Trade & Free Agency 2026/2027

[Smitty]

I thought he looked damned good defensively, tbh.

Yeah, I think that will need to be his calling card early on. He's active. Switchable, with good length.

I guess some took the Green "comparison" as a negative.... Like I said earlier, if he's as good as Green -- it will be a home run pick.

[OBX Maverick]

He is a reluctant shooter but compared to Green he seems to be more aggressive on drives. Finishing hasn't been great but he gets to the line. Don't remember Green ever drawing 3-4 shooting fouls in a game.

Forgive me if I’m making an incorrect assumption, but how can you make the assumption Ish was a reluctant shooter in Russia just based on his stats?  Has anyone here watched a few of his games? I would love to do that, but i have other responsibilities lol. 

I do know, having seen him play 4 SL games, that he certainly was reluctant initially but was already more aggressive by game 4. How could you not be a bit overwhelmed playing in the US for the first time with a bunch of guys who don’t speak your language? I would give him props for settling in like he has. Kid’s definitely got handles, pounds the boards, and hustles. I think the shot seeking will come. And don’t hold his baby face against him! I hope he hangs on with the team.

[Scott41theMavs]

Forgive me if I’m making an incorrect assumption, but how can you make the assumption Ish was a reluctant shooter in Russia just based on his stats?  Has anyone here watched a few of his games? I would love to do that, but i have other responsibilities lol. 

I do know, having seen him play 4 SL games, that he certainly was reluctant initially but was already more aggressive by game 4. How could you not be a bit overwhelmed playing in the US for the first time with a bunch of guys who don’t speak your language? I would give him props for settling in like he has. Kid’s definitely got handles, pounds the boards, and hustles. I think the shot seeking will come. And don’t hold his baby face against him! I hope he hangs on with the team.

Can’t give this enough likes.

[mvossman]

Forgive me if I’m making an incorrect assumption, but how can you make the assumption Ish was a reluctant shooter in Russia just based on his stats?  Has anyone here watched a few of his games? I would love to do that, but i have other responsibilities lol. 

Shots per 36 is a very stable stat that carries well across leagues (like college to NBA).  Seva took 8 shots per 36 and a little over 2 threes per 36.  That is timid by just about any standard.  By comparison Sergio took nearly twice as many shots and nearly 3 times as many threes.

[FireNicoHarrison]

Guys... I was a fan of Josh Green but he is just great athtlete but a mediocre basketball player. No skills.
He was in the best position to shine and he failed badly, he even admitted it in a recent interview.

Ishchenko is on another level, maybe he has not enough to reach NBA level.
We can't know it now.

[FireNicoHarrison]

Jovic is probably overpaid and player bad last season but he has potential... If Miami wants to dump him with some picks i'm ok.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Brian Windhorst says Pat Riley knows how to bring players back after sour exits when discussing LeBron returning to Miami: “Pat Riley over the decades has been able to have 2nd acts with all these great players. Alonzo Mourning left under a dark cloud and came back… Shaq, after leaving with animist ended up returning to the franchise and got his number retired. Dwyane Wade obviously left in FA in a disagreement, came back, and now there’s a statue outside. Pat Riley knows how to bring guys back. While there was disappointment when he left in 2014, there’s never been the animosity that existed in other places LeBron left. Miami has a pathway. Especially with LeBron saying he’s looking at multiple years. Multiple years have been the formula for him. He’s won a chip in the 2nd year everywhere he’s gone. I think Miami would be at their best a year from now, and LeBron can be a part of that.”

x.com

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Anthony Edwards says LaMelo Ball has been at his house over the past couple of days and that he values the relationship they’re building. He also said they’ve been working on their postgame interviews.

x.com

[HoosierDaddyKid]

I started off thinking it was Golden State. Then I moved on to Cleveland. But then somebody talked me into Miami. And I go, ‘Oh yeah, I guess I could see that, you know.’ From a basketball fit, the Heat's not a bad fit [for LeBron]. Philly, I don't get that at all.” @ramonashelburne

[FireNicoHarrison]

I'm sick and tired about LeBron decisions in last 20 years. Just stop clowning.

Silver is a puppet and obviously love this show.

[OBX Maverick]

Just when I thought James Harden was permanently entrenched as my least favorite NBA player of all time, Lebron is back in play with this BS free agent drama.  He has to be the biggest prima Donna in sports history. Holy crap, get over yourself!!

[MFFLER est 01]

Just when I thought James Harden was permanently entrenched as my least favorite NBA player of all time, Lebron is back in play with this BS free agent drama.  He has to be the biggest prima Donna in sports history. Holy crap, get over yourself!!

Yea Lebron is lame asf for this. What a clown

[Smitty]

I'd love to be wrong. None of us know anything for sure. It's just what I've seen with my eyes so far... Today would be a great day for him to shoot 5+ from deep. In 28 mpg he's averaging 1 3PA/g. International stats say 1.5 3PA/g. Don't know how you could assume anything different at the moment.

I didn’t watch the last SL game. Tried to but had to turn it off a few minutes in. Terrible basketball. Seva had 27 minutes and another 1 3PA game. For a team that needs spacing, he won’t be the one providing it any time soon. Makes J. Green and Naji’s 3 3PA/g look elite by comparison.

Not everything is about 3PT shooting, of course. He does a lot well. Looks like he belongs on the court. If I were the decision maker I’d want him on a Two-Way.

Just feels like if you’re not hyping up every draft pick as a future star or even a rotational player, somehow you’re blind and don’t know what your talking about. We should just keep things in perspective is all. He was the 56th pick. If he’s ever a rotational player it will be a massive win.

[KillerLeft]

Not everything is about 3PT shooting, of course. He does a lot well. 

No, it's not, but you're right that he'll likely have to shoot to get on the court in the NBA. 

To the 2nd sentence, though...I kind of think he does basically everything else well.

[Smitty]

No, it's not, but you're right that he'll likely have to shoot to get on the court in the NBA. 

To the 2nd sentence, though...I kind of think he does basically everything else well.

He doesn’t finish at the rim well at all. Terrible actually. He doesn’t rebound well. At least not contested rebounds. I didn’t pay much attention to POA defense to have a firm opinion there. He was active and switchable on the perimeter though. In the post it was shaky. Needs to add strength, obviously. He can dribble and pass. Won’t shoot. Has a high turnover rate though. Not worried about it, but 3.0 ast / 3.4 tov isn’t good…

[KillerLeft]

He doesn’t finish at the rim well at all. Terrible actually. He doesn’t rebound well. At least not contested rebounds. I didn’t pay much attention to POA defense to have a firm opinion there. He was active and switchable on the perimeter though. In the post it was shaky. Needs to add strength, obviously. He can dribble and pass. Won’t shoot. Has a high turnover rate though. Not worried about it, but 3.0 ast / 3.4 tov isn’t good…

I agree that his finishing needs work, but he had some nice ones today - much softer touch (admittedly, against another summer league team that's probably shutting folks down just like the Mavs' squad). I think this will improve quickly. Luka was actually pretty bad at finishing early in his rookie season. Same thing - way too heavy of touch off the glass (no, I'm obviously not comparing him to Luka - just saying, this is something that could be fixed easily - will he? No idea). 

I've actually thought he was a pretty good rebounder, at least for a guard/wing type. Maybe not from a boxing out, using his body standpoint, but the ball just finds him, or vice versa. I think his hands need to get stronger so that can keep the ball a little more surely as a rebounder. 

Idk, he just has this difficult to quantify thing - he plays hard and fast, but not in a dumb summer league way (at least in my opinion). What jazzed me today was his PG play. I think he's got some real on ball juice, as both a driver and especially as a passer. There's some real creativity involved in his game that genuinely catches me by surprise pretty frequently. It's a little like Mikel Brown, where some of the passes are probably a little too creative (7 assists tonight, but also 5 turnovers, most of which came from passes he shouldn't have attempted), but when they work, WOW. He threw a bounce pass from half court today while handling the ball in transition that made me lol gleefully. 

I don't think he's rotation ready, mostly because I'm not sure his body is up to it yet, but I have to admit I'll be pretty disappointed if he doesn't get a two-way. He just...gets how to play basketball. I'm not even sure I know what he is yet, but I'm hoping we get to find out over the next 4-5 years.

[windjc]

No, it's not, but you're right that he'll likely have to shoot to get on the court in the NBA. 

To the 2nd sentence, though...I kind of think he does basically everything else well.

He is terrible at finishing at the rim. He can't get his shot off at the rim in the G league.

Edit: I see this point was already addressed by Smitty.

I just find these two-way prospects so boring to discuss. If they work out they work out but they aren't helping the Mavs win a championship this year.

[KillerLeft]

I just find these two-way prospects so boring to discuss.

And yet here you are, criticizing those of us who are interested in discussing them. No one is forcing you to read or reply. Many of us are interested in this time of year and the long term strategies of team building. And anyway, that's what's happening right now, during the off-season. 

You tried to start a discussion you're more interested in having in another thread - that's rad, and I hope it starts a great conversation. But criticizing others for how they want to enjoy the community doesn't really help anyone.

[Mavs2021]

He is terrible at finishing at the rim. He can't get his shot off at the rim in the G league.

Edit: I see this point was already addressed by Smitty.

I just find these two-way prospects so boring to discuss. If they work out they work out but they aren't helping the Mavs win a championship this year.

Well if you need something else to entertain yourself, find out how many teams with a preseason 34.5 wins projection won the championship that year and as a bonus which was the deepest run from a team with such a projection.

[windjc]

Well if you need something else to entertain yourself, find out how many teams with a preseason 34.5 wins projection won the championship that year and as a bonus which was the deepest run from a team with such a projection.

I don't care about projections. What was the over/under for the Mavs in 2024? 

Answer 45.5. 

That was good enough to play in the championship game.

Basically, get to the playoffs while playing your best ball and see what happens.

New coach, new philosophy, new offense, 2-3 returning championship roster players from injury, Cooper's 2nd year, new lottery addition + potential trade deadline participation. 

I do not give a rat's behind about projections right now.