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

[KillerLeft]

If one thinks we are a 9 seed and a good trade might get us to 6, that is far different than someone who thinks we are a 4/5 seed and a good trade might get us to 2.

I think we end up vying for 4th/5th seed as constructed.  Making the West Finals would be dependent on matchup.  So, similar to 21-22.  If we made a trade (call it Grant) and it cost us 2027 unprotected, but that probably ensured a WCF appearance.  Is that good enough to be "true"?  What is the line where it is OK to give up a pick and an asset?  What is the line where it is pick, but not one of the kids?

I’ve been thinking a lot about how to answer this specifically, because I think it is kind of the most pertinent question that’s dividing us. The truth is, we don’t know whether we are the 9 seed trying to get to 6 or the 4/5 trying to get to 2. It seems like you are in the latter camp, and to be fully transparent I think I’m leaning that direction myself. I don’t think we know exactly how good this team is yet, but I have a pretty good feeling that they will win 50 and finish in the top six, avoiding the play-in. 

To me, that’s a pretty damn good season already. Just accomplishing that.

You say a big trade might be worth doing if it gets them from there to the two seed, or makes it more likely they get to the conference finals. Even though I lean more towards your current evaluation of the team than what is probably the average on this board, I disagree with this thinking.

As asset-strapped as the Mavs have been by their own doing these past few years, and as thankful as we all are (or should be, at least) for a glimmer of sudden hope, I’m just really afraid of what another “all-in” failure would do. For starters, it’s shocking how small a Mavs trade could be and still qualify as “all-in.” That’s not great. 

To answer your question as directly as I can: no, making it an extra round or two in the playoffs would not justify such a trade in my mind. Not in and of itself. Maybe if the guy(s) added was young and was going to be around a long time. Even then, I hope he’s not an expensive center. 

I think the line to get me to throw caution to the wind would be: if the deal made it plausible that this team could beat Denver or Boston in a seven game series. I am not sure that such a deal exists this year, before the team has some idea of how to play together. I think it’s going to take literally a couple of playoff series together for them to learn how to do that.