(06-27-2021, 04:19 PM)KillerLeft Wrote: Yeah, I'd say that's likely. I doubt the Mavs have the ammo to get Dame, but ....
"We aren't the right trade partner for ____ reason" is the mindset the Mavs have adopted for years. Unless that changes, we'll see the same failure to get a star.
There's one main criteria for getting Lillard, and having "the ammo" isn't it. The only thing that really will matter is being where Dame wants to be traded, if he forces his way out. (If you doubt this, see Harden, James. But he's not the only example.) The better the player, the more he, not his team, drives the destination.
If Dame wants to come here, the Mavs can find the assets. "The best you have" is what it will take, within trade-matching limits, and Luka won't be on that list. (Who else will be exempt? Perhaps one or two other good players. And salaries will drive a lot of the discussion.) Even if the assets aren't perfect, they should be good enough. Because the star drives the destination, and no team wants to be the buyer who trades a ton for him and then has a disgruntled player who doesn't want to be there.