Trade & FA 2025-26: Free Agency Starts 5pm CST/6pm EST

[loki]

DISCLAIMER, right up front: I WOULD NOT DO THIS - not a suggestion.

I'm curious, though, about the level of panic, anger or even just apathy people are feeling right about now. So, question: have we reached the point for any of you where you would INCLUDE a pick in order to make that ATL deal, rather than expect one? Genuinely curious, because the way some are talking, I have a feeling some people might be in favor.

Nope, I'm just running it back. If he can avoid a season ending injury before the TDL next year you might still be able to get a positive return. They need to do a better job managing his minutes though.

[KillerLeft]

It’s not. He’s had injuries to his left hand before. They brought it up on that YouTube link posted above. 

And I disagree with the premise anyway. When a guy is as fragile as AD, detached retina and torn hand ligaments are not freak injuries. They are evidence of how fragile his body is. 

Stein says in the clip he now expects AD to be on the Mavs opening roster next year. There wasn’t much market for him already.

Come on, my guy. I'm not pushing back on the injury prone thing, but his finger was caught in the jersey of someone sprinting the opposite direction. If that had happened to Cooper Flagg, Cooper Flagg would have ligament damage in his hand. And, it's not a groin, calf, ankle, knee...

I agree that many teams would want no part of Davis, his high salary or his injury riddled past and probably future. I'm just saying that IF it ends up he's only out 4-8 weeks, I can see a team who'd already convinced themselves to look past all of that still wanting him. I agree with the notion that him being out for the season, should that end up being the case, lessons the chances of a deadline deal, but then again, as we've covered in recent days, a team who wants him right now and the expiring contracts to get him, like potentially ATL, CAN'T trade for him once those expirings are expired. I'm honestly not sure it's dead, though I'm certainly less confident (understatement).

[KillerLeft]

On no corner of the Internet have I seen anyone even speculate ADs trade value is what Mavs fans have suggested we need to hold out for. There’s no reporting Atlanta even offered Risacher and a 1st and the Mavs were holding out for more.

Agree with the first part. Our hopes were never going to be fully realized. 

But, I HAVE seen reporting that ATL had decided they'd include Riscaher after initially refusing. I do think there was groundwork for a deal laid between the teams in an unofficial discussion sense. The only thing I think Stein has 100% right is that there probably wasn't an official offer made because they hadn't moved Trae Young yet. I know he said in that video they weren't willing to part with Risacher, but almost every other source contradicts that, really. I think that either some of Stein's info is out of date, or he's trying to mitigate fan outrage over the situation.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

Come on, my guy. I'm not pushing back on the injury prone thing, but his finger was caught in the jersey of someone sprinting the opposite direction. If that had happened to Cooper Flagg, Cooper Flagg would have ligament damage in his hand. And, it's not a groin, calf, ankle, knee...

Hard disagree

Have had this same argument in baseball. Josh Jung is injury prone. He gets hit by a 95mph fastball on the wrist. Out for the year with a broken wrist. Another guy that’s not injury prone gets hit by a 95mph on the wrist and he walks down to first base. 

You can call it a freak injury. It’s semantics. It doesn’t happen to everyone.  Like I mentioned, AD has a history with his left hand. 

Lively is another guy that’ll never be healthy. #1 thing (and maybe the only thing) I’ve learned watching sports for 40 years. Don’t depend on injury prone players. They will continue to break your heart.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

The eventual AD trade is going to look like the Trae Young trade or Porzingis trade. You won’t have to attach a pick but you won’t get diddly squat.

[KillerLeft]

Nope, I'm just running it back. If he can avoid a season ending injury before the TDL next year you might still be able to get a positive return. They need to do a better job managing his minutes though.

I'll say this...I think the key is probably to stop hoping he's traded. That's what's bumming everyone out in one sense or another. I think Stein is probably right that we should all just start assuming he's here and try to make the best of it. And the good news is that if he can ever manage to stay healthy for 60 games (huge if) he's a good player. Probably one of the top 5-10 Mavericks of all time. 

The point is that our perspective on these things wreaks havoc on our moods/outlooks. 

I get it - everyone is just ready for this chapter to be over, and it's tough to blame people at this point. 

My feelings are probably unique on this board, because 1) I'm higher on AD than most and 2) I'm MUCH higher on Risacher than most. Honestly, the only reason I find the last 48 hours depressing is that I had convinced myself Risacher was going to be a Mav and I was excited about that. If it wasn't for the rumors concerning that, specific player, I don't think I'd even care that a trade wasn't happening, especially not knowing for sure that salary relief was needed by request of the owners. Since almost nobody else feels that way about Risacher, I kind of think the board is overreacting (though I kind of also get it). For me, it was more about getting Risacher and maybe a pick than it ever was about getting rid of AD.

[KillerLeft]

The eventual AD trade is going to look like the Trae Young trade or Porzingis trade. You won’t have to attach a pick but you won’t get diddly squat.

But that begs the question: If you could attach a pick NOW and be done with it, would you do it?

[KillerLeft]

I’ve learned watching sports for 40 years. Don’t depend on injury prone players. They will continue to break your heart.

Totally agree with this general guideline, and I'd have never traded for AD in the first place for this exact reason. I'm just saying that THIS ONE doesn't feel like an AD thing to me, personally. More of a "the Mavs are snakebitten right now" thing.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

But that begs the question: If you could attach a pick NOW and be done with it, would you do it?

That doesn’t make any sense.

[KillerLeft]

That doesn’t make any sense.

Sorry, what do you mean? Are you saying that solution doesn't make sense, or that you don't understand what I'm asking?

I'm saying, if you think he's never going to be healthy and it's pointless to hope for, and you're sure they'll never be able to trade him for anything but expirings...would it be worth a pick to you for that bad deal to happen at this deadline, sparing us the wheel spinning of the next however many months (or years), and just get him off the books and move on?

[mvossman]

But that begs the question: If you could attach a pick NOW and be done with it, would you do it?

I'm probably one of the most negative folks on this board with regards to AD (although after watching that clip it seems Stein is more negative than I am) but you can't spend an asset to dump him.  I would probably even hesitate to salary dump at the TDL if it were possible.  That would be truly selling low (although at this point I think most likely outcome is that we just let him walk for nothing in two years).  But I am dreading having to watch this guy for the next two seasons.  I'm not a fan of his offensive game, or watching him fall down all the time or the constant waiting for the shoe to drop on the next injury.

[Chicagojk]

I don't believe Stein is lying about potentially not having any hard offers or AD.   I do think with the Young trade, that with a healthy AD playing towards the trade deadline that the Hawks would have been a prime candidate.   I have no doubt that both teams may have compromised heading up to the trade deadline.   I also think a healthy AD playing to the deadline would bring a few other solid offers. 

I was in "team patient" mode with AD.   I may have swallowed my pride near the trade deadline and accept a non-excited offer just to move him.   I have been struggling most about is that I was really worried about a "contract extension" push by AD the rest of the season.  This season is already lost and AD playing for an extension is worst case for me.  Especially now.   Next season?  Fine...go for it.   Nothing to lose with that.

With his latest injury, teams are going to be wary with offers.  So he will need a real good stretch of play to bring some back to the table.   Healthy play and his contract timeline decreasing may make him tradeable again.    I will cheer on a extension push from him next year.   This year.....that was my worst nightmare.  

Also, it wouldn't hurt if AD has surgery to pay the doctor some $$$.   Maybe a well placed, "Surgery went awesome and his fingers are some of the best structured fingers I have seen.  In addition, we took a look at his abductor, calf, eye when under the knife and we are amazed how healthy his body is.   We think he has a good 7 years left of high quality basketball left."

[KillerLeft]

I'm probably one of the most negative folks on this board with regards to AD (although after watching that clip it seems Stein is more negative than I am) but you can't spend an asset to dump him.  I would probably even hesitate to salary dump at the TDL if it were possible. 

Ok, same here. 

Having said that, I feel that way because I'm not as down on the idea that the team could actually be good while AD is here as much as some seem to be. IF I thought, as I feel many do, that AD's entire time here will be a dumpster fire of nonstop injuries without any hope of putting 40 games together between them, my mind would then settle on the idea that the Mavs "would be lucky to trade him in a salary dump" (to paraphrase some sentiments I'm reading), and at the point where I believed THAT, AD basically becomes TWO MORE SEASONS of supermax dead money. I'm not there yet, by a long shot. But if I were, I don't think I'd be worried about giving up something small to salary dump him NOW, at this deadline, in order to suture the wound, stop the bleeding and avoid TWO MORE YEARS of this wheel spinning. 

Again, I wouldn't do it, but if I thought like you thought (and you MIGHT be right) I'd be worried that we might end up living in a world where we wish they'd have done something like that at this deadline. I don't think it's a completely insane train of thought, depending on one's perspective.

[ThisIStheYear]

Given the current and future tax projections with and without AD’s salary on the books, I bet AD is a $100 million player per year going forward. It’s insane to have a guy like that accounting for so much of your salary related resources. Of course you can’t give up this current pick, which has significant value, and will decide whether the Mavs are a viable franchise for the next decade, but otherwise, the Mavs just have to delete that terrible contract, whatever it takes.

[KillerLeft]

Given the current and future tax projections with and without AD’s salary on the books, I bet AD is a $100 million player per year going forward.  It’s insane to have a guy like that accounting for so much of your salary related resources. Of course you can’t give up this current pick, which has significant value, and will decide whether the Mavs are a viable franchise for the next decade, but otherwise, the Mavs just have to delete that terrible contract, whatever it takes.

See, I expected more people to think THIS way, judging by the recent tone of the board. I'm surprised some of those who are most vocally depressed about the situation haven't gotten here yet. 

If you 1) don't think there's any hope of AD contributing to a truly competitive Mavs team, 2) don't think there's any hope of the Mavs getting even a modest return for him in trade and 3) are completely dejected over his presence here because it's both a financial barrier to productive team building and a constant bummer of a reminder about how a finals team was destroyed, then I don't know why you wouldn't be on this mindset.

It's pretty interesting to me. I don't mean this as an admonishment to anyone, or even a sarcastic dig. I just think people are currently hopeless and it's doing some interesting things to morale. I think the fact that more people wouldn't do something like this kind of PROVES the situation might not be as bad as it seems right now, and that deep down people know that.

[Winter]

Oh, I'm pretty much on board with that. I wouldn't call it a "hopeless" feeling though.

I think they'll figure something out in the summer. I'd be surprised if he played another full year.

But I'm never hopeless. I mean we won the lottery with ridiculous odds, .... so I'm not full mvossman yet... just kind of close.

[KillerLeft]

Oh, I'm pretty much on board with that. I wouldn't call it a "hopeless" feeling though.

I think they'll figure something out in the summer. I'd be surprised if he played another full year.

But I'm never hopeless. I mean we won the lottery with ridiculous odds, .... so I'm not full mvossman yet... just kind of close.

Ok, cool. So the train of thought I described above jives with you, but you still believe some type of productive trade will be possible at some point in the near future, probably over the summer? Do I understand you correctly?

[Winter]

Ok, cool. So the train of thought I described above jives with you, but you still believe some type of productive trade will be possible at some point in the near future, probably over the summer? Do I understand you correctly?

Precisely.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

I'm saying, if you think he's never going to be healthy and it's pointless to hope for, and you're sure they'll never be able to trade him for anything but expirings...would it be worth a pick to you for that bad deal to happen at this deadline, sparing us the wheel spinning of the next however many months (or years), and just get him off the books and move on?

The whole point of trading him was to get assets for the future.  So obviously not.  The Mavs season is over.  I'm not including a 1st just so I feel better about having him off the team.  

If he can make it through even one preseason game next year without getting hurt, I'd try to trade him before the regular season.  Any offer that has any positive assets I would accept. 

I am not sure about anything.  I said two weeks ago, the longer we hold on to AD, the closer we will get to a KP type return for him.  My point was his value will never go up, it will only go down.  I thought I was being a little extreme with that KP trade comment to make a point, but now things are headed that way.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

Let me put it this way.

If his value last week was a young player and a 1st, what do you think his value will be this summer after this injury? I would take any positive asset. A 2029 1st. Asa Newell. anything

If he suits up for the Mavs and gets hurt again, what do you think his value will be next trade deadline? A KP or Trae like return if we're lucky.

My point is "being patient" was never going to be a fruitful strategy with an AD trade. His value will only get lower and lower. His value will never again be as high as it was before this hand injury.