Trade & Free Agency 2026/2027

[KillerLeft]

I don't think I've ever seen a team draft a player, play him in Summer League, and then trade him before the season starts. There's a certain logic to it for both teams, I admit, and LA is in a strange position - having to cater to first LeBron and then Doncic. But the whole thing seems like fictional fan-wish.

Does this rumor have an origin story?

It is fictional fan-wish, for sure, but fun to talk about. I totally agree the Lakers aren't looking to trade the guy they just drafted. I'd put this at a 0% chance of happening, but it still offers us a chance to further clarify how we each see the Mavs' situation. 

I'm torn on this one. I'm not nearly as high on Carr as some, but I do like his physical gifts, so I'm not totally confident in my assessment. I don't like that he had to transfer away from a good program to Baylor in order to get a big role. I did a medium dive on that, and it kind of seemed like the former team didn't think he was working hard enough to figure out how to succeed in their system and that his defensive effort wasn't up to their standards. Obviously there are a multitude of things that could explain a bad fit between a program and player, but my eyebrow raised a little bit on that stuff, and I think that's part of why he was drafted so late (relatively). 

BUT, he is a first round prospect loaded with athletic ability who'd fit right into the area of the Mavs roster we all feel is light at the moment. And, PJW is in the part of the roster that's so loaded with players who expect roles that I'm still struggling to envision how it works out for everyone, including the team. 

BUT, it's PJW we're talking about. I think it's reasonable to expect something really good in return. End of day, I suppose it's just about how much potential the Mavs see in Carr and how badly LA wants an athletic forward to pair with Doncic. Even if this was a real life conversation, I'd guess LAL will look for a more affordable solution, asset-wise, because Smitty is right - there's nothing else in their cupboard that even comes close to getting me interested.