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

[KillerLeft]

I’m right there with you. I almost like the OO deal better then the ZR one. A 5/4 that can space the floor in kind of a Maxi role would fit well with Flagg. I also like the idea of a right to swap with the Pels pick this year. There’s a lot of different ways it can go with ATL. Most of them are palatable, some of them are ideal.

I'd be interested in OO, but (call me insane) not more than Risacher. With Risacher, sure. Sign me up!

[KillerLeft]

Exactly. Let´s be real about this.

Flagg
your own top 10 pick
Kuminga
Risacher 
Cavs 2026 pick
Christie
Lively
Nembhard

#You can at least sell HOPE. 

Fans can be excited to see eight young players.

Will Flagg become an All-Star? What do our two rookies have? Can one of Risacher and Kuminga come good? Will Lively be back? Will Christie make a leap?

#You can at least sell HOPE.

I'd say it's good, palpable hope, and this doesn't even take into account what might be gained over the next couple of seasons by moving Gafford, PJW, Marshal, Kyrie, Thompson, etc.

[Smitty]

I'd be interested in OO, but (call me insane) not more than Risacher. With Risacher, sure. Sign me up!

I'm not married to him is all. If the deal is OO instead, okay. Some are higher than others on Risacher, but I personally have no strong opinion. I haven' watched a lot of Hawks games the last 18 months.

[mvossman]

I’m right there with you. I almost like the OO deal better then the ZR one. A 5/4 that can space the floor in kind of a Maxi role would fit well with Flagg. I also like the idea of a right to swap with the Pels pick this year. There’s a lot of different ways it can go with ATL. Most of them are palatable, some of them are ideal.

Both guys would be great fits.  If its OO instead of Risacher, that really opens the door for Gafford for Mathurin.

[Winter]

Because he's about to be a Maverick, and everyone knows it.

Thinking about it, it occurred to me last week that Atlanta saying Risacher was off limits might be Atlanta's way of trying to save the NO pick. When the trade finally gets made, they get to say "Dallas pulled Risacher away from us, but we get to save the NO pick." It makes the local media and their fan base feel like they negotiated something. The reality might be they were always willing to send Risacher to Dallas, but they needed to increase his value. What they really want, of course, is the NO pick and the appearance that they got a good deal.

No sense in doing the trade too quickly for either team. In this scenario, though, there has to be a pick.... but not the NO pick. 

This is the kind of stupid stuff I think about waiting for a trade to happen.

[soog]

Man, that Toronto package does not interest me at all.  I would roll the dice that AD miraculously has a few months of health next year

Reading Toronto boards they think it would be Poetl, Quickley, and Agbaji.   With maybe a first round pick included.  Gag me with a spoon.

This is the point I keep trying to make. 

I work in finance. Smart traders “buy the dip.” If his market value is that low you don’t sell at the bottom. People who sold everything during the financial crisis, covid, or even liberation day are still in a hole. People who bought the dip laughed all the way to the bank.

[ACMFFL]

If Atlanta actually wants to move Okongwu, then they need another bigman with Davis, I wonder if they ask about Gafford too.

[KillerLeft]

Thinking about it, it occurred to me last week that Atlanta saying Risacher was off limits might be Atlanta's way of trying to save the NO pick. When the trade finally gets made, they get to say "Dallas pulled Risacher away from us, but we get to save the NO pick." It makes the local media and their fan base feel like they negotiated something. The reality might be they were always willing to send Risacher to Dallas, but they needed to increase his value. What they really want, of course, is the NO pick and the appearance that they got a good deal.

No sense in doing the trade too quickly for either team. In this scenario, though, there has to be a pick.... but not the NO pick. 

This is the kind of stupid stuff I think about waiting for a trade to happen.

Absolutely. That "ATL is unwilling to include Risacher" has been out there for a while, as has "ATL was initially unwilling to include Risacher, but now has reluctantly agreed to include him." (both paraphrases, not exact quotes). I think it's very important to remember that all this smoke comes from different camps...DAL, ATL and even Klutch. 

Since Risacher has been in all plants from every direction, near as I can tell, I believe Dallas wants him and that ATL will include him. I also believe, based on tons of deep diving into Hawks media and forums, that Dallas IS asking for that Pelicans pick. Like most here, I don't think they'll get it, but they're asking for a lot, and I think they'll get a good package from ATL at the conclusion of all this. To your point, there's a lot of posturing going on by everyone involved, it seems to me. This is probably to help "sell" the deal everyone negotiating can see coming. 

The sudden OO stuff might be a way of trying to distract DAL from that Pels pick, or it might just be a way of subtly telling their fan base why they feel AD is even needed in the first place. No idea.

[mvossman]

This is the point I keep trying to make. 

I work in finance. Smart traders “buy the dip.” If his market value is that low you don’t sell at the bottom. People who sold everything during the financial crisis, covid, or even liberation day are still in a hole. People who bought the dip laughed all the way to the bank.

Except that this is probably not a dip.  Injury prone big men in their early to mid 30s don't generally go up in value.  His value will likely continue to decline as he gets older.

[Smitty]

Sam Amick: Does the Young trade mean a Davis deal is next?
In a word, maybe. (His status after apparently injuring his hand on Tuesday could play a role.) More specifically, it’s worth noting that there was an immediate uptick in optimism from Davis’ camp about a possible Hawks deal after Young was sent to the Wizards. Young’s presence on the Atlanta roster was seen as a Davis deal-killer because of their exorbitant salaries (more than $100 million combined for this season). With that obstacle out of the way, the potential pathway widens a great deal.

[KillerLeft]

OO intrigues me quite a bit. The reason he doesn't excite me as much as Risacher is that here in Dallas, I think he's more likely to end up as an important bench piece than a starter. He's a center more than a forward imo, based on my limited exposure to him, but probably not center "enough" to be the anchor of a great defense (though having Flagg next to him would undoubtedly help, so I might be wrong about that). He can probably play a little forward, but I don't like that part of his game on a team building around Flagg. I personally think Flagg, himself, is the guy who should play that bigger forward role, with someone quicker and more skilled with the ball (like Risacher) next to him.

I'd look at Okongwu's eventual resting role as like a Kleber/Naz Reid type of thing, I suppose. Maybe he's better than some guys like that, maybe he's worse than others, but we don't even know how interested Kidd is in playing a stretch 5 (though I'd be interested to find out).

[omahen]

The sudden OO stuff might be a way of trying to distract DAL from that Pels pick, or it might just be a way of subtly telling their fan base why they feel AD is even needed in the first place. No idea.

There are also rumors that Zubac is Atlantas #1 target. Trading OO would make way more sense in this kind of trade. Clippers were surprisingly playing their best basketball with Zubac out and OO might be better for their offense as he can space the floor (36 % from three on more than 5 attempts).

[KillerLeft]

There are also rumors that Zubac is Atlantas #1 target. Trading OO would make way more sense in this kind of trade. Clippers were surprisingly playing their best basketball with Zubac out and OO might be better for their offense as he can space the floor (36 % from three on more than 5 attempts).

Zubac is who the ATL fans are interested in - I can confirm that. 

Idk...I just have a good feeling about this Davis to ATL thing.

[omahen]

Zubac is who the ATL fans are interested in - I can confirm that. 

Idk...I just have a good feeling about this Davis to ATL thing.

Not just the fans. The rumor came from Sam Quinn (CBS). I also follow that Atlanta board

[KillerLeft]

Not just the fans. The rumor came from Sam Quinn (CBS). I also follow that Atlanta board

Sure, but there's just so, so much out there about ATL/AD. Like, significantly more.

What I meant by "fans" is the kind of fans like us - the ones more in the know about the cap rules and team building who can see the potential downside of a Davis deal coming. I don't believe the Hawks front office is AS hung up on that as our fans and ATL's fans are, nor do I believe Zubac, although a good player, represents the kind of roster altering potential Davis does, even in a less than ideal version of Davis's next couple of seasons.

I do agree that they're probably viewing a Zubac trade as a possibility though, to your point.

[Winter]

Except that this is probably not a dip.  Injury prone big men in their early to mid 30s don't generally go up in value.  His value will likely continue to decline as he gets older.

Yes... and that's pretty much a certainty. Every year, the odometer goes up. Every year there's a dink on the exterior, the value goes down.

That's pretty classic financial advice.

[Smitty]

https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/beh...ccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly90LmNvLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAAtXBz1jrtmdPm_vpqryOQuNOMbSXF4c5MiQhYbV9rXi1uMl_POCcdLqIlLjgW_5fmdTFahHgjI8HZcs53Bfkn_4oT6eRZ_WfzAxypWe8-xUHSWWyDOKXvqs1ByCAaWm7AtBto6Us3ejqNa-9quKX4_oXZU-XKmm-d5hQjb1yvyv

[Smitty]

@ChrisBHaynes
Sources: New Orleans Pelicans are disappointing the market in informing teams that Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy, Herb Jones, Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears will remain with the organization past Feb. 5 trade deadline.

[Mavsfan32]

"There has been discussion between the Hawks and Mavericks about Anthony Davis, sources said, but talks aren't currently active, though it's something to monitor over the next month.”

— Bontemps and Windhorst on the Mavs & Hawks trade talks

(via espn.com/nba/story/_/id…)

[omahen]

@ChrisBHaynes
Sources: New Orleans Pelicans are disappointing the market in informing teams that Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy, Herb Jones, Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears will remain with the organization past Feb. 5 trade deadline.

Their refusal to move on from Zion is fascinating  They are bad even when he is healthy. He is a weak fit next to Queen. 

The other four I can understand. Murphy and Herb are wings everyone is looking for, so why trade them when you already have them. They can fit in any line-up. Still, it will be a long time before Pels build a serious team. Herb is 27 already and might be out of his prime when that happens. While Queen and Fears have been decent, they don't exactly scream contender level stars talent. Since they smartly traded their pick to Atlanta, it might take them some time to find a star either through one of next drafts or find a desperate soul wanting to play in NO

Based on the positions of the mentioned four players, best target for Pels would be a star PF who is not a bad defender. Not sure who that would be.