trade. Something that I think could happen:

Mavs: Holiday, Pick #22 via ATL
ATL: Gafford
BOS: Naji, Martin

The Mavs can take a stab at a young PG like Walter Clayton Jr. or Tyrese Proctor, which completes the rumor of wanting to get into the late first... Sign Kai Jones and/or Exum.

Jrue | B-Will | (Pick 22 - WCJ/Proctor)
Klay | Exum* | Hardy
Flagg | Christie
PJW | (AD) - Omax
AD | Lively | Kai Jones* | Powell (Vet Cheerleader)

Kyrie -Out
*VetMin

Absolutely NOT what I would do, just think this is what will happen.

(06-22-2025, 02:50 PM)Smitty Wrote: I just don’t think Holiday is all that great.