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

[KillerLeft]

But the reality is that Caruso is a 29 year old role player and Hardy is a 20 year old with massive upside.

That’s the game. 

When do you cash in on a player? When do you have patience? How far out of the best interest path of the team are you willing to go to give that young player the sunlight, water and oxygen he needs to grow? Are you 100% sure he’ll ever be what you want him to be, and if so, can you realistically provide the runway for him to take off, or would he need to be on another team to get there? When does it make sense to add a veteran who can contribute right now? How many of those players would you need to add, and how good would they need to be, to contend quickly? 

We all talk a big game, but I imagine these decisions are super tough when the stakes are real. 

Based on the constant barrage of reminders that THJ has been shopped all summer, my guess is that the Mavs aren’t ready to move Hardy. But, if they expect Hardy to be the third scorer for the team this year, that should tell us something about what they think about their chances to contend, imo. 

This is going to be a VERY interesting season.