Trade & Free Agency 2026/2027

[Chicagojk]

I am about a month behind my DLLS podcasts and a lot has happened since then but I just want to give Stein props. He doesn’t have inside intel with the new Mavs front office but he is/was doing a great job. He has mentioned several things that wound up happening. When he doesn’t know, he doesn’t speculate saying things as facts. He just says “I don’t know”.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

From the same Stein/Fischer

Re: PJ Washington, despite being made available by Dallas (along with Gafford and Klay) Lakers do not like his 4-year contract


Sounds like the front office wants to move the guys we want them to move. Just not a lot of interest out there.

[MFFLER est 01]

Guys we are not trading with the Lakers again lol

[Chicagojk]

Guys we are not trading with the Lakers again lol

We sort of already did twice in the draft.

I get it though.  I see no reason to trade PJ to the Lakers....if they had an interest.  Vanderbilt has proven he fizzles out when the games matter and has two years left.  That is not a good contract.  The pick swap may be worthless.  There is a chance Dallas has the better team when that swap happens.   

I can certainly see PJ may not be a great fit here.   I was disappointed in his play last year.    I am fine with seeing how he responds next year.  Maybe he is moved in a year.  Maybe he is here for several years and stays here when this team is good.    With a good cap sheet, I am in no hurry of getting off solid to good players.  Those days are gone.

[ACMFFL]

Tbh I don't buy it at all, to me it sounds like posturing to lower his price.
12% of the cap is fine money for a proven starting caliber forward, this summer LAL had all the cap space of this world and almost all they did was throwing long-term money at bench players.

Also considering that our new FO doesn't leak anything (I mean it's probable Stein got the Sasser news from the Pistons side, not the other way around) I don't think we directly put PJ on the market, I think it's what other teams assume.

[omahen]

I am about a month behind my DLLS podcasts and a lot has happened since then but I just want to give Stein props.  He doesn’t have inside intel with the new Mavs front office but he is/was doing a great job.  He has mentioned several things that wound up happening.  When he doesn’t know, he doesn’t speculate saying things as facts.  He just says “I don’t know”.

Stein is one of the best in the business, imho. How do you know, he doesn't have inside intel with the new Mavs front office?  Besides, when players are being discussed, there are many parties involved. FOs from multiple teams, agents,... I trust Stein has many many birds around that feed him news. And he has the knowledge to not just being played by one voice.

[Dirknows]

From the same Stein/Fischer

Re: PJ Washington, despite being made available by Dallas (along with Gafford and Klay) Lakers do not like his 4-year contract


Sounds like the front office wants to move the guys we want them to move.  Just not a lot of interest out there.

I mean why would there be? Gaff was hurt half the season, PJ looked like garbage, as did Klay. Without the engine that drives the team they had constructed around Luka, the parts don’t work so well together. I do have faith (or blind hope) Kyrie can stay healthy and help build back those guys values, as well as his own.

[omahen]

[Stein/Fischer] On Kuminga & Lakers: “The iron is losing its hotness”. On PJ Washington: “He is NOT someone Lakers are looking to reunite with Luka”.

What omahen said is what I've heard on the Lakers podcasts.  That the Lakers are desperate to maintain their MLE for next year.  Kinda crazy you're so tapped out of assets you are waiting on next year's MLE.  The podcasters/fans made the point isnt PJ a better player than what you could get with a MLE one year from now.

It is not just the MLE. Lets say "option A" is PJ. It would take most if not all of the draft assets and the ability to use MLE next season. If "option B" is "do nothing now", they will have the MLE while keeping whole current team minus LaRavia (could be resigned while still keeping the MLE) and all the assets (adding one more tradeable SRP). Vando will be expiring next year and much easier to trade. So basically a better ability to add two good players. 

I think "option C" they are exploring now is, if they can get a starting level wing for Vando and assets they have while keeping MLE for next season. I think this option is either trading Vando for wing or we will see a TDL trade of Hardy for a wing on expiring deal (unless a Vando deal appears). 

I think they will sign a vet min wing in all three options. Thybulle, DFS (rumors he will get bought out), Agbaji, B.Brown could be interesting candidates. Especially in "option C", this guy would be looking at potentially biger minutes he might not be able to get on any other team.

[Tyler]

From the same Stein/Fischer

Re: PJ Washington, despite being made available by Dallas (along with Gafford and Klay) Lakers do not like his 4-year contract

That sounds to me like a Laker-friendly way to say they're now paying $120mm a year to two guards and a center and can't afford any real wings.

[Moviemavguy]

From the same Stein/Fischer

Re: PJ Washington, despite being made available by Dallas (along with Gafford and Klay) Lakers do not like his 4-year contract


Sounds like the front office wants to move the guys we want them to move.  Just not a lot of interest out there.

That contract is gonna haunt the team for a while.  Sorry, but it is.  It's gonna be worse when the Mavs suck again this season.  

I'm a realist...not a pessimist.  Mavs addressed their shooting woes by signing a stashed second round pick.

I'm all fine with rebuilding and being bad during it, but being strapped with a Gaff and PJ sucks.  It's not even whether you like them as players...I do, but they just aren't good enough to justify the price.

[windjc]

First impressions, the Mavs have a project back up point guard in Larry with upside potential 2-3 years down the road. They signed a 3 point specialist in Tarik that will see limited second team action. They drafted Morez who has the potential to be a foundational piece, but has a lot of his game that he will need to develop and may start off bench for a good part of the season.

The Mavs best hope to improve this year are

Kyrie
Lively
Dusty May getting the most out of a decent roster of capable players.


Of the 3, I think May’s coaching has the most upside potential. I do think there is a competitive and competent playoff team in there somewhere if healthy, one that can surprise, especially if the environment is rich for Cooper to become a top 15 player.

The downside risk is another 23 win season.

[Dundalis]

I mean why would there be? Gaff was hurt half the season, PJ looked like garbage, as did Klay. Without the engine that drives the team they had constructed around Luka, the parts don’t work so well together. I do have faith (or blind hope) Kyrie can stay healthy and help build back those guys values, as well as his own.

I think we've been blinded by a coach who is garbage at coaching an NBA offense, to where we think an elite level playmaker is necessary just to have role players playing up to their talent level. It's still an unknown how May will do in the NBA, but I'd bet on him at least attempting to implement an offensive scheme that tries to elevate the role players on the team.

That contract is gonna haunt the team for a while.  Sorry, but it is.  It's gonna be worse when the Mavs suck again this season.  
I'm a realist...not a pessimist.  Mavs addressed their shooting woes by signing a stashed second round pick.
I'm all fine with rebuilding and being bad during it, but being strapped with a Gaff and PJ sucks.  It's not even whether you like them as players...I do, but they just aren't good enough to justify the price.

I think PJ's contract looks much worse coming off the second worst shooting season of his career. It's almost like people have forgotten he's a 35.4% career 3pt shooter on 4.8 attempts which are better marks than one of the shooters we traded for that everyone is happy with in Santi Aldama. PJ has basically only shot below 35% in two seasons of his 7 year career, but you read some posts about him it feels like he's a career 30% 3 point shooter. He's also shot above 37% 3 times, which Aldama hasn't managed once. Not trying to put down Aldama, I like the pickup, but it's interesting how everyone clearly identifies him as a shooter, but are almost treating PJ like he isn't one. Obviously Aldama has a much more multi faceted offensive game than PJ does, and he does shoot more contested shots. But if PJ bounces back shooting wise, which is more likely than not based on his shooting history, not only is his contract absolutely fine for what he does, his trade value shoots back up. I think potentially having a coach who has a semblance of a clue on how to implement an offensive system alone could have positive effects on a number of our role players, beyond the obvious benefits of Kyrie being back.

[MFFLER est 01]

That contract is gonna haunt the team for a while.  Sorry, but it is.  It's gonna be worse when the Mavs suck again this season.  

I'm a realist...not a pessimist.  Mavs addressed their shooting woes by signing a stashed second round pick.

I'm all fine with rebuilding and being bad during it, but being strapped with a Gaff and PJ sucks.  It's not even whether you like them as players...I do, but they just aren't good enough to justify the price.

This is absolutely a very pessimistic way of thinking lol. We addressed our shooting by signing a 2nd round stash? No we addressed our shooting by getting a legit 7 foot stretch big who isn't shy about letting it go. Sasser is a near 40% three point shooter. I have no doubts that Biberovic and his nearly 50% three point shooting will translate to the pros. Kyrie is a 40% three point shooter himself. You have to expect Coop will improve the only true weakness in his game at 19 years old which is 3pt shooting. Rez has potential from outside. Sergio is a near 40% guy from the arc. Not to mention Klay,and Christie. Pulla3kis hasn't looked good in the summer league but that's because of spacing issues and not playing with a real guard. 

Shooting is the least of my worries this upcoming season

[mvossman]

This is absolutely a very pessimistic way of thinking lol. We addressed our shooting by signing a 2nd round stash? No we addressed our shooting by getting a legit 7 foot stretch big who isn't shy about letting it go. Sasser is a near 40% three point shooter. I have no doubts that Biberovic and his nearly 50% three point shooting will translate to the pros. Kyrie is a 40% three point shooter himself. You have to expect Coop will improve the only true weakness in his game at 19 years old which is 3pt shooting. Rez has potential from outside. Sergio is a near 40% guy from the arc. Not to mention Klay,and Christie. Pulla3kis hasn't looked good in the summer league but that's because of spacing issues and not playing with a real guard. 

Shooting is the least of my worries this upcoming season

You should probably still be worried.

They have taken steps to address shooting, but they probably have more work ahead.  It doesn't matter that Aldama is 7 foot if he is playing next to a center.  Then he is just another forward who shoots 35% on decent volume.  Sasser has never played 20 minutes a game in his career, and we don't know if Biberovic will play enough defense to be able to stay on the court.  Sergio was near 40% from a Euro arc and will be at that level in his rookie year.  I hope Rez eventually becomes a credible shooter but I don't expect that in his rookie year.

The biggest boost will be having Kyrie on the court, but as the roster stands now they will likely be starting a center, PJ and Flagg (who will need a lot of improvement to get to ok shooter) and one of the first guys off the bench will be Naji (because he is one of the better players on the roster).  The roster depth got a lot better shooting, but the top 7/8 rotation still looks a little dicey.

[KillerLeft]

The biggest boost will be having Kyrie on the court, but as the roster stands now they will likely be starting a center, PJ and Flagg (who will need a lot of improvement to get to ok shooter) and one of the first guys off the bench will be Naji (because he is one of the better players on the roster).  The roster depth got a lot better shooting, but the top 7/8 rotation still looks a little dicey.

Wonderfully put, and I fully agree.

I’m still pleased to know the new team thinks shooting is important, however, even if they can’t turn the titanic around on a dime.

[ACMFFL]

Stein is one of the best in the business, imho. How do you know, he doesn't have inside intel with the new Mavs front office?  Besides, when players are being discussed, there are many parties involved. FOs from multiple teams, agents,... I trust Stein has many many birds around that feed him news. And he has the knowledge to not just being played by one voice.

Because not a single soul in the NBA media had any idea what moves (hirings, player selections, etc.) the Mavs made under Masai.

The press office has been incredibly secretive and even Stein has often been wrong about the Mavs' plans, the FO was consistent in not anticipating or letting their moves filter through.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

This is absolutely a very pessimistic way of thinking lol. We addressed our shooting by signing a 2nd round stash? No we addressed our shooting by getting a legit 7 foot stretch big who isn't shy about letting it go. Sasser is a near 40% three point shooter. I have no doubts that Biberovic and his nearly 50% three point shooting will translate to the pros. Kyrie is a 40% three point shooter himself. You have to expect Coop will improve the only true weakness in his game at 19 years old which is 3pt shooting. Rez has potential from outside. Sergio is a near 40% guy from the arc. Not to mention Klay,and Christie. Pulla3kis hasn't looked good in the summer league but that's because of spacing issues and not playing with a real guard. 

Shooting is the least of my worries this upcoming season

They aren't off to a rousing start, I'll say that. Nobody is a very consistent shot-maker.  Hopefully it improves.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Marc Stein on Lakers pursuing Jonathan Kuminga: ‘They would need Jarred Vanderbilt to be in the trade, and we know the Hawks have shown resistance to it…’ Jake Fischer: ‘I also don't think the Lakers are just like trying to shop Jarred Vanderbilt around the league. I haven’t gotten that sense, either.’ The Lakers are clearly still looking at Jonathan Kuminga as being their starting wing. So, if that deal doesn’t come to fruition, Kuminga does have several other options on the table, including going back to Atlanta.

Bleacher Report

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Michael Scotto: The Golden State Warriors are hiring Frank Vogel as their lead assistant coach, league sources told @hoopshype. Vogel spent last season as an assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks. Vogel won the 2020 NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers as their head coach.

Twitter

[Kidnova]

I think we've been blinded by a coach who is garbage at coaching an NBA offense, to where we think an elite level playmaker is necessary just to have role players playing up to their talent level. It's still an unknown how May will do in the NBA, but I'd bet on him at least attempting to implement an offensive scheme that tries to elevate the role players on the team.


I think PJ's contract looks much worse coming off the second worst shooting season of his career. It's almost like people have forgotten he's a 35.4% career 3pt shooter on 4.8 attempts which are better marks than one of the shooters we traded for that everyone is happy with in Santi Aldama. PJ has basically only shot below 35% in two seasons of his 7 year career, but you read some posts about him it feels like he's a career 30% 3 point shooter. He's also shot above 37% 3 times, which Aldama hasn't managed once. Not trying to put down Aldama, I like the pickup, but it's interesting how everyone clearly identifies him as a shooter, but are almost treating PJ like he isn't one. Obviously Aldama has a much more multi faceted offensive game than PJ does, and he does shoot more contested shots. But if PJ bounces back shooting wise, which is more likely than not based on his shooting history, not only is his contract absolutely fine for what he does, his trade value shoots back up. I think potentially having a coach who has a semblance of a clue on how to implement an offensive system alone could have positive effects on a number of our role players, beyond the obvious benefits of Kyrie being back.

Yeah, it's amazing how quickly this board turned on PJ after one subpar season.  His contact is very tradeable if they want to move him.  Lots of teams would love to have a versatile wing oof his size and talent.