zgolfz85 said:

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NoahAg said:

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https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/47245704/shams-pass-nba-trade-deadline-notes-news-buzz-anthony-davis-giannis-antetokounmpo-teams

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yes please. if he goes on to MVP like seasons and playing 82 games a year elsewhere, so be it.....but lol yeah right. I don't think his injury-prone participation is going to be getting any better as his metabolism slows with too much weight on that frame.

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100% - he's a ticking time bomb and we can't afford to have that cap abomination explode with this roster. Move him as fast as you can.

zgolfz85 said:

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This Mavs season….is interesting

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This will be the unusual season of playing the Nets 3 times due to the NBA Cup scheduling.


The Mavs and Pelicans play the two crossover games vs the Nets and Bulls.


The addition of the Jazz and Nets to the Mavericks' schedule does not help if one is hoping for a better draft pick, but it does help get them to the play-in..

REPORT: The No. 1 seed Pistons are expected to pursue Anthony Davis and could offer Jaden Ivey, Tobias Harris, expiring contracts and picks, h/t @esidery.

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) December 9, 2025

I don't think Sidery or Legion are quality sources, but here it is.

The problem is that Tobias+Ivey doesn't get you there financially and they don't have other expirings.

You need to add $8MM more to the outgoing for the Pistons to make it work. Jalen Duren is their only other expiring contract over the min and they obviously want to keep him.

You can get there if you add Beef Stew (15M with two years left)

You could also add Ron Holland and make it work.

Caris LaVert as 1y15M left after this year, and he makes it work.

One of those could be routed to a 3rd team as well for an expiring. Like you could send Beef Stew to the Spurs and get Olynyk (13M expiring.)

Pistons own all their own draft picks, so can send multiple, since they aren't all expected to be good.

Guitarsoup said:

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REPORT: The No. 1 seed Pistons are expected to pursue Anthony Davis and could offer Jaden Ivey, Tobias Harris, expiring contracts and picks, h/t @esidery.

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) December 9, 2025

I don't think Sidery or Legion are quality sources, but here it is.

The problem is that Tobias+Ivey doesn't get you there financially and they don't have other expirings.

You need to add $8MM more to the outgoing for the Pistons to make it work. Jalen Duren is their only other expiring contract over the min and they obviously want to keep him.

You can get there if you add Beef Stew (15M with two years left)

You could also add Ron Holland and make it work.

Caris LaVert as 1y15M left after this year, and he makes it work.

One of those could be routed to a 3rd team as well for an expiring. Like you could send Beef Stew to the Spurs and get Olynyk (13M expiring.)

Pistons own all their own draft picks, so can send multiple, since they aren't all expected to be good.

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I never understand how you have this level of front office management knowledge. Why are you not working in sports?

That's just salary matching requirements stuff that is part of the discussion of any trade. There's more complicated aspects to the CBA. Used to know most of the rules, but that was two CBA's ago. Since then when the addition of multiple aprons and compounding luxury tax it got way more complicated on the implications of trades. Dallas' situation is comparatively easy, because their goal is dump talent, don't take back salary on non-usable pieces.

hph6203 said:

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That's just salary matching requirements stuff that is part of the discussion of any trade. There's more complicated aspects to the CBA. Used to know most of the rules, but that was two CBA's ago. Since then when the addition of multiple aprons and compounding luxury tax it got way more complicated on the implications of trades. Dallas' situation is comparatively easy, because their goal is dump talent, don't take back salary on non-usable pieces.

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Maybe understanding is the wrong word. Maybe having the time to be able to understand it and know the contracts so intimately is what I meant more so.

Yeah, this one in particular is very easy because you are just matching salary and trying to get Dallas the least amount of 2027 salary as possible and cutting this season's salary as well.

The apron and multi-team deals are significantly more complicated - like anything with Giannis to the Knicks is crazy difficult to pull off and be fair value because you probably have to send KAT or OG+Bridges to third teams to get picks back to Milwaukee.

I've turned down two NBA jobs and previously worked for a national media company. I did consider doing my masters in data analytics, but went another direction (finally graduate next year.) I don't reasonably have the analytics knowledge to get the only types of NBA jobs I would want. The ones I am actually qualified aren't worth it. Sports jobs in general really suck because you are spending nights and weekends at games. Once my kids started getting to school, I realized I didn't see them if I was at games and not home at nights and on the weekends.

Guitarsoup said:

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Yeah, this one in particular is very easy because you are just matching salary and trying to get Dallas the least amount of 2027 salary as possible and cutting this season's salary as well.

The apron and multi-team deals are significantly more complicated - like anything with Giannis to the Knicks is crazy difficult to pull off and be fair value because you probably have to send KAT or OG+Bridges to third teams to get picks back to Milwaukee.

I've turned down two NBA jobs and previously worked for a national media company. I did consider doing my masters in data analytics, but went another direction (finally graduate next year.) I don't reasonably have the analytics knowledge to get the only types of NBA jobs I would want. The ones I am actually qualified aren't worth it. Sports jobs in general really suck because you are spending nights and weekends at games. Once my kids started getting to school, I realized I didn't see them if I was at games and not home at nights and on the weekends.

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Ha nice there ya go…and true on the sports jobs. Most outside of playing or coaching are far from glamorous. I was courted by some teams and a sports sales head hunter early on in my sales career days and it can be lucrative eventually, but it's a lot of grind years with long hours and missed holidays to get to a fun level.

zgolfz85 said:

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Guitarsoup said:

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Yeah, this one in particular is very easy because you are just matching salary and trying to get Dallas the least amount of 2027 salary as possible and cutting this season's salary as well.

The apron and multi-team deals are significantly more complicated - like anything with Giannis to the Knicks is crazy difficult to pull off and be fair value because you probably have to send KAT or OG+Bridges to third teams to get picks back to Milwaukee.

I've turned down two NBA jobs and previously worked for a national media company. I did consider doing my masters in data analytics, but went another direction (finally graduate next year.) I don't reasonably have the analytics knowledge to get the only types of NBA jobs I would want. The ones I am actually qualified aren't worth it. Sports jobs in general really suck because you are spending nights and weekends at games. Once my kids started getting to school, I realized I didn't see them if I was at games and not home at nights and on the weekends.

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Ha nice there ya go…and true on the sports jobs. Most outside of playing or coaching are far from glamorous. I was courted by some teams and a sports sales head hunter early on in my sales career days and it can be lucrative eventually, but it's a lot of grind years with long hours and missed holidays to get to a fun level.

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Yeah, my cousin met her husband while they both worked for the Pistons. He got a job with the Nuggets and was there for several Joker years. He's gone to another team now and is a VP of a team, but man it is long hours. Even though it pays pretty well, I don't think it pays as well as it should for the type of job it is. I have no interest in that.

If I wanted to go that direction, I would have made a blog/YT channel and actually post this stuff on Twitter/Reddit. A lot of those guys have gotten hired to jobs. I'm much happier with the career path I have taken. The trade talk stuff is just fun.

Lively having surgery and out for the year per Shams

He's right behind AD in terms of constantly being injured. I don't think you can trade Gafford now. I get wanting to trade assets for players and picks that would help us in the future, but you still need to put guys around Flagg to help him grow and succeed.

Bigs with foot problems don't last long in the NBA. Hate to see it

Yeah, that's why Lively was on my "accepting trade calls for everyone but Flagg" list, but with this history, he'll be hard to get anything now. This just fuels fire to accelerate the dump and tank on the rest of the roster. You try to resuscitate his value next year

gigem06 said:

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Lively having surgery and out for the year per Shams

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Another data point to add to the absolute failure of this medical staff

I still have no clue how the Mavs navigate this situation. For this year it does make sense to shed salary and assets to obtain picks, wiggle room and future pieces because they have their own pick in this upcoming draft. After this year being terrible and "building for the future" makes no sense because they DON'T have their own pick for like the next five years. It's a weird scenario where being bad for this year is a good idea but after that they need to be competitive because there's no benefit to being awful.

This is why they need to get bad in a hurray.

It's a terrible place to be. What a cluster that Cuban and the Adelson/Dumonts have created, and so avoidable

Tksymm7 said:

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I still have no clue how the Mavs navigate this situation. For this year it does make sense to shed salary and assets to obtain picks, wiggle room and future pieces because they have their own pick in this upcoming draft. After this year being terrible and "building for the future" makes no sense because they DON'T have their own pick for like the next five years. It's a weird scenario where being bad for this year is a good idea but after that they need to be competitive because there's no benefit to being awful.

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I agree, it's just when it comes to AD specifically, I think it's fool's gold to hold on to him because he serves neither 'building for the future' or 'winning now'. The 'idea' of AD is that he's a win-now, championship caliber, player but in reality he's an albatross. The Mavs CANNOT re-sign him. Period. In 2026 he will be owed $58m...which is roughly 35% of the salary cap. That's untenable for a player that cant stay healthy. They have to move him for the best offer or they risk setting 40% of their entire cap on fire for a player that spends more time in Packers jersey's than Mavs jerseys.

Fully agree. I think they hold onto him till around new years, hopefully he plays in almost every game during that stretch other than for maintenance purposes, and then deal him for a few picks and a player or two. Detroit is who I would really be looking at. They are a team where if AD is playing like a top 15 player in the league, they are head and shoulders the best team in the East. They also have some solid players and their own picks to send back. You just need a third team to help with the money.

yep, we need AD to keep playing well and stay hot so we can get all the offers we can and hopefully have some options.

M.C. Swag said:

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gigem06 said:

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Lively having surgery and out for the year per Shams

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Another data point to add to the absolute failure of this medical staff

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Is there something they could have done to prevent this?

Wembanyana has been hurt for a month too. Guys this big playing this tough and athletic of a game just break down it seems.

They misdiagnosed him a year ago and it was publicly reported that he had to seek second opinions this season. So from a prevention standpoint, likely nothing but from a diagnosis/treatment plan, it seems like this staff is just incompetent.

Similarly no idea how this staff passed Exum on his physical before the Mavs waived OMax to sign him.

South Platte said:

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M.C. Swag said:

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gigem06 said:

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Lively having surgery and out for the year per Shams

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Another data point to add to the absolute failure of this medical staff

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Is there something they could have done to prevent this?

Wembanyana has been hurt for a month too. Guys this big playing this tough and athletic of a game just break down it seems.

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I think the Spurs are just being insanely cautious because he has a strained calf and the fear that strained calf leads to achilles and the rash of achilles injuries in the NBA the last couple/few years. Wemby is fully practicing. Spurs have always been very conservative in treatments and the team has played really well without Wemby (8-3 overall) so no need to rush him back.

No real disagreement here except for the fact that I think in the summer time, because everyone is back to 0-0 and there is more hope in the air for teams, that there could and would be more potential suitors for AD. Also, teams could be coming off of significant money in an offseason and getting his salary to fit on a payroll might be easier.

Making a trade like that in season is so hard because the pool of teams to dance with is microscopic, not only from a salary perspective, but also from a perspective of you are trading him up the league table to teams that think they can win something, and that pool is also microscopic right now with the existence of OKC. No one in the west is taking him because it won't matter because OKC. Then there are maybe three or four teams that could legitimately take on that contract in the East THIS YEAR.

It's an absolute rock and a hard place, but tbh I think that Mavs should probably value their salary cap more than anything at this moment. Don't chase fixing the mistake that was the Luka trade. Simply try and get yourself in a much, much better salary cap situation and be done with it, because they are so hampered from a salary perspective right now.

And to build off of this; if you can trade him before this deadline, then heck yeah you do it, but if you don't have any suitors and nothing works out then you try again in the summer when I think the odds will go up. It just is what it is from that perspective. The most important things are getting some cap relief so you can afford to sign guys like Nembhard, Max Christie and hopefully Lively AFTER he comes back and plays next season, and putting Coop in a situation where he can grow and succeed.

DannyDuberstein said:

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Yep, this is a sunk costs are irrelevant situation. There will be no face-saving here. You get the best you can from what is available, you get your cap situation right, and you move on.

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And the message I saw yesterday on Twitter from DeMont was that he's following the sunk cost fallacy and not wanting to compound errors.

But I think the sooner you trade Davis the better for a few reasons.

1. The same teams that will be interested in him will be interested in giannis, and I'm not sure that giannis will be traded before he gets healthy. I think you want to be them to the punch if it means you can get the best value
2. The sooner you can make the decision about tanking versus trying to get a play-in spot, the better. Personally, I think this is such an elite draft class that the only smart decision is to tank one more year.
3. The sooner you move him, the sooner you can focus on the overall team direction and right now it feels a little bit rudderless because it's a sort of limbo time.
4. AD's value isn't going to go up with time and there's always the risk of a major injury

I saw a post earlier that said the Mavs want to see AD, Flagg, and Kyrie play together before deciding on a trade. Any validity to that? That's mid January at the earliest right?

DannyDuberstein said:

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I would not be surprised if DuMont wants that because TommyBoy is surely holding out some hope that he could salvage a bit of "hey, this worked" face-saving. But that would be a major mistake. They need to be in the mix to get near the top of this draft

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I think you are exactly right. He's going to screw it up because he wants to save face and the Mavs will be in that not good enough to win and not bad enough to get a good pick purgatory.

W over the Nets. Play-in bound!