DRAFT: #18 [Green] & #31 [Terry] & trade for #36 [Tyler Bey]

[Mavs2019]

I don't know if you listened all the way to the end, but in the final few minutes they had a similar debate regarding the price of Chris Paul to the Suns.  Hollinger instantly went to  Rubio/Oubre/10 for Paul and 25.  Nate was like wait a minute here.  If I'm Phoenix, my offer is Rubio/Oubre and someone like Ty Jerome.  If OKC has a better offer, put your cards on the table.  Otherwise, we aren't bidding against ourselves.  

I did hear that. My takeaway was a confirmation of my logic that #10 was what OKC would be most interested in attaining. 

I DID almost bring this thought here at some point the other day, but didn't: of the names rumored, Rubio has the most undesirable contract in terms of length (though it's not a terrible contract, imo). I can see the Mavs offering to take THAT contract as a means to get #10, in which case I'd probably give you guys the nod for being correct, even though Rubio ended up here. 

But, I don't think that deal would get done.

I realize you put the board on suicide watch for Rubio, but I LOVE him.  Been fantasy trading for him for 5-6 years.  I stopped with Luka here.  My concern is both Rubio and Luka are magic with the ball in their hands.  Rubio is also a good defender, but my worry is that off the ball you've taken away Ricky's superpower.

Then I dug deeper.  Rubio/Booker lineups are great.  So, he shares the spotlight just fine.  And, his corner and C&S 3's are actually pretty good these days (it's all the other 3's that he's still not good at).  He's also still a good on-the-ball defender.  Phoenix is 6.0 pp100 better on O when Ricky is in and 3.7 pp100 better on D.  That combined 9.7 is 7th best in the league (Millsap is #4 BTW).  

So, let's take Paul out of this and just talk Phoenix and Dallas.  DFS/Wright for Rubio saves them $4mm (cap room they could actually use...maybe FVV?).  It gets them a rotation guy at the 3/4 behind Bridges and Johnson in DFS and a third guard in Wright.  We know from the value charts that 18/31 is equal to about 13 or so.  Is it so hard to believe $4 million in space, and two good bench players on reasonable contracts in positions of need aren't worth the other three spots from 13 to 10?

If Rubio is the target of such a deal (pick or no pick), it makes the Millsap thing more palatable.  I don't think he comes here on a one year MLE.  Maybe a two and he and Rubio expire simultaneously?   Maybe cap room in 22 is a thing and we've taken on a couple of really good vets in Rubio and Millsap to transition us between now and then.

Yeah Ricky was the original child prodigy. Putting up a quadruple double and a few effortless triple doubles in FIBA youth championships, stepping up to CP13 and Kidd at age 17 in the Olympic finals. He was supposed to be Doncic. 

I love the player. The big question mark is the fit with Doncic. Phoenix needed a floor general, a veteran leader, a passer, a defender next to a deadly young shooter in Devin Booker. Rubio was the perfect fit. We might only need two of these functions: the veteran leader and the defender. Also Luka might be everything, but he´s not Booker, when it comes to pure outside shooting.