TRADE: Tyus Jones to DAL | Branham to CHA

[DanSchwartzgan]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned here is that if you're penciling in Bagley as your backup Big or Jones as you backup Guard in next years depth chart and you think it will take more than the VetMin, the Mavs would have to use part of the MLE to bring them back. Are you as excited for them to be in the plans next year, if it means you're using the MLE on those guys? Jones current salary is $7M. Bagley is VetMin. If both want a raise, are you ok with splitting the MLE and bringing Jones back for ~$9M and Bagley ~$6M. Something to think about...

You have the non-Bird exception, so you are fine with Jones as long as you don’t give him a raise larger than 120% of his previous salary.  I don’t see a world in which Jones commands more than that.

The issue, as you’ve identified, is paying Bagley.  Any team that has Lively on the depth chart will have to have a workable plan for their 3rd center.  It doesn’t have to be a high dollar piece.  If, OTOH, you plan to move on from Gafford, you are definitely going to have to invest more than the Vet Min on the primary backup.  So, the plan with Bagley is fluid depending on what happens with Gafford and how well Bagley plays (or doesn’t).