Trade & Free Agency 2026/2027

[Winter]

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.

That's a reasonable take. My take is similar in that I think Carr's projected skills (and age) contribute to the roster's needs surrounding Flagg. I don't think PJs skills really do because of some redundancy. (just my opinion). On the other hand, PJ is a known commodity and Carr isn't. So PJ should yield a good pick. The addition of the pick is absolute in my mind. 

At this point, the Mavs FO just needs to do a deep dive on Carr, but I don't see any signficant issues outside of that. I do think I know enough about Masai now to know this deal won't happen unless it clearly favors us. So I would likely favor it... at least until I hear a good reason not to.