The question on ANY player must be "will he fit in with Luka". Pretty sure the consensus on Irving is that he absolutely would not.South Platte said:
So nobody's going to bring up Kyrie Irving? We don't want him, no way Jose? 7 time All-Star?
Luka's game cannot be set in stone - he's 23. If we hope to win a title, he will have to modify his game to complement a top level player. Maybe Kyrie isn't that player. But how often are future Hall of Famers are sitting around at 30 years old looking for a team to spend the rest of his career with?Ol Jock 99 said:The question on ANY player must be "will he fit in with Luka". Pretty sure the consensus on Irving is that he absolutely would not.South Platte said:
So nobody's going to bring up Kyrie Irving? We don't want him, no way Jose? 7 time All-Star?
Texas Ag 15 said:
i've read some of that as well, specifically, Brunson's camp feeling that he will be limited in development here with Luka since he is so ball dominant. It's definitely a larger risk for him to go to the Knicks where you have to prove you can be THE guy vs you can just follow Luka.
My question would be, what is the backup plan for the Mavs if Brunson doesn't resign? You have to spend that money somehow, and not sure who would even be available for the Mavs to get
Quote:
2022
The Mavericks wouldn't gain any mechanism this offseason if Brunson leaves into the Knicks cap space. Dallas is way over the cap. It could help the Mavericks to avoid the tax apron. They would still need to shed more salary but getting below would be easier when you minus what would have been Brunson's $20 million or more salary. That could open the door for receiving a free agent in a sign-and-trade but the Mavericks would have to send out assets to shed the extra money and it might prevent them from being able to use their MLE.
2023
Dallas will also not be a cap space team in 2023 so the benefit of Brunson leaving wouldn't be anything substantial. It could allow the Mavericks to have the Full MLE rather than the Taxpayer MLE depending on who they re-sign out of Maxi Kleber, Christian Wood, Dwight Powell, or Frank Ntilikina.
2024
The Mavericks project to potentially have $45 million in cap space, right! However, that's with only 4 salaries. They will surely add salaries in the future that push them past the point of having usable cap space. The point is, if you have a supermax guy like Luka Doncic and want to remain competitive, you generally won't have cap space.
2025
This is the year where it IS possible the Mavericks could have cap space because their books are pretty clear now. The new TV deal kicks in that year and the Mavericks have a few contracts expiring that summer: Davis Bertans, Tim Hardaway, and maybe an opt-out Dorian Finney-Smith. So signing Brunson COULD block our potential cap space then EXCEPT he'd be 28 and with the cap going up would likely opt out himself!
- - -
Brunson signing for an uncomfortably high amount would not impair the Mavericks in any way. However not re-signing him would yield very little in terms of helping Dallas with team building while also making the Mavericks substantially worse for Luka's young prime.
It would be a huge mistake to let Brunson walk to save a potential $5 million and would be dumb according to their cap sheet and the CBA. Even if you gauge his initial value at $18 million, paying an $18 million dollar player $25 million (or even $27 million) would be a better outcome than hunting for his replacement using the same $6.392 million taxpayer MLE we already have.
If Brunson comes out at his hypothetical Knicks press conference and says something like "The Mavericks offered me more money but I wanted to be with my dad and Leon in the Big Apple" then we would reasonably blame Donnie Nelson for signing him to a non-guaranteed 4th year instead of a team option AND Nico Harrison for not signing Brunson to an extension when it was possible.
It's true that the Luxury Tax is a real threat this season and I have pegged their tax being over $80 million if they re-sign Brunson and use the Taxpayer MLE. They might get some relief next year with Powell and Wood expiring, but having a supermax top five player means Dallas will be in the tax if they want to complete for a championship. Since Luka has stated his goal and Cuban has said keeping Luka is job number one… I don't see letting Brunson walk as a possibility.
More from @CBAMavs on why a sign and trade with the Knicks is unlikely.Peter Klaven said:
I don't see any way the Mavs will just "let Brunson walk". The Knicks can't give him anywhere near as much money as the Mavs so a sign and trade is the logical step in making this happen. Will the Mavs get good value in return from the Knicks? That remains to be seen...
There are also reports about him feeling slighted by not being extended and wanting the Mavs to dramatically outbid the Knicks…who is to say $30 mil for Brunson wouldn't end up being KP 2.0 and he became unmovable if he didn't continue to step forward? I'm annoyed we didn't resign him but don't feel like it's a huge loss in all honesty.Fore Left! said:
I don't know that this was Cuban's choice. They hire his dad, his ex-agent (father of his current agent) is running the team, he gets to be lead dog.
Goldie Wilson said:
If he wants to go there and be the guy then so be it, but no reason to not at least outbid the Knicks. He's certainly much better than nothing at all (nothingatall, nothingatall, nothingatall).
The Knicks are trading Nerlens Noel & Alec Burks to the Pistons, clearing more than $19M in cap space, which clears the way to pursue a sign and trade for Jalen Brunson
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 29, 2022
NY is also sending Detroit their 2023 second-rounder back, a 2024 second-rounder, and $6 million, per @wojespn pic.twitter.com/9kuxW0ofaB
When free agency opens on Thursday, the New York Knicks are expected to present Jalen Brunson a four-year offer in the vicinity of $110 million, league sources tell @YahooSports.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 29, 2022