07-14-2026, 04:27 PM
It strikes me that we are in a moment of terra incognita for Mavs fans. We are spoiled and used to having a generational talent on roster all of the time (since Dirk emerged as such in 2000 or 2001!), so every season is either 1) championship or bust, or 2) no chance of a championship due to the condition of the rest of roster, so tank. However, we find ourselves in the difficult twilight zone of not having our next four years of 1st rounders, so tanking is out, and our generational talent is in his fledgling stages (think Dirk's trajectory rather than Luka's), so a championship is not realistic regardless of what the rest of the roster looks like.
Others, particularly, FGump, have said it better than me. We aren't at a point to expect our FO to field a championship roster this year, nor is there any urgency of must-win-now due to Coop's youth, but we could use the structure of a well-organized roster that presages how we will play in two or three years when Coop begins what will hopefully be about 10 years' worth of prime. That's why I believe they asymptotically cannot leave the unbalanced roster the way it is.
I do understand that in the meantime, since Nico left the cupboard so ridiculously bare, the goal is to get cheap "assets" and raise their value. I put "assets" in quotes, because it's not a matter of just using our drafted players and other diamonds in the rough as trade fodder which gain in value; some might be part of a future core. But how much do they do that at the expense of the aforementioned "structure?" As some in the Discord were discussing earlier, Jrue or Scoot? Jrue puts this team very close to the final model they would seek, but he quite likely won't be part of the core in the '28-29 season. Scoot gives some stability on paper by providing another rotational guard at the very least, but his learning curve toward what they would hope he would become would insert quite a bit more chaos back into the mix.
All that said, if they just leave the roster more or less the way it is, or if they trade for another frontcourt guy, or even if they trade for a non-creational guard/wing, I won't have any clue what the hell the ultimate goal is.
Others, particularly, FGump, have said it better than me. We aren't at a point to expect our FO to field a championship roster this year, nor is there any urgency of must-win-now due to Coop's youth, but we could use the structure of a well-organized roster that presages how we will play in two or three years when Coop begins what will hopefully be about 10 years' worth of prime. That's why I believe they asymptotically cannot leave the unbalanced roster the way it is.
I do understand that in the meantime, since Nico left the cupboard so ridiculously bare, the goal is to get cheap "assets" and raise their value. I put "assets" in quotes, because it's not a matter of just using our drafted players and other diamonds in the rough as trade fodder which gain in value; some might be part of a future core. But how much do they do that at the expense of the aforementioned "structure?" As some in the Discord were discussing earlier, Jrue or Scoot? Jrue puts this team very close to the final model they would seek, but he quite likely won't be part of the core in the '28-29 season. Scoot gives some stability on paper by providing another rotational guard at the very least, but his learning curve toward what they would hope he would become would insert quite a bit more chaos back into the mix.
All that said, if they just leave the roster more or less the way it is, or if they trade for another frontcourt guy, or even if they trade for a non-creational guard/wing, I won't have any clue what the hell the ultimate goal is.
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