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

[mvossman]

I think the thing that is tough about these discussions is that people are all over the place on value and timing.  Some want to be the Brooklyn Nets of the 2026 draft and have five picks.  Others won't trade AD unless we get some massive haul (including a pick that is very likely top five in the upcoming draft).  What the most extreme positions ignore is the AD conundrum.  If you keep him, not only do you risk injury, you probably ruin your 2026 pick.  If you trade him for too little, you've cut off arguably the best path to the assets needed to build around Flagg.  Kicking the can to the summer doesn't guarantee anything improves.  

The truth is none of us has any idea what the real value of AD is around the league.  Most would agree we'd like great picks and youth with upside and cap relief through expiring deals for AD.  And, we'd like to do it in a way that the team keeps playing hard but still lands a great pick (since it is the only one they control for a long while).  There is no path to all of that happening.  So, where do we settle and where do we hold the line?  Strategy is the key (which you mention in thinking about a harder reset).  Where you are going is just as important as the steps along the way.  The Toronto deal as ESPN wrote it keeps the team competitive, but caps the ceiling.  I too like a deeper reset with greater upside.  I don't mind talking about other paths (like what ESPN proposed).  Maybe an imperfect idea can be improved upon. 

I don't mind the Poeltl part if we are being paid to do it.  As I said, I'm not a big fan of Barrett.  In terms of youth in this three way deal, I'd rather have Collin Murray-Boyles and Mathurin.  If I have Mathurin, I don't need Barrett, but I'm not sure how to do the deal without his money, so I need a fourth team and now this thing has gone off the rails.  Indy isn't giving a pick AND Mathurin for Gafford, so Toronto has to add one (I'd rather have 27/29 than 26/28).  We still have issues with unbalanced lineups and still need to move Barret for some return that doesn't add more players to our roster.  I think my basic position for bringing this up is no one is talking about Toronto while everyone seems to be shooting holes in deals involving Chicago, Detroit and Atlanta.  At some point, it might pay to look at this and see if we can find something workable.

I feel like taking on long term bad salary for picks is something that a hard tanking team does.  I don't think that applies to this team because they already have Flagg and they don't have control over the future picks for years.  That is why I'm generally out on a Toronto deal, but more specifically I don't think that trade proposal adequately paid for AD, Gafford and taking on that contract.