Lauri Markkanen S&T to Cleveland, LNJ to Portland

[NYRaider]

On 9/18/2021 at 11:21 PM, the lone star said:

Especially now that the Mavs picked up Frank Ntilikina. 

If the Mavs make this trade...
http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=yhr65bq6

Then they'd have Dragic and two open roster spots. They also have a $10.9 million TPE, which could be used on 1-2 players. I'm not sure who they should target with that, but that will present itself as the year progresses. Guys like Montrezl Harrell and Jeremy Lamb are trade targets due to their situations or rumors that have already made some headlines. I'd take either guy, with a preference for Montrezl because he can get some boards and bring toughness. But the Mavs do need more depth along the wing, and Lamb could provide them with that.

But we'll see what happens.  

Dallas needs to pursue Zach Lavine or Collin Sexton in free agency next summer. After seeing the Cavaliers just trade for Lauri, I still think it would've made sense to pursue a Love/Sexton for KP deal.

[the lone star]

1 hour ago, NYRaider said:

Dallas needs to pursue Zach Lavine or Collin Sexton in free agency next summer. After seeing the Cavaliers just trade for Lauri, I still think it would've made sense to pursue a Love/Sexton for KP deal.

Mavs won't have cap space though, so it'd have to be a sign and trade.

[NYRaider]

17 minutes ago, the lone star said:

Mavs won't have cap space though, so it'd have to be a sign and trade.

It's still a possibility if Lavine wants to come to Dallas. We just saw Kyle Lowry get S&T'd to his preferred destination. Sexton as a RFA as well if Cleveland doesn't want to pay him just like Lonzo and the Pelicans. 

[the lone star]

1 hour ago, NYRaider said:

It's still a possibility if Lavine wants to come to Dallas. We just saw Kyle Lowry get S&T'd to his preferred destination. Sexton as a RFA as well if Cleveland doesn't want to pay him just like Lonzo and the Pelicans. 

Yeah, it's possible. Mavs would probably have to re-sign Brunson and then trade him in return. Probably throw in someone like Dwight Powell too.

[NYRaider]

2 hours ago, the lone star said:

Yeah, it's possible. Mavs would probably have to re-sign Brunson and then trade him in return. Probably throw in someone like Dwight Powell too.

Yeah if he wants to come a deal will get done for sure. I think a LaVine/Luka combo would be so fun.

[the lone star]

On 9/24/2021 at 1:26 PM, NYRaider said:

Yeah if he wants to come a deal will get done for sure. I think a LaVine/Luka combo would be so fun.

That'd be cool, but I doubt it happens. I think Mavs should just build with the MLE, draft, and then through trades. Maybe they can get a guy like Robert Covington with the MLE, and they need to develop guys like Josh Green and Tyrell Terry.

[NYRaider]

1 hour ago, the lone star said:

That'd be cool, but I doubt it happens. I think Mavs should just build with the MLE, draft, and then through trades. Maybe they can get a guy like Robert Covington with the MLE, and they need to develop guys like Josh Green and Tyrell Terry.

What was the point of hiring Nico Harrison if that's the plan? He has 0 NBA front office experience.

[the lone star]

On 10/6/2021 at 7:53 PM, NYRaider said:

What was the point of hiring Nico Harrison if that's the plan? He has 0 NBA front office experience.

Possible trades, I guess. That and he can still do work with the MLE, draft, etc.. But Cuban has final approval on all moves, so the GM position doesn't really matter too much. Donnie Nelson would make suggestions to Cuban, and they'd get turned down. But sometimes Cuban was on board with them. So there's some flexibility, but we all know Cuban runs the front office. Nico Harrison is there because of changing of the guard was needed, he's well-liked, has done well in the business world, has formed valuable connections with current players, has potential as a GM, and the Mavs are committed to diversity (listen to the CEO's interview on How I Built This).

[NYRaider]

33 minutes ago, the lone star said:

Possible trades, I guess. That and he can still do work with the MLE, draft, etc.. But Cuban has final approval on all moves, so the GM position doesn't really matter too much. Donnie Nelson would make suggestions to Cuban, and they'd get turned down. But sometimes Cuban was on board with them. So there's some flexibility, but we all know Cuban runs the front office. Nico Harrison is there because of changing of the guard was needed, he's well-liked, has done well in the business world, has formed valuable connections with current players, has potential as a GM, and the Mavs are committed to diversity (listen to the CEO's interview on How I Built This).

You didn't hire Nico Harrison to nickel and dime the roster into contention he has zero experience running an NBA team, scouting prospects, or making trades. He was hired because of his relationships with agents/players around the leagues so that you could recruit players via free agency to come play with Luka. Mark Cuban has tried year in and year out to recruit stars to Dallas but has failed. He sees that you have a window with a budding superstar in Luka and doesn't want to lose out on it if the team can't win and he ultimately forces his way out. You guys just offered Kyle Lowry $90M+ in free agency, lol.

[the lone star]

On 10/8/2021 at 2:17 PM, NYRaider said:

You didn't hire Nico Harrison to nickel and dime the roster into contention he has zero experience running an NBA team, scouting prospects, or making trades. He was hired because of his relationships with agents/players around the leagues so that you could recruit players via free agency to come play with Luka. Mark Cuban has tried year in and year out to recruit stars to Dallas but has failed. He sees that you have a window with a budding superstar in Luka and doesn't want to lose out on it if the team can't win and he ultimately forces his way out. You guys just offered Kyle Lowry $90M+ in free agency, lol.

That too, but Mavs don't have cap space for the foreseeable future now, thanks to the Luka extension and THJ deal. Plus they gotta re-sign Brunson to a new contract, so it'll have to be through trades, the MLE, the draft, and other exceptions (BAE, vet min, etc.). 

Bullock, Sterling Brown, Moses Brown, and Ntilikina were savvy gets, but they don't move the needle a whole lot. Need to make trades. Maybe they can use the TPE on someone halfway decent. 

I thought it was most interesting that they opted to keep the ball in Luka's hands though. Not that it's a bad idea, just that, the team needs another ISO playmaker/scorer. Do you know if they offered anything to DeRozan?

[NYRaider]

4 hours ago, the lone star said:

That too, but Mavs don't have cap space for the foreseeable future now, thanks to the Luka extension and THJ deal. Plus they gotta re-sign Brunson to a new contract, so it'll have to be through trades, the MLE, the draft, and other exceptions (BAE, vet min, etc.). 

Bullock, Sterling Brown, Moses Brown, and Ntilikina were savvy gets, but they don't move the needle a whole lot. Need to make trades. Maybe they can use the TPE on someone halfway decent. 

I thought it was most interesting that they opted to keep the ball in Luka's hands though. Not that it's a bad idea, just that, the team needs another ISO playmaker/scorer. Do you know if they offered anything to DeRozan?

As I discussed with someone else on here, the NBA landscape is shifting. Throughout modern NBA history there are typically 3-5 teams in the luxury team at most. This year there are like 11 teams in the tax and the Heat are like $100,000 outside of it. Teams that believe they can win are making win now moves to try and stack as much talent as possible. They're not trying to bring in questionable young role players and hoping for the best, it's like the NBA Cold War right now and everyone is trying to stock up on as much firepower as possible. 

I'm not sure if you made an offer to DeRozan but it was widely reported that you made the largest offer that Lowry received and he declined it to sign in Miami. The plan wasn't to just develop your current team, it was to make a big splash in free agency, you missed and then overpaid lower level free agents like Cuban has done year after year.

[the lone star]

17 hours ago, NYRaider said:

As I discussed with someone else on here, the NBA landscape is shifting. Throughout modern NBA history there are typically 3-5 teams in the luxury team at most. This year there are like 11 teams in the tax and the Heat are like $100,000 outside of it. Teams that believe they can win are making win now moves to try and stack as much talent as possible. They're not trying to bring in questionable young role players and hoping for the best, it's like the NBA Cold War right now and everyone is trying to stock up on as much firepower as possible. 

I'm not sure if you made an offer to DeRozan but it was widely reported that you made the largest offer that Lowry received and he declined it to sign in Miami. The plan wasn't to just develop your current team, it was to make a big splash in free agency, you missed and then overpaid lower level free agents like Cuban has done year after year.

We don't know how much tax Cuban is willing to pay though. His main source of income now are his investments, as he sold off Broadcast.com decades ago. That puts him in a unique spot, as the team is his main source of valuation, and his other investments/ventures are what drive his income/liquidity....at least on a yearly basis. The budget might be stiffer than other teams, but honestly, we don't really know. I don't think he's willing to pay too much in tax.

The team wanted Lowry, but they operated as an over-the-cap team, which is why they targeted Bullock and Sterling Brown very quickly. That also means that FA signing would have had to been a S&T, much how Lowry to MIA happened.

THJ instead of Lowry stings a bit, but THJ ain't bad, and his contract is cheaper than Lowry's, plus it declines in value each year. That, again, goes back to us not knowing how much tax Cuban is willing to pay. The fact that he wanted it to decline in value does tell us that the repeat penalties do make a big difference for him.

Moses Brown was a savvy get, and I like that they dumped Josh Richardson. Ntilikina is what they need defensively at PG too, but let's see how much PT either guy gets.

I wish they had targeted DeMar though. Lonzo would have been an interesting get as well.

Also, They wanted to max Luka this year, which they did. That's good, and he earned that contract. 

I'm hoping the coaching and FO changes affect the culture, especially now that guys like Kidd, Dirk, Barea, Finley, and Tyson Chandler (unofficially) are all involved with the organization again. 

But since the Mavs are capped, the model going forward will be S&Ts, actual trades, MLE, BAE, vet min (buyouts and reclamation projects), the draft, and developing the youth they have. That model got them to the finals in 2006 and 2011 and they won a championship because of it. Not bad, but like you said, the NBA landscape has changed, and will continue to change. 

Speaking of, when will the CBA need to be renegotiated?

[NYRaider]

22 minutes ago, the lone star said:

We don't know how much tax Cuban is willing to pay though. His main source of income now are his investments, as he sold off Broadcast.com decades ago. That puts him in a unique spot, as the team is his main source of valuation, and his other investments/ventures are what drive his income/liquidity....at least on a yearly basis. The budget might be stiffer than other teams, but honestly, we don't really know. I don't think he's willing to pay too much in tax.

The team wanted Lowry, but they operated as an over-the-cap team, which is why they targeted Bullock and Sterling Brown very quickly. That also means that FA signing would have had to been a S&T, much how Lowry to MIA happened.

THJ instead of Lowry stings a bit, but THJ ain't bad, and his contract is cheaper than Lowry's, plus it declines in value each year. That, again, goes back to us not knowing how much tax Cuban is willing to pay. The fact that he wanted it to decline in value does tell us that the repeat penalties do make a big difference for him.

Moses Brown was a savvy get, and I like that they dumped Josh Richardson. Ntilikina is what they need defensively at PG too, but let's see how much PT either guy gets.

I wish they had targeted DeMar though. Lonzo would have been an interesting get as well.

Also, They wanted to max Luka this year, which they did. That's good, and he earned that contract. 

I'm hoping the coaching and FO changes affect the culture, especially now that guys like Kidd, Dirk, Barea, Finley, and Tyson Chandler (unofficially) are all involved with the organization again. 

But since the Mavs are capped, the model going forward will be S&Ts, actual trades, MLE, BAE, vet min (buyouts and reclamation projects), the draft, and developing the youth they have. That model got them to the finals in 2006 and 2011 and they won a championship because of it. Not bad, but like you said, the NBA landscape has changed, and will continue to change. 

Speaking of, when will the CBA need to be renegotiated?

These are moves that are eventually going to push Luka to demand a trade.

[the lone star]

22 minutes ago, NYRaider said:

These are moves that are eventually going to push Luka to demand a trade.

We'll see. KP's more likely to be traded than Luka. No doubt about that.

[the lone star]

Oh and let's not forget how the Mavs turned garbage into KP and THJ. They sent the Knicks, DSJ, DAJ, Wes Matthews, and 2 first round picks for KP, THJ, Lee, and Burke. 

The Mavs have a history of making those kinds of deals. They've gotten guys like Kidd, Jason Terry, Tyson Chandler, Shawn Marion, Caron Butler, Jamison, Stackhouse, Antoine Walker, Dampier, Haywood, Juwan Howard, Van Exel, LaFrentz, and Devin Harris through trades. That's a good track record tbh.

And they technically got Dirk, Luka, and Nash through trades too.