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

[StrandedOnBeauboisHill]

Also Ayton has re-trade value. You do that trade just based on Ayton´s value for rebuilding teams. His contract is also only one year longer than THJ/Holmes, too. Maybe it was Cuban being very cheap again. 

But didn't we just see what his trade value is (which makes the Hardaway/Holmes rumor a little more believable although I think there was plenty more to it than simply "please take McGee out of the package")?  Looks like, at least to the Suns, it was just a couple of rotation players and not even ones on great contracts.  And from the Mavs perspective, you make that trade assuming it works and not banking on re-trade value because if this is Ayton's trade NOW then imagine what it is if he ends up having another "meh" sort of season and shows more maturity issues.  If he turned out to play well for the Mavs then re-trading never enters the equation anyway.

I would also say that framing it as "only one year longer than THJ/Holmes" doesn't really do the size on Ayton's contract justice.  You'd be taking on an additional 40M overall which is why I assume the Mavs would have been adamant about including McGee in any deal.  Plenty of reasons to complain about Cuban being cheap but this is a deal that I'm glad he walked away from.  I would say the Suns know more about Ayton than anyone on this board and the fact that they were so eager to get off that contract speaks volumes.  I would also say that the Hardaway/Holmes package will most likely be shopped all the way into February and I think that there are better targets than a 100M center littered with red flags after we just drafted someone at the same position.