2019 Mavs Free Agency

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by Underdog

. That's why a guy like Kobe can go from being the "second-best player after Jordan" (by any metric) to barely scratching people's top-10 all-time list.

I don't buy this either. Kobe's legacy hasn't changed since his "third act." When did his "third act" start anyway? I guess those two titles in 2009 and 2010 were only the second act??

Either way, if Kobe is lower on people's list now, it's only because Lebron surpassed him. You might find a few people who would argue Duncan was better (myself included) but I think the consensus about him is now pretty much the same as it was when he was in his prime- *arguably* one of the top 10 greatest ever and easily one of the two or three greatest of his era. If there was ever a consensus that he was #2 all time behind MJ, I definitely missed that one.

[Bryan_Wilson]

Fact is as physically gifted as Lebron is and his skillset he should be number 1. But what he's lacking is what I care most about. I want my GOAT's to take challenges head on and view it as an insult when they fail. Not look to make things easier. If Lebron had a fraction of what Dirk has then he'd be the GOAT imo. Instead he built a super team then complained that they were top heavy. I don't know where I would rank him but it's not crazy imo to not rank him in the top 5. I can't think of any other player in the GOAT convo who decided it was too hard on his team to win, then built a super team elsewhere with another top 5 player, in the same conference no less, and added a 3rd player also from the same conference who was top 12-15ish, then shrunk under pressure, then tasted success then when things were going downhill again left and built a new super team. Then when KD did what he did and he was once again not the overwhelming favorite he left again and is once again trying to build another super team.

I just don't like it. At best he will be 3rd for me. Never higher. I just don't like a guy who is in the convo of best ever constantly wanting to play with rather than beat the best the NBA has to offer. He basically killed the Eastern conference for a decade. There was a year of Boston and a year of Rose before injury. Outside of that his biggest threat was PG13 and an inept Pacers team. And thanks to him that is what the NBA is for the foreseeable future. Superstars who if they can't win, will sign rich paul and demand a trade to pair up with other top 5-10 players to make it easy on themselves.

[Melonhead]

Peoples dislike for Lebron will always cloud how they view his accomplishments. Hes a walking inspiration for millions of kids and has never had one issue off the court. He's not afraid to speak out on issues, hes insane with his time spent in his communities. Hes lifted up many people.

The rest of the convo is too much to sift through. I put Jordan on the same plane as Lebron.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by Bryan_Wilson

Fact is as physically gifted as Lebron is and his skillset he should be number 1. But what he's lacking is what I care most about. I want my GOAT's to take challenges head on and view it as an insult when they fail. Not look to make things easier. If Lebron had a fraction of what Dirk has then he'd be the GOAT imo. Instead he built a super team then complained that they were top heavy. I don't know where I would rank him but it's not crazy imo to not rank him in the top 5. I can't think of any other player in the GOAT convo who decided it was too hard on his team to win, then built a super team elsewhere with another top 5 player, in the same conference no less, and added a 3rd player also from the same conference who was top 12-15ish, then shrunk under pressure, then tasted success then when things were going downhill again left and built a new super team. Then when KD did what he did and he was once again not the overwhelming favorite he left again and is once again trying to build another super team.

I just don't like it. At best he will be 3rd for me. Never higher. I just don't like a guy who is in the convo of best ever constantly wanting to play with rather than beat the best the NBA has to offer. He basically killed the Eastern conference for a decade. There was a year of Boston and a year of Rose before injury. Outside of that his biggest threat was PG13 and an inept Pacers team. And thanks to him that is what the NBA is for the foreseeable future. Superstars who if they can't win, will sign rich paul and demand a trade to pair up with other top 5-10 players to make it easy on themselves.

I've ranted about this before, and I just think it's crap. If you just don't like it, fine. That's your prerogative. But the idea that going to places where he has the best chance to win somehow makes him less of an athlete? That has always struck me as ridiculous. I just can't accept this notion that it's somehow more honorable, or manly or whatever... or better yet, more legitimate to stay with an incompetent franchise (which Cleveland absolutely was) rather than go somehwere where where you'll have a better supporting cast. It would be stubborn at best, stupid at worst. The idea that his rings are somehow not as meaningful because of where he won them? I don't buy it.

And for all the bitching about how weak the East was- apply that same crap to Magic as well. The West in the 80s was at least as weak as the East in the 2000s. No way does Magic make 9 finals and win 5 rings if he plays in the East. NOBODY holds that against him, but for some reason EVERYONE holds it against Lebron.

I don't know where I would rank him but it's not crazy imo to not rank him in the top 5.

I think it's silly to put him out of the top 5. Maybe not CRAZY. But silly. However, keeping him out of the top 5 *specifically because of missing the playoffs in this, his injury-ridden 16th season in the league? When he is STILL a top 5 player by any statistical measurement? THAT I think would be crazy. If you want to keep him out of the top 5 because a few other guys have more rings... ok. But on the outcome of one season, late in his career, when he's missed roughly a third of the season?

Let's list the guys you can make an even remotely plausible argument for over Lebron though. There aren't many.

MJ
Kareem (again, the two I have over Lebron)

Russell, Wilt (played when the game was in its infancy. Really tough to compare. Lebron already has more rings than Wilt, and Russell's 11 rings can largely be attributed to how great his teams were, and how little competition there was back then- only 8 teams.)

Those are the only ones I think are even plausible. Only 4. Lebron makes the top 5 even if you put Russell and Wilt over him. After that you're really reaching.

Bird and Magic? Lebron beats Bird by ANY measurement. Same number of rings. 3 finals MVPs to 2. All-stars, All-NBAs, MVPs, All-defense, individual numbers.... No comparison. And the only argument for Magic is 5 rings to 3, but Magic was only the best player on 3 of those teams, and their individual numbers don't come close. Both Magic and Bird won 3 MVPs to Lebron's 4 (and honestly Lebron should have 5 or 6 of those. For my money he definitely deserved it in 2011 and arguably a couple of other years too)

Kobe? Duncan? Again same arguments. 5 rings to 3 but Lebron's individual numbers are better than Kobe's or Duncan's across the board and both of those guys were only the best players on 2 or 3 of those title teams. 4 MVPs for Lebron. Only 2 for Duncan and 1 for Kobe.

Shaq? At his absolute peak during the Lakers 3-peat, you could make the argument. But his peak wasn't long enough because Shaq didn't have the work ethic. Longevity counts. Also only 1 MVP for Shaq. Career vs career, I don't think there's much comparison. And Lebron still has a few good years left.

After that who even is there? I mean guys who won multiple MVPs and Finals MVPs. Hakeem? Only 2 rings and 1 MVP. I can't even think of anyone else.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by Melonhead

Peoples dislike for Lebron will always cloud how they view his accomplishments. Hes a walking inspiration for millions of kids and has never had one issue off the court. He's not afraid to speak out on issues, hes insane with his time spent in his communities. Hes lifted up many people.

The rest of the convo is too much to sift through. I put Jordan on the same plane as Lebron.

+rep.

All of the arguments against Lebron as anything other than one of the absolute greatest to ever play strike me as just masking for people not liking him. Which is FINE. That's our right as sports fans, to hate players for completely irrational reasons. I get it. It's easy to hate anyone who's the face of the sport. I hated him for years too.

Here's why I can't anymore though. Lebron is THE reason I'm still an NBA fan. This is a fact. After the Mavs became irrelevant in recent years, I stopped caring about the NBA completely. Then in 2015 I watched the finals again, finally seeing Lebron neutrally and not with a preconceived hate, and was completely blown away. Even though the Cavs lost, I was blown away by his individual greatness. Then he topped that to a huge degree in 2016. Lebron's 2016 finals performance was by far the greatest I've ever seen, and I watched all of Jordan's.

Jordan made me love basketball when I was a small child, and Lebron made me love basketball again as an adult. For that, I can never hate him.

[Bryan_Wilson]

I don't think it's crap at all to dislike that he robbed us of seeing some great matchups. How awful would it have been if there was no Dirk Duncan rivalry because Dirk decided... you know what... I'm never going to win with these bums lemme call up Duncan and see if he wants to dominate the league for a decade. So yes the basketball fan in me is upset that the Eastern Conference playoffs have been unwatchable for basically a decade with the exception of a series or 2. And then KD doesn't make his move to GSW's if Lebron didn't pave the way with his. I don't care if KD's was worse he did the same thing just did it bigger. He made it as easy as he could to win. So thanks to Lebron the East playoffs were dead for a decade. And West playoffs are dead currently.

It's not like he left an inept organization and went somewhere to be Batman to a Robin. He went somewhere to have another Batman and an additional Robin. And not just any batman, a guy people had in their top 5 players. That's a huge difference and not just "oh he left a bad team". No, he left AND crippled the East by stacking 3 of it's best players on one team in one blow. He didn't even try to hide it with his victory party before a single game had been played with the infamous not 1 not 2 not 3~ etc.

And nobody is saying Lebron isn't one of the greatest ever. I've personally said multiple times he's in my top 5. But I don't understand why if someone says he might not be a top 5 player or that they might question it how that makes them a Lebron hater. That's ridiculous. Some people value different aspects of the game and some weigh era's differently. If someone insists he's the greatest or at worst 2nd greatest then they must be a Lebron apologist who make excuses for his failures and his decisions by that same logic. There are plenty of people who say Jordan is 3rd or 4th. They aren't called Jordan haters just that they appreciate greats before Jordan.

I don't hate Lebron. I hate Miami Heat Lebron. I hate that he is the reason the GSW's exist. KD does not go to the GSW's if Lebron doesn't create super teams. If you don't hate what Lebron did I still say there is no reason to hate what KD did. He joined a 73 win team that beat him. So what? He did exactly what people say Lebron did. He left behind a toxic RWB to win because he has a small window and wanted people to say he's better than Lebron. If Lebron never did it there is no way KD has the stones to make that move with how soft he is.

As far as the Lakers Lebron he will get the 8th seed. No excuses if he doesn't. He's 3 games back of the Clips who just traded away Their best player. He's 2 games back of the Kings. While they are improved Lebron should be able to beat them out. They would be a top 5 seed if Lebron didn't get hurt prolly.

It's too bad he didn't get AD this year and get a chance at his last title. Because starting next year the EURO DUO Luka+KP will shit all over the Lakers.

[MFFL]

Marc Stein

Q: Who is a realistic target for Dallas to land with a maximum contract offer beyond re-signing Kristaps Porzingis? I know Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Khris Middleton will be at the top of the list, but do you think they’ll end up signing someone like Nikola Vucevic instead? — Zachary Jay Cunningham

STEIN: Roughly a week before the Mavericks traded for Porzingis was the first time I heard that they were planning to go after the 7-foot-3 Latvian in restricted free agency.
Free agency, in other words, came early for Dallas, which is probably a good thing given how many July disappointments this team has endured since winning a championship in 2011.

The Mavericks are in the process now of identifying some new targets, because even the most optimistic officials in the organization didn’t expect to have secured both Porzingis and an estimated $30 million in looming salary-cap space before Valentine’s Day.

I have yet to hear any credible suggestion that the Mavericks can get in the mix for the elite free agents such as Durant, Thompson and Kyrie Irving. But Middleton is an inevitable (and sensible) target.

And what I have heard is that the Mavericks’ interest in Vucevic has been overstated. I don’t get the sense that they plan to go after him. Improving the team’s overall athleticism and foot speed, in addition to the very pressing need for more shooting, have been two of Dallas’ recent priorities.

(A disclaimer I feel the need to add from my wise capologist pal @AlbertNahmad: Dallas is still roughly $8 million shy of maximum cap space and faces a few roster decisions this summer before that figure can be pinpointed more precisely.)

[Murphy3]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

+rep.

All of the arguments against Lebron as anything other than one of the absolute greatest to ever play strike me as just masking for people not liking him. Which is FINE. That's our right as sports fans, to hate players for completely irrational reasons. I get it. It's easy to hate anyone who's the face of the sport. I hated him for years too.

Here's why I can't anymore though. Lebron is THE reason I'm still an NBA fan. This is a fact. After the Mavs became irrelevant in recent years, I stopped caring about the NBA completely. Then in 2015 I watched the finals again, finally seeing Lebron neutrally and not with a preconceived hate, and was completely blown away. Even though the Cavs lost, I was blown away by his individual greatness. Then he topped that to a huge degree in 2016. Lebron's 2016 finals performance was by far the greatest I've ever seen, and I watched all of Jordan's.

Jordan made me love basketball when I was a small child, and Lebron made me love basketball again as an adult. For that, I can never hate him.

Lebron is without a doubt one of the top 5 greatest players to ever play the game. I can't stand him.. but I recognize his greatness. But I don't care if he ever dribbles a basketball again in his life...I'll never forgive him for the way he forced he's handled himself off the court. I absolutely hated "The Decision"... I lost all respect for him with his belittling of Dirk... I cannot stand the way he imposed his will to force people out in various stops throughout his career.

[Me.B]

Originally Posted by MFFL

Marc Stein



Q: Who is a realistic target for Dallas to land with a maximum contract offer beyond re-signing Kristaps Porzingis? I know Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Khris Middleton will be at the top of the list, but do you think they’ll end up signing someone like Nikola Vucevic instead? — Zachary Jay Cunningham



STEIN: Roughly a week before the Mavericks traded for Porzingis was the first time I heard that they were planning to go after the 7-foot-3 Latvian in restricted free agency.

Free agency, in other words, came early for Dallas, which is probably a good thing given how many July disappointments this team has endured since winning a championship in 2011.



The Mavericks are in the process now of identifying some new targets, because even the most optimistic officials in the organization didn’t expect to have secured both Porzingis and an estimated $30 million in looming salary-cap space before Valentine’s Day.



I have yet to hear any credible suggestion that the Mavericks can get in the mix for the elite free agents such as Durant, Thompson and Kyrie Irving. But Middleton is an inevitable (and sensible) target.



And what I have heard is that the Mavericks’ interest in Vucevic has been overstated. I don’t get the sense that they plan to go after him. Improving the team’s overall athleticism and foot speed, in addition to the very pressing need for more shooting, have been two of Dallas’ recent priorities.



(A disclaimer I feel the need to add from my wise capologist pal @AlbertNahmad: Dallas is still roughly $8 million shy of maximum cap space and faces a few roster decisions this summer before that figure can be pinpointed more precisely.)

I didn’t see the part where Stein mentioned that even giving Middleton a max contract (even though he’s no KD or Kawhi) it would give the Mavs another player to help recruit Giannis in 2021. If the Bucks lose Middleton and are not able to sign an elite FA by then, they will not likely be in position to be legit title contenders. Dallas could then offer up a recruiting team of Middleton, Kostas, Luka, and KP to try an convince Giannis to sign with the Mavs. That would be a pretty convincing foursome to throw at Giannis. That would mean the Mavs likely won’t be contenders in ‘19 or ‘20 but they would be building a playoff team that only needs 1 more big piece to get over the hump. The key would be convincing Giannis he’s that piece.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by MFFL

Marc Stein

Q: Who is a realistic target for Dallas to land with a maximum contract offer beyond re-signing Kristaps Porzingis? I know Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Khris Middleton will be at the top of the list, but do you think they’ll end up signing someone like Nikola Vucevic instead? — Zachary Jay Cunningham

STEIN: Roughly a week before the Mavericks traded for Porzingis was the first time I heard that they were planning to go after the 7-foot-3 Latvian in restricted free agency.
Free agency, in other words, came early for Dallas, which is probably a good thing given how many July disappointments this team has endured since winning a championship in 2011.

The Mavericks are in the process now of identifying some new targets, because even the most optimistic officials in the organization didn’t expect to have secured both Porzingis and an estimated $30 million in looming salary-cap space before Valentine’s Day.

I have yet to hear any credible suggestion that the Mavericks can get in the mix for the elite free agents such as Durant, Thompson and Kyrie Irving. But Middleton is an inevitable (and sensible) target.

And what I have heard is that the Mavericks’ interest in Vucevic has been overstated. I don’t get the sense that they plan to go after him. Improving the team’s overall athleticism and foot speed, in addition to the very pressing need for more shooting, have been two of Dallas’ recent priorities.

(A disclaimer I feel the need to add from my wise capologist pal @AlbertNahmad: Dallas is still roughly $8 million shy of maximum cap space and faces a few roster decisions this summer before that figure can be pinpointed more precisely.)

I don't buy this line. I suspect they have considerable interest in Vucevic. He is a good shooter, rebounder, and can create his own offense as well. If they ended up with Middleton and nothing else I would still be excited, but they could surely use a big to help rebound over another having another athletic guy especially at the wing. DoFin, Hardaway, KP are athletes with foot speed and with Middleton you get shooting but not more athleticism than the above mentioned guys we already have.

I'll be glad when everyone moves past the idea of Giannis...and KD as well. It's wasted hope.

[sefant77]

Middleton isnt going anywhere...he told allready he wanna stay in Milwaukee and the Bucks are going to pay him. They built a contender, the value of their franchise skyrocked in the past two years...they are keeping the core. Specially not to piss off Giannis...

[Melonhead]

Originally Posted by Me.B

I didn’t see the part where Stein mentioned that even giving Middleton a max contract (even though he’s no KD or Kawhi) it would give the Mavs another player to help recruit Giannis in 2021. If the Bucks lose Middleton and are not able to sign an elite FA by then, they will not likely be in position to be legit title contenders. Dallas could then offer up a recruiting team of Middleton, Kostas, Luka, and KP to try an convince Giannis to sign with the Mavs. That would be a pretty convincing foursome to throw at Giannis. That would mean the Mavs likely won’t be contenders in ‘19 or ‘20 but they would be building a playoff team that only needs 1 more big piece to get over the hump. The key would be convincing Giannis he’s that piece.

Weve heard one more year for 7 years now. That puts the mavs at a decade of mediocrity going by your timeline. I think its silly to think Middleton would have ANY impact on where Giannis chooses 2 years from now. Not that itd be our reason to sign him, but its not gonna make or break his decision. Just like the myth of no state texas helps any player choose where to go play.

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by sefant77

Middleton isnt going anywhere...he told allready he wanna stay in Milwaukee and the Bucks are going to pay him. They built a contender, the value of their franchise skyrocked in the past two years...they are keeping the core. Specially not to piss off Giannis...

Yeah there is zero chance Middleton leaves.

Also think there is a zero percent chance of Durant, Kyrie, or Thompson.

Boogie is maybe 10%, but I'm not sure I'm interested

[DevinHarriswillstart]

I'm pretty meh on Middleton anyway...certainly not for the max.

[rimrocker]

Originally Posted by SMC0007

I don't buy this line. I suspect they have considerable interest in Vucevic. He is a good shooter, rebounder, and can create his own offense as well. If they ended up with Middleton and nothing else I would still be excited, but they could surely use a big to help rebound over another having another athletic guy especially at the wing. DoFin, Hardaway, KP are athletes with foot speed and with Middleton you get shooting but not more athleticism than the above mentioned guys we already have.

I'll be glad when everyone moves past the idea of Giannis...and KD as well. It's wasted hope.

Agree completely with all of this!
I think Vuc is their guy this off-season and they are just keeping quiet about it.

Also think Giannis and KD are pipe dreams and any major efforts to chase them will squander other opportunities.

[saclare]

Middleton would be nice, but not for near the money he will make in this market. I'd barf if we sent a max his way and honestly anything over $20mm AAV.

[sefant77]

Originally Posted by saclare

Middleton would be nice, but not for near the money he will make in this market. I'd barf if we sent a max his way and honestly anything over $20mm AAV.

You have to adjust to the new cap numbers. 109m this summer and 118m next summer. And the contracts handed our this summer will be allready in correlation to the 118m cap.

And 25m is what? Around 21% of the future total cap. So in the future it will be absolutly okay to pay your 2nd or 3rd star 20-25m a season. Because of the percentage of the total cap.

Its not an overpay if guys like Middleton or Vuc get their 25m deals this summer.

[saclare]

Originally Posted by sefant77

You have to adjust to the new cap numbers. 109m this summer and 118m next summer. And the contracts handed our this summer will be allready in correlation to the 118m cap.

And 25m is what? Around 21% of the future total cap. So in the future it will be absolutly okay to pay your 2nd or 3rd star 20-25m a season. Because of the percentage of the total cap.

Its not an overpay if guys like Middleton or Vuc get their 25m deals this summer.

Oh I get it. I'd put Vucevic way ahead in the pecking order of Mavs wants/needs this summer. I don't see it with Middleton and think we would be overpaying greatly. For the same money, give me Vucevic all day long.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Why would they go after Middleton though when they could have just kept Barnes? Middle is a better passer, but nothing else really jumps off the page.

[sefant77]

Better shooter, better passer (averaged 4 APG the past four seasons), better defender.

I always thought Barnes defense is overrated. Bigger guys like Randle always destroyed him and smaller guys blew by him

And just now Lowe with an article: http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/2...nd-second-star

[Melonhead]

I wouldnt mind going after Khris M but its a risk and I dont think he has any reason to a) leave and b) choose dallas. Not concerned about the overpay. You have to overpay for anyone now. And we desperately need rebounding so they better have some options in mind.

[SMC0007]

Regardless of IF Middleton would want to come here, He's not better than Barnes enough to justify putting max $ back into a fringe all-star at the 3 spot when we have other pressing needs. We just went thru this with tweeners like Barnes and Mathews, and it feels good to be out from under that weight financially and team fit. I'm not in a hurry to get right back there with taking a flyer on a guy that I have high doubt would be the difference maker on this team.

He's a nice player for sure, but it's wild to see any connections to getting Giannis here. So Giannis is supposed to go into next season counting the days where he can be re-united with his old Bucks mate who bailed when the team got good enough to compete?? There is no guarantee they don't win it all this year... I mean I find that easier to picture than the Middleton could attract Giannis to Dallas fantasy.

[Underdog]

Am I the only one who likes the fit/price of Brogdon better than Middleton, despite being a RFA?

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Am I the only one who likes the fit/price of Brogdon better than Middleton, despite being a RFA?

Yes, but I feel that these are a lot of these plan B overpaid types that would roughly have the same impact.

I'd still prioritize Vuc or Randle over someone like Middleton or Brogdon because I think they are in a bit of a higher tier.

Bigger question is whether the Mavs will wait to see if they can any A lister's attention this summer while these guys get swooped up.

Gotta be pretty skeptical that the Mavs put all their eggs into a B list player after trading Barnes. Honestly think they really will try hard for those untouchable guys.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

Yes, but I feel that these are a lot of these plan B overpaid types that would roughly have the same impact.

I'd still prioritize Vuc or Randle over someone like Middleton or Brogdon because I think they are in a bit of a higher tier.

Bigger question is whether the Mavs will wait to see if they can any A lister's attention this summer while these guys get swooped up.

Gotta be pretty skeptical that the Mavs put all their eggs into a B list player after trading Barnes. Honestly think they really will try hard for those untouchable guys.

I hope they try hard the A list guys.

They tried with Messley and Barnes on the b list and Barnes wasnt bad until he hit his ceiling and became an over priced misfit with our new build. Gotta be skeptical a bit about them spending too much as a fallback with plan B's to piece around Luka and KP. But I have faith they can figure it out.

[SMC0007]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Am I the only one who likes the fit/price of Brogdon better than Middleton, despite being a RFA?

I dont think Middleton is the lock that some other may..so no. I like Brogdan a lot. Vuce and Brogdan would be awesome

[Me.B]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

Why would they go after Middleton though when they could have just kept Barnes? Middle is a better passer, but nothing else really jumps off the page.

Middleton is a better shooter and defender. They average the same PPG but Middleton is slightly better rebounder and averages over 4 more assists per game. Barnes is an iso player that doesn’t fit what the Mavs want to do with their offense whereas Middleton with his ability to move without the ball, pass, and shoot is a much better fit. Max money is a bit steep for him though.

I honestly have no idea which way the Mavs will go in free agency. Adding Vucevic, Middleton, or Kemba would make the Mavs a better, each in a different way. This off season is going to be a lot of fun.

[Me.B]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Am I the only one who likes the fit/price of Brogdon better than Middleton, despite being a RFA?

I really like Brogdon and think he’d be a great fit in Dallas but don’t like him better than Middleton. Brogdon is also a RFA and will cost a ton to convince the Bucks not to match. They will have to seriously over pay if they want him.

[Me.B]

Originally Posted by SMC0007

I hope they try hard the A list guys.



They tried with Messley and Barnes on the b list and Barnes wasnt bad until he hit his ceiling and became an over priced misfit with our new build. Gotta be skeptical a bit about them spending too much as a fallback with plan B's to piece around Luka and KP. But I have faith they can figure it out.

I have one fear about them swinging for the fences again and going after an elite free agent. If they swing an miss I would hate for them to blow their wad and over pay a less talented guy in a knee jerk reaction to missing out on their #1 target. If they swing and miss I would prefer for them to not spend big and just roll their cap space into the next off season.

[MFFL]

Originally Posted by Me.B

I have one fear about them swinging for the fences again and going after an elite free agent. If they swing an miss I would hate for them to blow their wad and over pay a less talented guy in a knee jerk reaction to missing out on their #1 target. If they swing and miss I would prefer for them to not spend big and just roll their cap space into the next off season.

There are raises for DFS and Kleber plus we HAVE to get a center. I don't know if we'll have a max slot left. Plus who is out there next year?

[Me.B]

Originally Posted by MFFL

There are raises for DFS and Kleber plus we HAVE to get a center. I don't know if we'll have a max slot left. Plus who is out there next year?

There are a couple of older bigs that could play next to KP and be effective. They also shouldn’t command anywhere near max money. Guys like Valanciunas, Horford, Millsap, Ibaka, Tristan Thompson, and Favors are all UFA. Then there are a slew of young RFA that could potentially be available however Mavs would have to over pay to get them like Saric, Bogdanovic, Ingram, and Sabonis. Kostas will also be a UFA sonthe Mavs will also have to resign him but he’ll be cheap.

[rimrocker]

Originally Posted by Me.B

I really like Brogdon and think he’d be a great fit in Dallas but don’t like him better than Middleton. Brogdon is also a RFA and will cost a ton to convince the Bucks not to match. They will have to seriously over pay if they want him.

I'd absolutely love to have Brogdon but I'm not crazy about chasing RFAs.
I could be mistaken but hasn't that bitten us in the butt in the past?

He'd definitely be worth it, and I'd consider over paying, but I'd hate to lose out on Vuc or someone similar by waiting.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by rimrocker

I'd absolutely love to have Brogdon but I'm not crazy about chasing RFAs.
I could be mistaken but hasn't that bitten us in the butt in the past?

He'd definitely be worth it, and I'd consider over paying, but I'd hate to lose out on Vuc or someone similar by waiting.

Depends on what you mean by “bitten us in the butt” — the only RFA I can recall us going after was Chandler Parsons... So we got our guy, but we got our guy.

[Murphy3]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Depends on what you mean by “bitten us in the butt” — the only RFA I can recall us going after was Chandler Parsons... So we got our guy, but we got our guy.

Wasn't there a center or two?

[sefant77]

Gortat for the full MLE.

First they signed Bass to a big deal (more than we wanted to offer) and then they matched Gortat even when he told that he doesnt want to be Dwights backup anymore.

Magic fans talked trash for months how Otis owned Cuban blabla.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

100% sold on Vuc. The guy brings it every game, and the key is that he takes a lot of pressure off of Portz coming back from injury. Starting to thing he is in the A leaguers the way he has played this season.

[rimrocker]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Depends on what you mean by “bitten us in the butt” — the only RFA I can recall us going after was Chandler Parsons... So we got our guy, but we got our guy.

When I wrote that I was thinking of DJ but realize that was a different situation.
As someone else said though, Gortat was one but not exactly a huge issue.

I think losing out on Vuc would be huge though because he'd be the perfect guy to help protect KP from injury. I'm concerned if we don't get a center that Rick would actually play, KP will get overused which will vastly increase the probability of re-injury.
I'd like to see some strength and power in our frontcourt and Vuc would provide that and Rick would certainly play him heavy minutes. Powell and Maxi provide athleticism that Vuc wouldn't give us.

I think we'd be solid in our frontcourt with a Vuc/KP/Maxi/Powell/Kostas rotation.

[dirt_dobber]

Getting outrebounded by 20 in loss to the Nuggets - we HAVE to get Vuc. Size with nice hands and shooting touch.

[sefant77]

Look where Vuc is....

https://twitter.com/NBA_Math/status/...%26start%3D780

[Me.B]

Originally Posted by dirt_dobber

Getting outrebounded by 20 in loss to the Nuggets - we HAVE to get Vuc. Size with nice hands and shooting touch.

Yea they HAVE to do something to help with rebounding. If not it won’t matter how good Luka and KP are because they will have limited possessions. You can’t get killed on the boards like that and expect to have any kind of success. Vucevic would solve that problem and if not him (I hate to say this) so would Boogie.