Trade & FA 2025-26: Free Agency Starts 5pm CST/6pm EST

[FireNicoHarrison]

Tankathon this year will be terrific. Hard to have an high pick.

There are a lot of trash teams.

[Dirknows]

Nothing personal, but I despise this idea.  He's young, talented, and on a reasonable contract.  He's a perfect guy to keep around and play next to CF for years to come.  Fix the problem by bringing in a creator, not by dumping young talent.  If I had to make a list of the guys I'd least want to trade on this team, PJ would be #2 behind CF.

He also plays the same position Flagg should be playing. We need an actual 2 and 3 so Cooper can play the 4.

[Chicagojk]

He also plays the same position Flagg should be playing. We need an actual 2 and 3 so Cooper can play the 4.

I would not put much stock in positions with Cooper.  He is just a player.  Throw him out there and he will be fine.   I think it is pretty certain that in time Cooper will be one of your lead creators.   Maybe sooner than we think.

The issue with PJ is shooting.   He needs to shoot better.  I would say defending smaller players is another concern.   He is a good player though.  Certainly worth his contract.   Mavs will have tough decisions on who to keep and who to move as they rebuild this roster.   One positive that a lot of their players are solid to good.

[Dirknows]

I would not put much stock in positions with Cooper.  He is just a player.  Throw him out there and he will be fine.   I think it is pretty certain that in time Cooper will be one of your lead creators.   Maybe sooner than we think.

The issue with PJ is shooting.   He needs to shoot better.  I would say defending smaller players is another concern.   He is a good player though.  Certainly worth his contract.   Mavs will have tough decisions on who to keep and who to move as they rebuild this roster.   One positive that a lot of their players are solid to good.

I mean positions need to be put into stock because as you said a lot of the players are solid to good, yet here we are at 3-9 because we have no guards and a bunch of 4/5s.

[vfromlmf]

The Knicks are a team to watch. Could be a multi team deal with OG + Robinson outgoing. and filler/expirings + young player + 2 FRPs going to Dallas.

Robinson is worth a first and OG is worth a first and a young player with upside.

Townes + AD is interesting from a basketball standpoint and the Knicks are a win now team.

[KillerLeft]

The Knicks are a team to watch. Could be a multi team deal with OG + Robinson outgoing. and filler/expirings + young player + 2 FRPs going to Dallas.

Robinson is worth a first and OG is worth a first and a young player with upside.

Townes + AD is interesting from a basketball standpoint and the Knicks are a win now team.

Interesting. Without even thinking about the cap stuff (I'm sure it's crazy difficult - every idea seems to be these days), I can kind of see something here. 

Not sure I love the KAT/AD pairing as much as you do at first glance, but I wouldn't dismiss it altogether. There's a world in which someone talks themselves into a hypothetical synergy there.

[FireNicoHarrison]

https://x.com/asd/status/1988728660128563643

Street clothes days in Dallas are almost over ...

[F Gump]

I wish "and filler" was feasible these days, but the logistics of hard caps and roster limits and $54 million in salary being moved and the value of each of those filler players and the ramifications of fitting all the bodies onto an already-full roster makes the finer details of an AD trade a complex problem to wrestle with rather than an afterthought.

[Chicagojk]

Whether AD is traded or not, I hope they are patient and don't settle.  I am not really worried about this team winning many games.  Even the games they won, I didn't feel like they were a much better team or a better team at all than the other team.   

I do hope that the AD at PF is over now.    He is a center moving forward.   I think you can bring Lively off the bench due to his injury problems.    You can make that work for a bit.

[F Gump]

https://x.com/asd/status/1988728660128563643

ADs days in Dallas are almost over ...

That's not what it says at all. It's just a statement of the fact coming to light that the Mavs FO plans to  work WITH AD, rather than blindsiding him (like Nico did with Luka), in trying to figure out if he is traded or not (and if so, where). But these situations when attached to gigantic contracts can take a year or longer to get to a trade, if they ever do.

[F Gump]

Whether AD is traded or not, I hope they are patient and don't settle.  I am not really worried about this team winning many games.  Even the games they won, I didn't feel like they were a much better team or a better team at all than the other team.   

I do hope that the AD at PF is over now.    He is a center moving forward.   I think you can bring Lively off the bench due to his injury problems.    You can make that work for a bit.

I agree 100%. The priority is maximizing the team's future. Whether they lose games this year is not a biggie. Keep AD sitting so he heals fully, even if it causes Ls for the time being.

As the Mavs injury list keeps filling up, it's easy to wonder about all the bad luck. But I will say again that this is the methodology a team uses to keep a team with talent from winning, to facilitate a tank. Sit your stars, be "forced" to develop raw talent, and win a game here and there to keep the team and fans engaged if you can.

[FireNicoHarrison]

That's not what it says at all. It's just a statement of the fact coming to light that the Mavs FO plans to  work WITH AD, rather than blindsiding him (like Nico did with Luka), in trying to figure out if he is traded or not (and if so, where). But these situations when attached to gigantic contracts can take a year or longer to get to a trade, if they ever do.

I don't think that he will finish the season with our jersey... Do you wanna bet?

[Dirknows]

I agree 100%. The priority is maximizing the team's future. Whether they lose games this year is not a biggie. Keep AD sitting so he heals fully, even if it causes Ls for the time being.

As the Mavs injury list keeps filling up, it's easy to wonder about all the bad luck. But I will say again that this is the methodology a team uses to keep a team with talent from winning, to facilitate a tank. Sit your stars, be "forced" to develop raw talent, and win a game here and there to keep the team and fans engaged if you can.

Yes, losses are good this year. But if they trade AD I hope they can manage to get a young guard to feed Cooper the ball.

[vfromlmf]

https://x.com/asd/status/1988728660128563643

Street clothes days in Dallas are almost over ...

This will be definitely be a multi team trade. The math will be complicated (so impossible to predict) but easily doable. 

The bones of a deal centered on AD to NYK with Mitchell + OG outgoing are there.

Understanding the eventual deal will be impossible to predict, I'm thinking in more abstract terms. 

Dallas bought low on Kyrie: a distressed asset but a top 15 player when healthy.  Sound familiar?

Kyrie returned salary matching, a rotation vet, 1 FRP and 2 seconds.

Is AD worth more than Kyrie was? That remains to be seen but an optimistic return is probably salary matching, a young player, and 2 FRP.

[mvossman]

Whether AD is traded or not, I hope they are patient and don't settle.  I am not really worried about this team winning many games.  Even the games they won, I didn't feel like they were a much better team or a better team at all than the other team.   

I do hope that the AD at PF is over now.    He is a center moving forward.   I think you can bring Lively off the bench due to his injury problems.    You can make that work for a bit.

At a minimum I hope they hire a competent GM (somebody currently outside the organization) before they do anything with AD.

[vfromlmf]

Durant returned a young player (green), a rotation vet (Brooks), the No 10 pick, and multiple seconds.

Is AD worth more than KD?

[Jmaciscool]

All this talk of trading makes me wonder...when was the last time the Mavs received more than one pick (especially more than one first rounder) in a trade? I'm racking my brain and can't think of any, but maybe I'm forgetting one?

[Dirknows]

Durant returned a young player (green), a rotation vet (Brooks), the No 10 pick, and multiple seconds.

Is AD worth more than KD?

I mean it depends on what a team needs. Houston needed scoring and got one of the best to ever do it. What team needs a big? Chicago makes sense and their owner is on par with how dumb ours is so who knows.

[Jym]

All this talk of trading makes me wonder...when was the last time the Mavs received more than one pick (especially more than one first rounder) in a trade? I'm racking my brain and can't think of any, but maybe I'm forgetting one?

Hell I'm pretty sure that Lakers pick is the first future 1st rounder they've gotten in a trade since the 90s

[F Gump]

To get the right deal, we dont find them (whoever the right team would be). They find us, coming to see if they can pry away AD. And if AD is thought to be available, some team (perhaps several) will try to figure out how THEY can be the one to get him.

Let them chase. Bid. Beg. There's only 1 AD.

That was Nico's lack of negotiating skill. He had the prize but he self identified the return to chase. He should have been the seller, but made himself the buyer, which forced him to pay LAs price as they defined it. Stupid.