I´m always confused why we are trading prime assets like the #10 pick in this draft for players that are available late in the draft or free agency. All you have to do is find them. Basically this all just an excuse to be sh*tty at your job.
Capela was the 25th pick. Claxton was the 31st pick. I´m not giving up a top 10 pick in a generational draft for a player I can find late in the first or early in the 2nd round just because I suck at my job. That kind of lazy crap lands you right where we are. At worst you keep that top 10 pick, play him for a year and if he is NOT working out AT ALL, you can still get an expiring Capela for him in a trade.
The strategy should be:
1. Doncic (duh), Hardy, Green and #10 are completely untouchable. I don´t care how desperate these other teams think we are. That´s our young fallback nucleus. It´s untouchable. Nico is 1 for 1 in drafts, probably it is his true area of expertise, and Cuban doesn´t give a f*** about 2nd round picks, so he let Nico make the Hardy trade without running interference. Play to your potential strength.
2. No draft picks are used to off-set the negative trade value of Bertans and McGee. You ride it out. You don´t stretch-waive Bertans over five years for $6.6M, when he has only one guaranteed year left. Consider stretch-waiving McGee over five years at $2.34M, if you have to.
3. Wood, Kleber, Bullock and THJ are treated as net neutral draft assets, so all the value of the 2027 pick goes into the player acquisition.
4. Four regular roster spots are designated to player development/buy low options each summer. These spots are reserved for players 25 or under.
5. If you are 26+ years old and you are not considered to be a clear cut immediate top 9 rotational player upon acquisition (free agency or trade) then you are not good enough to be considered for win now purposes.
6. Two minimum slots are reserved for chemistry/veteran leaderships players.
7. Stay strong with Kyrie. He has no legit outside leverage. Don´t bid against yourself. 132/3 with a player option. 150/3 with a team option. Otherwise good luck in free agency. Pick between Houston or China, but be careful you don´t fall off the flat-earth there.
So going by those rules:
Draft Taylor Hendricks. (Rule 1)
Waive McGee. Keep Bertans. (Rule 2)
Trade Bullock to Philly for McDaniels (Rule 3)
Trade Kleber/THJ for Vucevic (Rule 3/Rule 5)
Sign Paul Reed, Mo Wagner, S. Mykhailiuk (Rule 4)
Sign Pinson and Powell to minimum deals (Rule 6)
Sign Kyrie 132/3 (Rule 7)
Irving 44
Doncic 40
Vucevic 22 (declining)
Bertans 17
McDaniels 10
Reed 10
Hendricks 4.7
Green 4.7
McGee 2.4 (dead money)
Hardy 1.7
Mykhailiuk 1.7
Wagner 1.7
Lawson 1.7
------
161.6
Doncic/Hardy/Pinson
Irving/Green/Lawson
McDaniels/Mykhailiuk/X
Reed/Hendricks/Bertans
Vucevic/Wagner/Powell
Doncic, Irving, Green, McDaniels and Reed as the defensive small ball monster line-up.
Kidd gets until Christmas to show he still has the attention of the team. Otherwise cut him loose.
Capela was the 25th pick. Claxton was the 31st pick. I´m not giving up a top 10 pick in a generational draft for a player I can find late in the first or early in the 2nd round just because I suck at my job. That kind of lazy crap lands you right where we are. At worst you keep that top 10 pick, play him for a year and if he is NOT working out AT ALL, you can still get an expiring Capela for him in a trade.
The strategy should be:
1. Doncic (duh), Hardy, Green and #10 are completely untouchable. I don´t care how desperate these other teams think we are. That´s our young fallback nucleus. It´s untouchable. Nico is 1 for 1 in drafts, probably it is his true area of expertise, and Cuban doesn´t give a f*** about 2nd round picks, so he let Nico make the Hardy trade without running interference. Play to your potential strength.
2. No draft picks are used to off-set the negative trade value of Bertans and McGee. You ride it out. You don´t stretch-waive Bertans over five years for $6.6M, when he has only one guaranteed year left. Consider stretch-waiving McGee over five years at $2.34M, if you have to.
3. Wood, Kleber, Bullock and THJ are treated as net neutral draft assets, so all the value of the 2027 pick goes into the player acquisition.
4. Four regular roster spots are designated to player development/buy low options each summer. These spots are reserved for players 25 or under.
5. If you are 26+ years old and you are not considered to be a clear cut immediate top 9 rotational player upon acquisition (free agency or trade) then you are not good enough to be considered for win now purposes.
6. Two minimum slots are reserved for chemistry/veteran leaderships players.
7. Stay strong with Kyrie. He has no legit outside leverage. Don´t bid against yourself. 132/3 with a player option. 150/3 with a team option. Otherwise good luck in free agency. Pick between Houston or China, but be careful you don´t fall off the flat-earth there.
So going by those rules:
Draft Taylor Hendricks. (Rule 1)
Waive McGee. Keep Bertans. (Rule 2)
Trade Bullock to Philly for McDaniels (Rule 3)
Trade Kleber/THJ for Vucevic (Rule 3/Rule 5)
Sign Paul Reed, Mo Wagner, S. Mykhailiuk (Rule 4)
Sign Pinson and Powell to minimum deals (Rule 6)
Sign Kyrie 132/3 (Rule 7)
Irving 44
Doncic 40
Vucevic 22 (declining)
Bertans 17
McDaniels 10
Reed 10
Hendricks 4.7
Green 4.7
McGee 2.4 (dead money)
Hardy 1.7
Mykhailiuk 1.7
Wagner 1.7
Lawson 1.7
------
161.6
Doncic/Hardy/Pinson
Irving/Green/Lawson
McDaniels/Mykhailiuk/X
Reed/Hendricks/Bertans
Vucevic/Wagner/Powell
Doncic, Irving, Green, McDaniels and Reed as the defensive small ball monster line-up.
Kidd gets until Christmas to show he still has the attention of the team. Otherwise cut him loose.