Trade & FA 2023-24: Stein-Ingram Trade Inevitable| LAL Want Lebron Back On Any Terms

[DanSchwartzgan]

Yeah, me too. But Claxton had an excellent season and is a one year rental. 

List of current centers that make sense for Mavs team:
1. Capela. They might prefer Okongwu going forward. He is not worth a #10 pick but the difference between #10 and their #15 is not that big to incentivize them to take back a bad contract like Bertans or McGee. I mean, I would immediately do Bullock+McGee+#10 for Capela and #15, but I doubt they would. Would you throw in Hardy?

I’m kind of intrigued by the idea of trading Bullock and #10 at the draft.  The way to overcome the flight risk concerns about Claxton would be to trade for someone who is a trade match for Bullock now, but will be restricted in the summer of 2024 (unlike Claxton who is UFA).

What about #10 with Bullock for Okongwu.  Atlanta is trying to win now, but in the summer of 24, they have to pay Murray, Bey and Okongwu and already have substantial money committed.  If they have 10 and 15, they can use 10 for BPA and 15 on a backup C.

Is 10 too much for Okongwu?  I don’t think so.  He’s starter quality, plays good D, is on the right timeline.  He wouldn’t be available if not for his impending free agency and Atlanta’s proximity to the second apron if they retain Murray.   He’s an Excel guy (we don’t know the relationship there any more, but we know it is better than the CAA relationship) and he’s restricted a year from now.  Yeah, #10 might yield someone who is better in the long-run (it might also yield someone who is a complete bust), but #10 won’t yield an starter-ready C like Okongwu.