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

[F Gump]

Stein mentioned WCJr being available in a note again today.  He’s been mentioning this a good bit and no one else is really saying much about him.  Stein has also been strangely quiet about Mav’s rumors.  If “league officials” are saying Carter is available, are those “league sources” coming from Dallas.

If he was healthy, Carter would really be a good fit here.  He’s rarely healthy, but neither is Maxi.  Would you rather have younger Maxi who gets hurt a lot of older Maxi who gets hurt a lot.  I could see Dallas having more interest in WCJr if Maxi was part of the deal (so hang in there, it’s coming).

The price for Orlando is THJ.  They are 29th in the league in 3 point shooting and THJ isn’t shy.  And obviously, the Magic coach knows him well.  THJ for WCJ doesn’t seem like an even swap given WCJ’s health.  So, the question for me is whether there is a way of engineering a deal that has elements other than THJ for broken down Carter Jr.

Turns out THJ is a match for WCJr and Ingles.  So, call that the first trade.  Ingles, BTW, has a TO for next year at $11mm (so call him an expiring contract with benefits).  Orlando is currently about $5mm under the cap and once that trade is done they will be enough under the cap to fit Maxi into their cap.  So, trade #2 is Maxi for a second rounder and an $11mm TPE.  The last benefit of such a deal is that Dallas now sits $8mm under the tax for the current season and could use the rest of the MLE or their existing TPE to take on a player and still be under the tax.  

So, the net result of such a deal end up

THJ (who isn’t ideal here)
Maxi (who is never healthy)

For

Ingles (who is just as bad defensively, but you can run some offense through him and can be expiring)
WCJr (who when healthy is a much better and longer Maxi)
TPE of $11mm
Ability to use the current MLE or TPE and stay under the tax
2nd round pick 

If we could ever get a week where both Maxi and Carter are healthy, I could see them doing this.  A couple more guys and we could run an all-Australia lineup at times.

Well thought out and reasonably possible idea imo (although fyi I believe the two-trade aspect isn't needed to net the TPE).

THJ-Maxi     FOR    WCJ-Ingles-SRP

In theory you might want to send Holmes rather than Maxi, if you think Maxi has any future potential to contribute here. (From ORL perspective, taking Holmes is less salary to have to accept, and any C they get is probably going to play much anyhow. Holmes actually offers DAL a bigger TPE, too.)

The question is whether the Mavs are the same without THJ. If they feel Hardy (or a Hardy-Curry combo) can sufficiently fill the same minutes, it seems like a swap with benefits for both teams. But THJ has a fairly sizable role right now.

The cap potential isn't a game changer really, assuming Ingles expires and walks. You have opened up enough room to be in the same roster place next year as now, which is to say you now have the MLE to re-sign DJJ, plus room for 2 min-salary players to be added, and with a bit of careful cap work you land right at or below the tax line. That's basically the same roster. In that context, it feels unlikely they would use any TPE. Room for DJJ is a plus, of course, so it's a start.