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

[F Gump]

There are multiple layers of stupidity to dissect with the McGee move.  It is not a decision that any reasonable NBA front office would make unless:


1.  The head coach demanded he be gone

2.  The team's superstar insisted he be gone
 

You have omitted the 3rd possibility (in which JM wasn't going to play because he sux, but neither coach nor star had any input or preference on whether JM was on the roster or not).

In that one, the Mavs roster planners decided they need the cap/tax room for something. The deadline is Sept 1 to make a decision one way or the other on how you are going to account for the 5.7M this season. They still want to move his salary, but don't seem to have a taker, so they are at a crossroads.