Trade & Free Agency 2026/2027

[vfromlmf]

Carlisle DID do something with him, though...this is a GOOD player. They didn't trade him to get rid of him, they wanted Zubac who is cost controlled in an extremely team-friendly way and the center is a vital part of Carlisle/Haliburton's pick and roll spamming approach. Plus, IND is one of the cheapest teams (again, part of what they pounced on Zubac, even including that pick), so they probably knew they'd never be able to keep Mathruin.

This is an important point and my post sort of incorrectly implied he was traded because he couldn't modernize his game. You're right to note Mathurin was traded because they needed to rebalance the roster and add Zubac. That said, if Mathurin was actually Kawhi, instead of just a Kahwi-like scorer, he certainly wouldn't have been moved. 

Mathurin reminds me a bit of Corey Maggette. Not a star but a good player. Not a complimentary player, but an alpha scorer. I like the idea of adding him to the rotation.