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

[BigDirk41]

I don't think the Bucks have anything to offer us unless it's Giannis. Hopefully Nico is advising them secretly now.

[Smitty]

Per @MikeAScotto:

• The Hawks have remained reluctant to include the Pelicans’ unprotected 2026 first-round pick or former No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher in trade talks for Anthony Davis.
• Atlanta could still explore moving the expiring contracts of Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kennard, but the team is under no urgency to accelerate negotiations while Davis is dealing with another injury.

Via: https://www.hoopshype.com/story/sports/n...210035007/

[mvossman]

At least Barrett + Quickley are young and don't play the 4. I wish they weren't paid as much as they are, but it's not like they are scrubs either. I looked at their salaries and looks like Quickly is more overpaid than Barret. I'm hoping something better comes along, but I think I can live with Barrett + Quickley along with one first round pick, but preferably 2. Does Quickly become the 6th man once Kyrie is healthy? Can't play a back court with 2 short guards.

Nothing like paying 32 mil for a 6th man.  And what happens if our best option in the draft is a PG?  Seems like a cluster to develop what will hopefully be an elite PG with both Quickley and Kyrie on the roster.  And there will be no way to move off that Quickly contract without attaching asset(s).  Those two players will negatively impact the tank as well.  I think I would rather hold onto AD if this is my only option.

[michaeltex]

I don't think the Bucks have anything to offer us unless it's Giannis. Hopefully Nico is advising them secretly now.

Maybe I'm dense, but doesn't Giannis + Flagg still keep the same position crunch as AD + Flagg?

And I don't see Giannis moving to C at all.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

From a Mavs perspective, having Quickley or Poetl on the books would suck.

Which is why I believe if Atlanta was offering anything good, we'd have a deal. There are no other suitors with a combination of expiring contracts, young talent, and 1st rd picks.

[BigDirk41]

Nothing like paying 32 mil for a 6th man.  And what happens if our best option in the draft is a PG?  Seems like a cluster to develop what will hopefully be an elite PG with both Quickley and Kyrie on the roster.  And there will be no way to move off that Quickly contract without attaching asset(s).  Those two players will negatively impact the tank as well.  I think I would rather hold onto AD if this is my only option.

I don't have a strong opinion to make the trade. You make valid points. I'm just trying to get my head around some of these rumors and what might happen to the team. I think Kyrie would need to be moved next year if Quickley is here. I love Kyrie and think he's been a model teammate in Dallas, but it seems odd to make a youth movement, but keep Kyrie. I won't be disappointed if the Mavs pass on this trade. I was just trying to be as positive as I can with it..lol

[BigDirk41]

Maybe I'm dense, but doesn't Giannis + Flagg still keep the same position crunch as AD + Flagg?

And I don't see Giannis moving to C at all.

Giannis can literally play 1-5.

[BigDirk41]

From a Mavs perspective, having Quickley or Poetl on the books would suck.

Which is why I believe if Atlanta was offering anything good, we'd have a deal.  There are no other suitors with a combination of expiring contracts, young talent, and 1st rd picks.

I kinda think the Atlanta offer isn't there now or maybe it never was. I agree they seem like the best trade partner overall if they will let go of enough assets.

[vfromlmf]

Per @MikeAScotto:

• The Hawks have remained reluctant to include the Pelicans’ unprotected 2026 first-round pick or former No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher in trade talks for Anthony Davis.
• Atlanta could still explore moving the expiring contracts of Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kennard, but the team is under no urgency to accelerate negotiations while Davis is dealing with another injury.

Via: https://www.hoopshype.com/story/sports/n...210035007/

The article says "The Atlanta Hawks have remained resistant to including the Pelicans’ 2026 unprotected first-round pick AND former No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher"

[BigDirk41]

The article says "The Atlanta Hawks have remained resistant to including the Pelicans’ 2026 unprotected first-round pick AND former No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher"

Then there's no deal to be made with Atlanta. They aren't getting AD for free and they can't do anything in the summer once those contracts expire.

[michaeltex]

Per @MikeAScotto:

• The Hawks have remained reluctant to include the Pelicans’ unprotected 2026 first-round pick or former No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher in trade talks for Anthony Davis.
• Atlanta could still explore moving the expiring contracts of Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kennard, but the team is under no urgency to accelerate negotiations while Davis is dealing with another injury.

Via: https://www.hoopshype.com/story/sports/n...210035007/

I think the second bullet is important. ATL may be willing to do a deal, but they'll keep everything as-is until they have to do something of miss the TDL. As detailed elsewhere, that keeps ATL competitive with the current team for as long as possible and  potentially leaves AD only missing a few games for ATL post-TDL and post-ASG.

[michaeltex]

Then there's no deal to be made with Atlanta. They aren't getting AD for free and they can't do anything in the summer once those contracts expire.

They say that "deadlines make deals". And I bet Rich Paul is kissing some major ATL derrieres in the next few weeks. Especially if he thinks that's the best chance for AD to get an extension this summer.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

The article says "The Atlanta Hawks have remained resistant to including the Pelicans’ 2026 unprotected first-round pick AND former No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher"

YEP

and remember that Rich Paul like from two weeks ago.  The offer he liked was KP + Kennard + Asa Newell + ATL 2029 1st rd pick. We made fun of that offer at the time but I bet that was the real offer.

[mvossman]

YEP

and remember that Rich Paul like from two weeks ago.  The offer he liked was KP + Kennard + Asa Newell + ATL 2029 1st rd pick.  We made fun of that offer at the time but I bet that was the real offer. 

I think that trade puts Atlanta in the tax (even after the Trae trade) so I am guessing there was more to it than that.

[Chicagojk]

I think ATL is a clear favorite if a trade happens.    ATL has some pressure to make use of expirings.   Although, I don't expect them to really feel that pressured.  They are not going to win this season.  They have a solid making of a young core.  This years draft pick will add to that.    If they can move expiring's for a player they want, than they could be interesting next year.   I am sure there is a gap what they will offer and what Dallas would accept.   I think eventually they would get to Newell and the first round pick.   Dallas would probably want Rishacher with the Clev pick and/or Newell.   

So even if Dallas wants to trade AD, it is probably a staring contest until the last hour.    

I don't have any interest in Toronto's offer.    I personally think they would be better suited looking at some of the other "cold stars".    Those contracts are rough though.    It is going to be difficult for them to get attention from teams with those overpaid contracts.

[Mavs2021]

Some other AD trades:

Chicago:

AD

for

Vucevic
P. Williams
Essengue
Blazers 2026 1st round pick (lottery protected, converts to 2nd round pick in 2029, if Blazers don´t make play-offs by 2028)
Bulls 2026 1st round pick (unprotected)
Bulls 2028  1st round pick (unprotected)

Weirdly I´m not sure, I´d do it from either side.

Do I want to give up 2.5 first round picks and Essengue for a team starving for young talent?
Do I want to take on Williams dead salary, if the Blazers pick does not convert into a 1st, which is a fairly realistic possibility?

Washington:

AD

for

Middleton (expiring)
Branham (expiring)
Bagley (expiring)
Whitmore
two future 1st round picks (lightly protected)

I lost the will to live trying to figure out the Wizards 1st round pick swaps, so let´s just say two future 1sts. I honestly don´t hate it. Total cap relief and a cheap 18 months test drive for Whitmore. Sarr can shoot and AD loves himself some PF minutes. I don´t hate it actually. 

Washington could be a play-off team in the East, if their young players (Sarr, George, Johnson, Coulibaly) continue on their current trajectory.

Heat:

AD
Martin

for

Herro
Rozier (expiring)
2026 1st

Was this too easy? It seems there are many viable Miami trade iterations involving Rozier + Heat 2026 1st round pick. Why are they not more talked about as a dark horse? 

Clippers (+Hawks): 

AD to Clippers
Zubac + Bogdanovic + Powell to Hawks
Collins + Porzingis + Cavs 2026 1st + Clippers 2030 1st (unprotected) to Mavs

I think the Mavs do it, the Hawks do it, but seems the Clippers are one starter short not even factoring in the AD injury risk. Of course it´s Big BALLmerS. Maybe they talk themselves into a S5 of Harden, Kawhi, Jones, AD, Lopez?

On Toronto:
Maybe the trade machine is broken, but it says neither Barrett + Quickley (Mavs side) nor Barrett + Poeltl (Raptors side) are even legal.

Anyway Barrett is perfectly fine, but Quickley and Poeltl are just disgusting. Poeltl could literally be done completely and I see the Mavs as a fast running team, which does not suit Poeltl at all. Quickley is not a bad player, but the salary is insane for his skill set. I feel like you can probably get Simons on a 70/4 deal this summer, which means you overpay Quickley by roughly $15M/year. I´d probably want at least three first round picks from Toronto, which I doubt is anywhere close to their idea.

[F Gump]

@esidery

The Raptors have been actively gauging the trade value of RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, per @WindhorstESPN
(https://espn.com/nba/story/_/id/47620890...zlies-more).

Toronto continues to be linked to a legit pursuit of Anthony Davis, which works in a potential framework by offering Barrett and Quickley.

"actively gauging the trade value of RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley" -- It should be noted that this kind of language ("actively gauging the trade value of") in the context of a specific target (AD) can often mean that these are players that fit the salary match and that TOR wants to send, but that the other team (in this case, the Mavs) aren't that thrilled about. So the Raps are looking to see if they could swap one or the other of those players for someone else that might be more enticing to DAL.

[Smitty]

I remember when that Quickley contract was announced, I remember thinking Is there another Immanuel Quickley I'm not aware of?  Maybe the most WTF contract I've seen in recent years.  I guess they were looking for a Fred Van Vleet replacement.

I don't even think he's a starting level player.  He's not a real PG.  He's too small to play SG.  He's not as skilled as the Jason Terry, Eric Gordon, Jamal Crawford 6th man types.  Having $32.5 million AAV on the books for IQ would be pretty devastating.

The contract can fit if they make another move like Klay for an expiring. I’m not beating the table saying IQ is a great fit or player. He is a PG that’s known for his scoring/shooting and positive defense. He’s undersized for sure and probably not a great fit with Kyrie, but Kyrie may only be here next year and that’s it. Plus many have argued that with the Mavs rebuilding they should be taking on bad contracts for assets or other. As long as the entire pie (payroll) doesn’t exceed A2 next year, who cares. The Mavs will make more trades in the summer, again next TDL, again in the Summer, etc etc.

[vfromlmf]

If Dallas wants Expirings + Young player + FRP it's easy to see ATL offering the rumored deal and Dallas countering with the deal we'd all like.

ATL offer: KP + Kennard + Newell + '29 FRP (Atl)

DAL counter: KP + Kennard + Risacher + '26 FRP (NO)

What jumped out at me from that article was it said Atlanta has been resistant to including Risacher AND the New Orleans pick. It could be just clumsy sportsblogger writing, but using AND instead of OR really changes the meaning.

If Atlanta is offering one but not both, which alternative do you prefer?

Expirings + Risacher + '29 (Atl)

Expirings + Newell + '26 (NO)

-------
Of course, things get complicated if Atlanta adds protections e.g. Expirings + Newell + Top-4 Protected '26 (NO) that if not conveyed reverts to unprotected '29 (Atl)

[BigDirk41]

If Dallas wants Expirings + Young player + FRP it's easy to see ATL offering the rumored deal and Dallas countering with the deal we'd all like.

ATL offer: KP + Kennard + Newell + '29 FRP (Atl)

DAL counter: KP + Kennard + Risacher + '26 FRP (NO)

What jumped out at me from that article was it said Atlanta has been resistant to including Risacher AND the New Orleans pick. It could be just clumsy sportsblogger writing, but using AND instead of OR really changes the meaning.

If Atlanta is offering one but not both, which alternative do you prefer?

Expirings + Risacher + '29 (Atl)

Expirings + Newell + '26 (NO)

-------
Of course, things get complicated if Atlanta adds protections e.g. Expirings + Newell + Top-4 Protected '26 (NO) that if not conveyed reverts to unprotected '29 (Atl)

They did use OR. Atlanta isn't willing to give up either.

Per @MikeAScotto:

• The Hawks have remained reluctant to include the Pelicans’ unprotected 2026 first-round pick or former No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher in trade talks for Anthony Davis.
• Atlanta could still explore moving the expiring contracts of Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kennard, but the team is under no urgency to accelerate negotiations while Davis is dealing with another injury.