Trade & Free Agency 2026/2027

[KillerLeft]

Nah, she's the one the looks super hot from 80 feet away, but then when you get up close ...

SHE'S EVEN HOTTER???!!!!

I concur.

[mvossman]

SHE'S EVEN HOTTER???!!!!

I concur.

Never in a million years would I have thought you would be this high on a guy that can't shoot, pass or play defense.  I know its mostly a bit, but I'm still surprised this is the guy.

[KillerLeft]

Never in a million years would I have thought you would be this high on a guy that can't shoot, pass or play defense.  I know its mostly a bit, but I'm still surprised this is the guy.

He CAN shoot, and in fact was a FEATURED offensive player on a finals team as a 22 year-old, and a pretty big reason the series went to 7. If Haliburton doesn't go down, I think they win the series, and this dude was featured (off the bench, but still featured) in that offense. His percentages aren't special because he takes tough shots. He takes tough shots because he's talented and that's what teams ask him to do. He's not a ball hog, as some have claimed, any more than Jason Terry, Hardaway Jr or any of the other people who have been vilified around here for being the player talented enough to be featured, but not quite skilled enough to play that role at a star level. And, he's only 24, so I still have hope - NAY - near belief, that the star or near-star level of efficiency is potentially there in time if he lands in the right spot with the right coach on this next, pivotal contract. 

Also, he CAN play defense. In fact, I have a load of Clippers' fan friends who were over the moon with his defensive chops and how much better he was in that area than advertised, particularly when it comes to on-ball defense. I think it's fair to point out that his defense has been inconsistent, but he's actually been quite impactful on defense at times. 

He's got the size the Mavs seem to covet. He's athletic. He's young, up and coming. He's confident and about to come into his own as a pro, imo, if AGAIN, he lands in the right spot. And, it has been stated so many times by so many people that the Mavericks offered Gafford for him at the trade deadline that I'm content to accept this as common knowledge fact, basically.

There are elements of my campaign that are a bit, it's true, but I assure you the motivation behind launching it is not. I really think this guy represents a near-ground-floor investment in the future similar to the swings they're taking with any of the drafted players, Aldama, Sasser, Biberovic or Risacher. I think he'd fit the tone of this Mavericks summer nicely, and most importantly, I think he brings something to the table this team will badly need ON THE COURT. In the end, much depends on the contract. I obviously don't like him at $25 million AAV for three years, but at the MLE I think it's a steal, and would probably feel good about it anywhere between the MLE and Dan's $19 million AAV suggestion.

[cow]

Never in a million years would I have thought you would be this high on a guy that can't shoot, pass or play defense.  I know its mostly a bit, but I'm still surprised this is the guy.

He's trying to take my Naji bit, but doesn't have the true passion to execute the plan.

[KillerLeft]

He's trying to take my Naji bit, but doesn't have the true passion to execute the plan.

[KillerLeft]

After a nice Mathurin segment today by Isaac Harris, he suggested the following deal (purely his idea, not reporting) out of nowhere. Curious to see what people think of it:

Toronto gets: Gafford and Thompson (who I assume would be flipped or just bought out by Toronto, because he's not going to want to play there).
Dallas gets: Quickly and TOR's unprotected 2029 1st.

His thinking was that TOR might want to parcel up IQ's contract (which is rough) into smaller, more manageable components, similar to what Dallas tried by sending Porzingis to WAS a few years back, and that while eating IQ's remaining money might be less than ideal for Dallas, he is a player type they could conceivably make good use of in the meantime, and the pick would be their payment for his contract.

This is obviously something that could never happen until TOR knows how the Kawhi Leonard trade shakes out, but if it ended up being a real idea, how would people feel about it?

[mvossman]

He CAN shoot, and in fact was a FEATURED offensive player on a finals team as a 22 year-old, and a pretty big reason the series went to 7. If Haliburton doesn't go down, I think they win the series, and this dude was featured (off the bench, but still featured) in that offense. His percentages aren't special because he takes tough shots. He takes tough shots because he's talented and that's what teams ask him to do. He's not a ball hog, as some have claimed, any more than Jason Terry, Hardaway Jr or any of the other people who have been vilified around here for being the player talented enough to be featured, but not quite skilled enough to play that role at a star level. And, he's only 24, so I still have hope - NAY - near belief, that the star or near-star level of efficiency is potentially there in time if he lands in the right spot with the right coach on this next, pivotal contract. 

Also, he CAN play defense. In fact, I have a load of Clippers' fan friends who were over the moon with his defensive chops and how much better he was in that area than advertised, particularly when it comes to on-ball defense. I think it's fair to point out that his defense has been inconsistent, but he's actually been quite impactful on defense at times. 

He's got the size the Mavs seem to covet. He's athletic. He's young, up and coming. He's confident and about to come into his own as a pro, imo, if AGAIN, he lands in the right spot. And, it has been stated so many times by so many people that the Mavericks offered Gafford for him at the trade deadline that I'm content to accept this as common knowledge fact, basically.

There are elements of my campaign that are a bit, it's true, but I assure you the motivation behind launching it is not. I really think this guy represents a near-ground-floor investment in the future similar to the swings they're taking with any of the drafted players, Aldama, Sasser, Biberovic or Risacher. I think he'd fit the tone of this Mavericks summer nicely, and most importantly, I think he brings something to the table this team will badly need ON THE COURT. In the end, much depends on the contract. I obviously don't like him at $25 million AAV for three years, but at the MLE I think it's a steal, and would probably feel good about it anywhere between the MLE and Dan's $19 million AAV suggestion.

You are comparing him to players that took high volume three point shots and made them at a good percentage.  He does neither.  He takes less threes than PJ (and at a worse percentage).  His three point shot profile does not look that difficult.  Most of his shots are open or wide open.  He does take shots off the dribble but at 29% I'm not sure that's a good thing.  

His teams are consistently better on defense when he is off the court.  There may be some context I am missing there, but it has been consistent throughout his career.  To me he seems like a classic case of a player with a lot of talent but doesn't translate to positive on court impact.  The history of those kind of players turning it around is not good.  

If he ends up on this roster (especially at that cost) May will have to do a better job than Rick in getting more out of him.  Seems like a tall order.

[KillerLeft]

You are comparing him to players that took high volume three point shots and made them at a good percentage.  He does neither.  He takes less threes than PJ (and at a worse percentage).  His three point shot profile does not look that difficult.  Most of his shots are open or wide open.  He does take shots off the dribble but at 29% I'm not sure that's a good thing.  

His teams are consistently better on defense when he is off the court.  There may be some context I am missing there, but it has been consistent throughout his career.  To me he seems like a classic case of a player with a lot of talent but doesn't translate to positive on court impact.  The history of those kind of players turning it around is not good.  

If he ends up on this roster (especially at that cost) May will have to do a better job than Rick in getting more out of him.  Seems like a tall order.

Hey, man...you're the guy who analyzes numbers. If I go to bat for a player it's almost always a player who has caught my eye when I've watched his team play, and most of the time I've liked the guy enough to find occasion to watch his team more than other non-Mavs squads. I'm not always right in those situations, obviously, but this is the same feeling I had about PJW before the '24 trade deadline when everyone told me I was a moron for wanting HIM in Dallas. 

I obviously respect your opinion a great deal. You always carefully analyze the information that's important to you and make careful, measured statements that you're prepared to back up. I find that we agree on this stuff more often than not, and each time that happens I become a little more emboldened and confident in my own opinions. I usually take it as a good sign. 

I could be WAY wrong about Mathurin. But, for now, I think what I think, and what I think is that he brings talent to the table in an area where almost none exists on the current Mavs' roster, that he's still young, and that most importantly he seems gettable in a summer when they have the flexibility to do some "getting." I see some of the negatives people bring up, sure, but in terms of fit I think he's potentially a huge positive, and I'd honestly raise my wins projection for THIS season more because they added him (if they did) than any other player they've added this summer.

[Moviemavguy]

I like Mathurin, but I do feel like Christie is 3 ppg away from finally being that guy. In fact, he is my X factor for the season for sure. He was amazing in January and then fell flat. I think his main issue is he doesn't have a killer's mentality to the game. He loses focus and confidence too easily.

But the whole team was tanking, so it's very hard to gauge players from last season. Team seems high on him though which I guess is encouraging.

[KillerLeft]

After a nice Mathurin segment today by Isaac Harris, he suggested the following deal (purely his idea, not reporting) out of nowhere. Curious to see what people think of it:

Toronto gets: Gafford and Thompson (who I assume would be flipped or just bought out by Toronto, because he's not going to want to play there).
Dallas gets: Quickly and TOR's unprotected 2029 1st.

His thinking was that TOR might want to parcel up IQ's contract (which is rough) into smaller, more manageable components, similar to what Dallas tried by sending Porzingis to WAS a few years back, and that while eating IQ's remaining money might be less than ideal for Dallas, he is a player type they could conceivably make good use of in the meantime, and the pick would be their payment for his contract.

This is obviously something that could never happen until TOR knows how the Kawhi Leonard trade shakes out, but if it ended up being a real idea, how would people feel about it?

So, nobody has any thoughts on this one? I actually think it's semi-realistic.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

The Brooklyn Nets have officially signed Moe Wagner. This signing will come out of cap space and will bring the Nets down to roughly $4.5M remaining in cap space. Brooklyn also has the full $9.4M Room Exception available. The Nets could use their remaining cap space to renegotiate and extend Michael Porter Jr. They could raise his 2026-27 salary up to $45.3 million and add up to four additional seasons, with the 2027-28 salary reduced by up to 40 percent. It would trigger a six-month trade restriction. That makes August 4 a significant date for potential negotiations since the trade deadline is expected to be on February 4, 2027.trade

bsky.app

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Despite offseason acquisitions of Isaiah Stewart and Quinten Post, along with the return of Zach Edey, the Grizzlies want to retain Olivier-Maxence Prosper, HoopsHype has learned. Prosper was a breakout player for the Grizzlies amid a difficult season, averaging 10.0 points on 54.9 percent shooting from the field and 40.5 percent from downtown, while starting 24 of 53 games played last season.

HoopsHype

[ballsrchr]

Despite offseason acquisitions of Isaiah Stewart and Quinten Post, along with the return of Zach Edey, the Grizzlies want to retain Olivier-Maxence Prosper, HoopsHype has learned. Prosper was a breakout player for the Grizzlies amid a difficult season, averaging 10.0 points on 54.9 percent shooting from the field and 40.5 percent from downtown, while starting 24 of 53 games played last season.

HoopsHype

Interesting.  I always felt that Omax's (and others) player development was stymied due to the Mavs player development process at the time...assuming the Mavs had a player development process at the time...

No...I don't want Omax back.  I just felt that he could have been brought along differently.  I hope the Mavs have finally turned a corner.  Any corner...for that matter.

[loki]

So, nobody has any thoughts on this one? I actually think it's semi-realistic.

A big part of the reason Dallas sold KP for smaller contracts was because he was always one injury away from becoming an albatross. I don't see that same concern with IQ. I can't imagine Toronto giving up an unprotected 1st to ship him out like that. It's not like they'll have cap space anyway assuming the Kawhi deal goes through and he gets a new deal.

[FireNicoHarrison]

KP is the perfect player to have as fifth starter with no pressure and no problem if he will go down in the season.

Of course you can't pay the max for this kind of guy.

[Dundalis]

You are comparing him to players that took high volume three point shots and made them at a good percentage.  He does neither.  He takes less threes than PJ (and at a worse percentage).  His three point shot profile does not look that difficult.  Most of his shots are open or wide open.  He does take shots off the dribble but at 29% I'm not sure that's a good thing.  

His teams are consistently better on defense when he is off the court.  There may be some context I am missing there, but it has been consistent throughout his career.  To me he seems like a classic case of a player with a lot of talent but doesn't translate to positive on court impact.  The history of those kind of players turning it around is not good.  

If he ends up on this roster (especially at that cost) May will have to do a better job than Rick in getting more out of him.  Seems like a tall order.

He's obviously shot reasonably well from deep in smaller sample sizes, like his stint with Indy before the trade, and his second NBA season. He's also seemingly capable of quite good POA on ball defense (which his frame and atheltic ability should allow him to be), which he did for the Clippers, but gets lost off ball, which causes his defensive metrics to fall off.

I wouldn't be anymore excited for the move as I was (wasn't) for Risacher, even if they gave up fairly little for him, but I do feel like the tools for both shooting and defense are there, and may be a matter of something clicking with experience and maturity. The guy apparently mentioned in an interview how much help he was getting from some of the Clippers guys on refining his defense and how he wanted to be a great two way guy. Doesn't mean much, but at least his head is pointed in that direction. It's a flier on a guy with plenty of holes, but I feel like this type of profile is a little better to take the risk on than the guy with the clearly broken shot, who doesn't have the length, strength or athletic ability to ever be a decent defender. His ability to get to the line obviously gives him an efficiency buffer to work from even if he isn't shooting the ball well, which is why he has a decent 57% career TS.

Happy for this to never eventuate, and just focus on smaller asset acquisition moves, but I also see a path to it paying off if it is real just because of the specific traits he has. Would obviously be preferring to give up the likes of Klay and Martin in a deal like this rather than Gaff and definitely not PJ.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Klay Thompson: This would require either a trade or a buyout, with Thompson under contract this season to the Dallas Mavericks at $17.5 million. “He’s not the defender he used to be. He can’t create his own shot, but he can still make shots,” the scout said of the 36-year-old who has dealt with an Achilles tear and ACL tear since his Warriors-championship prime. “I mean, on a given night, he’ll get you 17 points, maybe. I don’t think it’s going to be as regular, but I don’t think you should have high expectations. But he’s not through completely. You don’t stick a fork in him yet.” The scout estimated that on the open market Thompson likely would be a minimum-scale player, “maybe $5 million.”

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

[HoosierDaddyKid]

DeMar DeRozan, 36, likely could create a bidding war, if so desired, but likely would be limited by the Heat to an offer of his $3.9 million veteran minimum, which would count $2.5 million against the cap, tax, and apron. “Well, he’s got more left than Klay,” the scout said. “But stylistically is the problem. He’s got to come off the bench — and he’s never come off the bench in his entire career (12 total times, all as a rookie in 2009-10). With him, Bam and Giannis, there would be no spacing. And he’s ball dominant. “But if he could accept the role as a six-man type, he would bolster their bench and maybe finish games, too, I guess. No doubt, he can do that, as a finisher. Yeah, you could go to him. I think he’s still got some go-to ability.” As for the rest of his game? “I mean, he’s not going to defend,” the scout continued. “When he was with San Antonio, he did start to pass the ball a little. But that’s not why you have him. That’s not his strength. But as a sixth man, considering the other options, he’s a cut above Thompson, for sure.”

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Ira Winderman: Nikola Jovic also has to be open to what is needed, which, at the moment, looks like time in a power role. In some ways, with the current composition of the roster, Niko stands as somewhat of a swing player. If he can make the same jump that Jaime Jaquez Jr. did last year, then he could prove invaluable. But that means better finishing and more of a willingness to play toward the betterment of the team. There is value there. But, agreed, it has to be rebuilt as he begins his four-year extension. At the moment, not sure anyone is taking on that contract without significant sweeteners, the type of sweeteners the Heat largely lack.

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

[KillerLeft]

DLLS Mavs weighs in on Mathurin:
https://youtu.be/MVkcvIIG8kg?si=e1UXKVheD4mJsT0t

I have to admit, Karalla not being into this has me scared I've got an L coming at the end of this argument. I literally can't remember the last time he said something I disagree with.