Trade & Free Agency 2026/2027

[Mavs2021]

Marc Stein
@TheSteinLine
By helping Khris Middleton get to Washington via sign-and-trade, Dallas can acquire Santi Aldama and Marcus Sasser without touching its $20.3M TPE from the Anthony Davis trade or its $15M MLE.

The Mavs can then formally sign Tarik Biberović after the six-team trade is official.

They should not have played Middleton to ruin the tank, but not waiving him/buying him out, proved a stroke of genius.

Still curious how much money Middleton got. I hope Washington overpays everybody, but refuses to give AD an extension. LOL.

[Scott41theMavs]

This still doesn't definitively clarify the discrepancy in reports of Biberovic's deal. I don't know why I'm so anxious about getting to the bottom of that part, but I am.

On the one hand, if he ends up being rotation-worthy, $7 mil AAV is a bargain. On the other, if we can/did use the BAE on him, then we still have that phat exception *and* the NTMLE.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

One team's top decision-maker's reasoning for picking the Knicks is the way he files players: those who drive winning and those who influence winning.

"Jalen Brunson drives winning," he told ESPN recently. "Now, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart, they influence winning. Mitchell Robinson, in his role, influenced winning."

Robinson is the one defection from the Knicks' top rotation players, being replaced by Andre Drummond in free agency. Otherwise, the Knicks return 95.7% of their playoff scoring production from their top nine players and 87.2% of their playoff rebounding. Currently, New York presents the conference's most complete roster -- especially after Miami depleted its roster in the pursuit of Antetokounmpo, lacking dynamism on the perimeter and probably in need of a transaction cycle to identify the best fit around Antetokounmpo and Adebayo.

The Heat are widely respected, so the questions about their personnel aren't rooted from a place of distrust. The questions about the Heat, though, are similar to questions about every other team nipping at the Knicks' heels. Philadelphia, embarrassed at the hands of the Knicks in the second round, responded by trading for Brown after the Celtics, initially, couldn't get a deal done for Antetokounmpo and, later, didn't find much traction around the league the past couple of weeks.

[windjc]

This still doesn't definitively clarify the discrepancy in reports of Biberovic's deal. I don't know why I'm so anxious about getting to the bottom of that part, but I am.

Stein is probably wrong as usual. Someone doesn’t turn down $7M to make $1-2M. So something is incorrect somewhere. Maybe it’s the real truth about the NIL offers.

[Kidnova]

This still doesn't definitively clarify the discrepancy in reports of Biberovic's deal. I don't know why I'm so anxious about getting to the bottom of that part, but I am.

The amount or the timing? If the latter it's probably just the difference between an agreement in principal and an official signing.

[KillerLeft]

On the one hand, if he ends up being rotation-worthy, $7 mil AAV is a bargain. On the other, if we can/did use the BAE on him, then we still have that phat exception *and* the NTMLE.

I'm not all that concerned with what he's getting paid in a 1+1. Easy to paper over that if it's a mistake and lose nothing in the process. 

I just want to know what's possible now, this summer.

[KillerLeft]

The amount or the timing? If the latter it's probably just the difference between an agreement in principal and an official signing.

The amount. 

Stein's number was basically 1/2 of the number reported from the other source.

[windjc]

The amount. 

Stein's number was basically 1/2 of the number reported from the other source.

Less than that if you consider the buyout the player pays.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/4928...-grizzlies


NBA offseason. Judging the biggest overreactions, signings, trades.

[Chicagojk]

Wonder where the Rui rumors fits in all this.  If Stein is to be believed, Mavs got involved late.   Did they figure this out and then had certain amount left over and just tried to make an asset play.  I don't think they could have gotten to the Clippers $ amount but maybe guarantee an extra year?    There needs to be more coming though, right?

[KillerLeft]

Still curious how much money Middleton got. I hope Washington overpays everybody, but refuses to give AD an extension. LOL.

3 years, $17.6 M total. It was in the very first tweet. 

https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/2074654061014507865

[Scott41theMavs]

Keith Smith reports that Sasser is indeed part of the trade. Bullet dodged, lol.

[Tyler]

3 years, $17.6 M total. It was in the very first tweet. 

https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/2074654061014507865

Also sounds like the 2nd year is partially guaranteed and the 3rd is not guaranteed.

[Mavs2021]

3 years, $17.6 M total. It was in the very first tweet. 

https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/2074654061014507865

Yeah saw it. Put the deal in the trade machine with Aldama AND Sasser and it works. No idea how and why.   I´d have sworn it would be declined, but apparently it´s legal, so yay.

[KillerLeft]

Wonder where the Rui rumors fits in all this.  If Stein is to be believed, Mavs got involved late.   Did they figure this out and then had certain amount left over and just tried to make an asset play.  I don't think they could have gotten to the Clippers $ amount but maybe guarantee an extra year?    There needs to be more coming though, right?

Dude, I'm not sure, but I'm starting to feel like they're literally just grasping for any player at any position who can shoot that they think they can get. I'm starting to wonder if there's any more to it than that. Honestly. 

It still feels to me like 1-2 of the guys we've talked about trading all summer MUST be outgoing, somehow, for so many reasons, but we're officially hearing about smaller things at this point, so idk...

There could be some bigger business on pause waiting for the LeBron (and possibly KD) situations to resolve themselves, of course.

[KillerLeft]

Yeah saw it. Put the deal in the trade machine with Aldama AND Sasser and it works. No idea how and why.   I´d have sworn it would be declined, but apparently it´s legal, so yay.

Ok, so maybe Sasser WILL be done and dusted after this deal then! Probably will, if that's true.

[Mavs2021]

There could be some bigger business on pause waiting for the LeBron (and possibly KD) situations to resolve themselves, of course.

Klay is 100% tied to the ripple effects of the Lebron decision.

[F Gump]

Marc Stein
@TheSteinLine
By helping Khris Middleton get to Washington via sign-and-trade, Dallas can acquire Santi Aldama and Marcus Sasser without touching its $20.3M TPE from the Anthony Davis trade or its $15M MLE.

The Mavs can then formally sign Tarik Biberović after the six-team trade is official.

I dont have time to figure out the math details. But since everyone is talking about the TPE being retained, I guess that is their chosen path. 

However, if it's not yet known, it needs to be pointed out that the MLE might be more desirable to retain. While a bit smaller, they may not want to use the bigger amount anyhow, to stay below the tax line. And the MLE is way more usable, since it can be used BOTH to sign players or trade for players. (OTOH a TPE can only be used for a trade, which means you always would need the cooperation of another team.)

[Scott41theMavs]

Ok, so maybe Sasser WILL be done and dusted after this deal then! Probably will, if that's true.

Already reported on ESPN (update to original story).

[KillerLeft]

Already reported on ESPN (update to original story).

Yep, I posted Keith Smith's tweet in the other thread. 

Someone needs to tell Bobby Marks though.