*** Official 2025 - 2026 Dallas Mavericks Season Thread ***

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Infection_Ag11
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In reply to M.C. Swag • 7:30p, 6/14/26
AG
M.C. Swag said:
Infection_Ag11 said:
People are overthinking this. Brunson simply wasn't the player yet in Dallas that he became in New York. He's just a substantially better player now. When he signed with the Knicks he was not worth the hat they paid him which is why literally every franchise in the league laughed at them at the time.

The fact is they struck gold and got very lucky. Brunson is incredibly unique in terms of his athletic and size metrics vs production and efficiency. It was not foreseeable that he would become a superstar as the league dog on a title team.


Many people believed he was a max contract player (especially to the Mavs who were in obvious need of a secondary playmaker/scorer if they let JB walk).


Literally nobody else even considered offering him that kind of money and the Knicks were roundly mocked for doing do.
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
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Infection_Ag11
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In reply to mavsfan4ever • 7:31p, 6/14/26
AG
mavsfan4ever said:
Infection_Ag11 said:
People are overthinking this. Brunson simply wasn't the player yet in Dallas that he became in New York. He's just a substantially better player now. When he signed with the Knicks he was not worth the hat they paid him which is why literally every franchise in the league laughed at them at the time.

The fact is they struck gold and got very lucky. Brunson is incredibly unique in terms of his athletic and size metrics vs production and efficiency. It was not foreseeable that he would become a superstar as the league dog on a title team.


This just isn't true. See the playoff series where he dominated without Luka. Mavs screwed up and didn't use him right and didn't offer him what they should have multiple times. Not sure how it's possible the mavs didn't see what they had, but they didn't.

He was great (not as good as he is now but still great) immediately when he went NY and it was clear his contract was a steal. They don't overpay at all. Do you think he magically just got better in that one offseason? He was just that good.


Brunson showcased a skillset in NY that he never consistently displayed in Dallas. And, again, the Knicks were the only team to even think about offering him anywhere near what he got.
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
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Guitarsoup
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8:51p, 6/14/26
AG
Since PJ is on the block and Spurs need a PJish player

Keldon (ending contract for matching, saves about 2.5M)
+ 2027 1st unprotected Hawks
+ 2030 - extinguish the Spurs rights to the Mavs pick swap

Just curious
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Vessel
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In reply to M.C. Swag • 8:56p, 6/14/26
M.C. Swag said:
Vessel said:
"The Knicks deal was done and everyone knew that."

What else really has to be said after that? It's just wailing and gnashing of teeth over a lie Cuban told.

JB always wanted to have his own team and that team was always the Knicks with Rick there. It was probably done in '21, if not earlier. There wasn't anything we could do.


You're quoting Kirk (who is speculating)

It barely qualifies as speculation. Everybody semi-familiar with the situation knew that was the case and was either alluding to it or outright saying it at the time.
Quote:
and the rest of his post is agreeing precisely with my point.

There is no point other than wanting to be mad at the organization. He had an agreement with the Knicks and was leaving to be a Knick. There was nothing the Mavs could have done aside from trade Luka and offer the keys to JB. That's what he wanted.
Quote:
The Mavs failed to attempt a serious counter.

They didn't "fail" to counter. They chose to let a guy who did not want to be here go to a place he wanted to be. He did not want to be on the same team as Luka.
Quote:
Idk why you want to absolve the FO of this when it's so blatantly obvious they messed up the front end (allowing him to enter UFA) and back end (offering the max).

I'm not absolving, I'm choosing to remember what happened correctly after everything has been distorted for years now. People just see the inflammatory pictures of Luka/JB/KP with the caption "The Mavs fumbled this bag" and I'm not taking part in the ridiculous narratives people want to invent after the fact.

The Mavs offered JB a reasonable contract in the offseason of '21. By the time the 21-22 season started, he was all but gone. Even if he would have been an RFA, teams don't keep around players who don't want to be there. Maybe you S&T him for expirings and second round picks instead of letting him walk for nothing, but he was leaving either way.
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Vessel
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In reply to Guitarsoup • 8:57p, 6/14/26
Guitarsoup said:
Since PJ is on the block and Spurs need a PJish player

Keldon (ending contract for matching, saves about 2.5M)
+ 2027 1st unprotected Hawks
+ 2030 - extinguish the Spurs rights to the Mavs pick swap

Just curious

Change the Hawks pick to number 20 this year and I'd probably do it.
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Guitarsoup
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In reply to Vessel • 9:15p, 6/14/26
AG
Vessel said:
Guitarsoup said:
Since PJ is on the block and Spurs need a PJish player

Keldon (ending contract for matching, saves about 2.5M)
+ 2027 1st unprotected Hawks
+ 2030 - extinguish the Spurs rights to the Mavs pick swap

Just curious

Change the Hawks pick to number 20 this year and I'd probably do it.


I thought y'all might be more interested in an unprotected pick next year from a team that is typically mediocre since the Mavs don't own a pick next year

But with 20 you could probably get Burries then Christian Anderson then maybe Henri Veesaar at 30 to replace Gafford when he is inevitably traded
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Vessel
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In reply to mavsfan4ever • 9:20p, 6/14/26
mavsfan4ever said:
Infection_Ag11 said:
People are overthinking this. Brunson simply wasn't the player yet in Dallas that he became in New York. He's just a substantially better player now. When he signed with the Knicks he was not worth the hat they paid him which is why literally every franchise in the league laughed at them at the time.

The fact is they struck gold and got very lucky. Brunson is incredibly unique in terms of his athletic and size metrics vs production and efficiency. It was not foreseeable that he would become a superstar as the league dog on a title team.


This just isn't true. See the playoff series where he dominated without Luka. Mavs screwed up and didn't use him right and didn't offer him what they should have multiple times. Not sure how it's possible the mavs didn't see what they had, but they didn't.

He was great (not as good as he is now but still great) immediately when he went NY and it was clear his contract was a steal. They don't overpay at all. Do you think he magically just got better in that one offseason? He was just that good.

I think people are messing up timelines slightly. The Mavs offered JB a reasonable contract after he was completely played off the floor in the Clippers series in 2021. It's not that he was misused, it's that he was on a team with a 35% usage superstar.

Brunson's coming out party was the Jazz series in 2022. The Mavs knew what they had, but the problem is he was already gone to NY by the time the 21-22 season started. JB wanted his own team, so the only thing the Mavs could have done by the '22 offseason to keep him was to trade Luka and offer Brunson the keys.

When Brunson got the NY deal, it was widely ridiculed as overpaying for a guy who had a good playoffs. It was considered an overpay at the time the contract was signed. He immediately proved it wasn't an overpay during that next season, but people need to remember it as it was happening, and not with hindsight.
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Vessel
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In reply to Guitarsoup • 9:23p, 6/14/26
Guitarsoup said:
Vessel said:
Guitarsoup said:
Since PJ is on the block and Spurs need a PJish player

Keldon (ending contract for matching, saves about 2.5M)
+ 2027 1st unprotected Hawks
+ 2030 - extinguish the Spurs rights to the Mavs pick swap

Just curious

Change the Hawks pick to number 20 this year and I'd probably do it.


I thought y'all might be more interested in an unprotected pick next year from a team that is typically mediocre since the Mavs don't own a pick next year

But with 20 you could probably get Burries then Christian Anderson then maybe Henri Veesaar at 30 to replace Gafford when he is inevitably traded

Any team should be betting the Hawks are going to be a top 6 team in the East next year. They are adding pick 8 to their team and probably making a consolidation trade with Kuminga/Kispert/Risacher.
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Guitarsoup
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In reply to Vessel • 9:48p, 6/14/26
AG
Vessel said:
Guitarsoup said:
Vessel said:
Guitarsoup said:
Since PJ is on the block and Spurs need a PJish player

Keldon (ending contract for matching, saves about 2.5M)
+ 2027 1st unprotected Hawks
+ 2030 - extinguish the Spurs rights to the Mavs pick swap

Just curious

Change the Hawks pick to number 20 this year and I'd probably do it.


I thought y'all might be more interested in an unprotected pick next year from a team that is typically mediocre since the Mavs don't own a pick next year

But with 20 you could probably get Burries then Christian Anderson then maybe Henri Veesaar at 30 to replace Gafford when he is inevitably traded

Any team should be betting the Hawks are going to be a top 6 team in the East next year. They are adding pick 8 to their team and probably making a consolidation trade with Kuminga/Kispert/Risacher.

Maybe. They still don't have a PG or any interior defense. If 8 is Mara, is he ready to actually be good? If it is Flemmings or Brown, can they actually lead a team to the playoffs as a rookie PG? JJ+Dyson+NAW is a solid core, but I don't think anyone is scared of it.

The other thing is play in teams will have lottery balls this year.

Detroit, Knicks, Cavs, Celtics, Orlando with maybe some health and Sweeney, Charlotte adding a PF and center to 2nd year Kon, Indiana getting Hali back and having Zubac. Will Philly be healthy enough to get a top 6? Brooklyn doesn't have their pick and so they have to try to not suck. Raptors have Barnes, Ingram, RJ, Quick, CMB. Lots of teams in the East will look way different. I don't think top 6 is guaranteed.
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M.C. Swag
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In reply to Vessel • 11:24p, 6/14/26
AG
Vessel said:
M.C. Swag said:
Vessel said:
"The Knicks deal was done and everyone knew that."

What else really has to be said after that? It's just wailing and gnashing of teeth over a lie Cuban told.

JB always wanted to have his own team and that team was always the Knicks with Rick there. It was probably done in '21, if not earlier. There wasn't anything we could do.


You're quoting Kirk (who is speculating)

Quote:
I'm not absolving, I'm choosing to remember what happened correctly after everything has been distorted for years now. People just see the inflammatory pictures of Luka/JB/KP with the caption "The Mavs fumbled this bag" and I'm not taking part in the ridiculous narratives people want to invent after the fact.


And I'm telling you what happened. Cuban publicly declared he would offer the most money and simply did not. That plus allowing him to enter UFA via terms of his original rookie deal is another undisputed fact that directly impacted their ability to retain him. It's factually inarguable.
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Vessel
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In reply to M.C. Swag • 11:26p, 6/14/26
M.C. Swag said:
Vessel said:
M.C. Swag said:
Vessel said:
"The Knicks deal was done and everyone knew that."

What else really has to be said after that? It's just wailing and gnashing of teeth over a lie Cuban told.

JB always wanted to have his own team and that team was always the Knicks with Rick there. It was probably done in '21, if not earlier. There wasn't anything we could do.


You're quoting Kirk (who is speculating)

Quote:
I'm not absolving, I'm choosing to remember what happened correctly after everything has been distorted for years now. People just see the inflammatory pictures of Luka/JB/KP with the caption "The Mavs fumbled this bag" and I'm not taking part in the ridiculous narratives people want to invent after the fact.


And I'm telling you what happened. Cuban publicly declared he would offer the most money and simply did not. That plus allowing him to enter UFA via terms of his original rookie deal is another undisputed fact that directly impacted their ability to retain him. It's factually inarguable.


At this point we're just talking past each other. I'm not disputing anything you're saying. I'm just saying it's irrelevant because JB was going to the Knicks because he wanted to go to the Knicks. We had no ability to retain a player who did not want to play here.
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M.C. Swag
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In reply to Infection_Ag11 • 11:31p, 6/14/26
AG
Infection_Ag11 said:
M.C. Swag said:
Infection_Ag11 said:
People are overthinking this. Brunson simply wasn't the player yet in Dallas that he became in New York. He's just a substantially better player now. When he signed with the Knicks he was not worth the hat they paid him which is why literally every franchise in the league laughed at them at the time.

The fact is they struck gold and got very lucky. Brunson is incredibly unique in terms of his athletic and size metrics vs production and efficiency. It was not foreseeable that he would become a superstar as the league dog on a title team.


Many people believed he was a max contract player (especially to the Mavs who were in obvious need of a secondary playmaker/scorer if they let JB walk).


Literally nobody else even considered offering him that kind of money and the Knicks were roundly mocked for doing do.

? A ton of people were advocating for it (including myself). Scot McGuirre (known as @CBAMavs on twitter) wrote about how the Mavs literally gain nothing from letting him walk and overpaying to keep him was the obvious solution.

https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2022/6/24/23181616/paying-jalen-brunson-whatever-it-takes-makes-sense-nba-free-agency-dallas-mavericks
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M.C. Swag
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In reply to Vessel • 11:34p, 6/14/26
AG
Vessel said:
M.C. Swag said:
Vessel said:
M.C. Swag said:
Vessel said:
"The Knicks deal was done and everyone knew that."

What else really has to be said after that? It's just wailing and gnashing of teeth over a lie Cuban told.

JB always wanted to have his own team and that team was always the Knicks with Rick there. It was probably done in '21, if not earlier. There wasn't anything we could do.


You're quoting Kirk (who is speculating)

Quote:
I'm not absolving, I'm choosing to remember what happened correctly after everything has been distorted for years now. People just see the inflammatory pictures of Luka/JB/KP with the caption "The Mavs fumbled this bag" and I'm not taking part in the ridiculous narratives people want to invent after the fact.


And I'm telling you what happened. Cuban publicly declared he would offer the most money and simply did not. That plus allowing him to enter UFA via terms of his original rookie deal is another undisputed fact that directly impacted their ability to retain him. It's factually inarguable.


At this point we're just talking past each other. I'm not disputing anything you're saying. I'm just saying it's irrelevant because JB was going to the Knicks because he wanted to go to the Knicks. We had no ability to retain a player who did not want to play here.

You're not acknowledging the fact that the Mavs failed to make him say no the best possible offer. Can you acknowledge that? Because THAT IS THE POINT.
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Vessel
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In reply to M.C. Swag • 11:36p, 6/14/26
M.C. Swag said:
Vessel said:
M.C. Swag said:
Vessel said:
M.C. Swag said:
Vessel said:
"The Knicks deal was done and everyone knew that."

What else really has to be said after that? It's just wailing and gnashing of teeth over a lie Cuban told.

JB always wanted to have his own team and that team was always the Knicks with Rick there. It was probably done in '21, if not earlier. There wasn't anything we could do.


You're quoting Kirk (who is speculating)

Quote:
I'm not absolving, I'm choosing to remember what happened correctly after everything has been distorted for years now. People just see the inflammatory pictures of Luka/JB/KP with the caption "The Mavs fumbled this bag" and I'm not taking part in the ridiculous narratives people want to invent after the fact.


And I'm telling you what happened. Cuban publicly declared he would offer the most money and simply did not. That plus allowing him to enter UFA via terms of his original rookie deal is another undisputed fact that directly impacted their ability to retain him. It's factually inarguable.


At this point we're just talking past each other. I'm not disputing anything you're saying. I'm just saying it's irrelevant because JB was going to the Knicks because he wanted to go to the Knicks. We had no ability to retain a player who did not want to play here.

You're not acknowledging the fact that the Mavs failed to make him say no the best possible offer. Can you acknowledge that? Because THAT IS THE POINT.


Sure I'll acknowledge that if it makes you happy.

It's still irrelevant because JB wanted his own team away from Luka, not more money.
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Infection_Ag11
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In reply to M.C. Swag • 11:37p, 6/14/26
AG
But again, literally your only argument that they should have done so is "some fans and c list writers said they should". Meanwhile, literally every other GM in the league thought the Knicks vastly overpaid.

Anyone who says they believed in 2022 Jalen Brunson would be the best player on an NBA championship team is lying, full stop. No such person existed on this planet. Nobody in the Knicks organization even believed that. And anyone who claims the Knicks were not the outlier in his valuation at the time is participating in the height of revisionism.
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
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M.C. Swag
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In reply to Infection_Ag11 • 12:00a, 6/15/26
AG
Infection_Ag11 said:
But again, literally your only argument that they should have done so is "some fans and c list writers said they should". Meanwhile, literally every other GM in the league thought the Knicks vastly overpaid.

Anyone who says they believed in 2022 Jalen Brunson would be the best player on an NBA championship team is lying, full stop. No such person existed on this planet. Nobody in the Knicks organization even believed that. And anyone who claims the Knicks were not the outlier in his valuation at the time is participating in the height of revisionism.

Well ya my argument is my own. I don't have access to every GMs brain but it was obvious that keeping Brunson was a priority at any cost to many people (unfortunately our GM and Owner weren't amongst them).
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mavsfan4ever
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In reply to Infection_Ag11 • 9:06a, 6/15/26
AG
Infection_Ag11 said:
mavsfan4ever said:
Infection_Ag11 said:
People are overthinking this. Brunson simply wasn't the player yet in Dallas that he became in New York. He's just a substantially better player now. When he signed with the Knicks he was not worth the hat they paid him which is why literally every franchise in the league laughed at them at the time.

The fact is they struck gold and got very lucky. Brunson is incredibly unique in terms of his athletic and size metrics vs production and efficiency. It was not foreseeable that he would become a superstar as the league dog on a title team.


This just isn't true. See the playoff series where he dominated without Luka. Mavs screwed up and didn't use him right and didn't offer him what they should have multiple times. Not sure how it's possible the mavs didn't see what they had, but they didn't.

He was great (not as good as he is now but still great) immediately when he went NY and it was clear his contract was a steal. They don't overpay at all. Do you think he magically just got better in that one offseason? He was just that good.


Brunson showcased a skillset in NY that he never consistently displayed in Dallas. And, again, the Knicks were the only team to even think about offering him anywhere near what he got.


Go look at the 2022 playoffs. He had a 40 point game, 2 30 point games, and like 10 20+ point games, while helping lead us to the western conference finals with. Roster that was not good outside of Luka.

The fact that he didn't show that type of play for a couple of years is on Carlisle and the mavs. He was that good. He showed it in the playoffs and then the very next year when he went to NY. They somehow were too dumb to see what they had. Even in the regular season it was obvious he was very good but didn't get enough minutes.

Casual fans around the league probably thought NY overpaid bc they are just looking at stats (and his were somewhat low bc he didn't get enough minutes until the playoffs). But the playoffs showed he was easily worth the contract. It's not like the Knicks paid him 50 per year. It's inexcusable for the mavs not to realize how good he was and to not offer him an appropriate contract early on.

By the time it was late 2022 it was too late. He was going to NY. But we still should have made him say no to a max deal. If they had offered him earlier, I think he would have signed. Instead they slighted him and never even made an offer until it was too late.
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Vessel
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11:23a, 6/15/26


Quote:
The Clippers are emerging as a potential third team for Jaylen Brown in Giannis Antetokounmpo trade talks, with a deal that would send the No. 5 pick to Milwaukee, per
@GrantAfseth


"A potential multi-team trade framework making the rounds in league circles would bring Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Boston Celtics and send Jaylen Brown to the Los Angeles Clippers, with the Clippers' No. 5 overall pick going to the Milwaukee Bucks as part of the return, sources told Dallas Hoops Journal."

Interesting development that could impact the Mavs depending on who Milwaukee wants at 5. I: think they'd be a great Flemings team, but they could probably get him at 10 anyways, so maybe they take Mara or Ament here.
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Guitarsoup
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In reply to Vessel • 11:25a, 6/15/26
AG
I think Ament will be there at 10 though.


Who do clippers get for moving 5?
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Vessel
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In reply to Guitarsoup • 11:40a, 6/15/26
Guitarsoup said:
I think Ament will be there at 10 though.


Who do clippers get for moving 5?

Jaylen Brown.

Depends if Milwaukee believes the BKN smoke around Ament. Honestly Ament and Flemings is a really nice reset draft for them, and you have to pick them in some order. Maybe Mara and Flemings is something they feel better about.
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Vessel
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In reply to Guitarsoup • 2:20p, 6/15/26
Carter Bryant and 20 for PJ?
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In reply to Vessel • 2:28p, 6/15/26
AG
Vessel said:
Carter Bryant and 20 for PJ?


Salaries don't work and I want to keep him anyway. I would be willing to add Julian Champagnie on his $3M deal but would take away the first.

I think Champ on his $3M deal could be worthwhile to someone trying to cut salary but needs a rotation player
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500,000ags
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In reply to mavsfan4ever • 4:03p, 6/15/26
AG
That playoffs + college was my take. The guy clearly had/has a different basketball mental gear. I thought he would be a really good #2 option on a contender, which DAL has been overpaying my entire adulthood. Bonus points were that he could legit play without Luka on the floor.
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Vessel
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9:04a, 6/16/26
One week until draft day.
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jeffdjohnson
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In reply to Vessel • 9:37a, 6/16/26
Vessel said:
One week until draft day.

The Mavs team building strategy will be interesting this year. They should be looking to compete for the playoffs starting around 2028 with a 22 year old Flagg. I would be looking to trade useful players (PJ, Naji, Gafford) for future assets even if it means taking a step back this year. I wouldn't mind another Top 25 pick this draft. Plus the new flattened lottery odds could come into play for the Mavs. If they finish with the 4th - 10th worst record they get 3 ping-pong balls. That equates to ~15% odds of keeping their Top 2 pick. That isn't extremely high, but those are real odds.

I'm flipping Kyrie as well at the trade deadline to a contender if he looks good like I expect. Depending upon where he goes and how he looks, he could tilt the title race next year. I would also buyout Klay as a courtesy (assuming he wants to leave), he didn't deserve how this went down.

The Mavs should also try to preserve cap space for 2028 depending upon any Luka intel they get. If things go South for LA I'm not sure what he would want to do.
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Vessel
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In reply to jeffdjohnson • 11:25a, 6/16/26
I can get on board with those trade ideas. Doing everything I can to get something for Klay, even if it's just 2nd round picks to avoid just buying him out.

I'll add that there's a huge wildcard on the team in Dereck Lively. If he's healthy then the team will be good as long as there are capable players out there. He's one of the most impactful players in the league when he plays. He had insanely positive numbers in his small time, including without AD on the floor. He even had good metrics in 2025 with no Luka on the floor.

So we should also move off Lively if we want to do a semi-reset. That way we don't have an injured player sitting on the team with a question of if we should pay him for the future. But if he's on the team and playing, the team will be winning games, because he's that good.
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hph6203
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11:34a, 6/16/26
AG


Bill Simmons is such a creature of the present.
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Vessel
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In reply to hph6203 • 11:41a, 6/16/26
It's his pantheon pyramid, where career achievements are given consideration. Now that Brunson has a title, you have to have him above those guys in the pantheon. It's not a "which player would you rather have" or "who is better" conversation.
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Tksymm7
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In reply to hph6203 • 11:55a, 6/16/26
AG
He definitely is, which is part of what makes him so fun to listen to. But in his defense, we shouldn't understate what Brunson just accomplished in the broader scope of basketball history. It's not just that he won the Knicks (the freaking Knicks!!!) their first title in 53 years, it's who he is and the way he did it.

Brunson is a barely 6-foot-tall point guard with average NBA athleticism. He was a legendary college player in the Northeast who almost went undrafted, yet he actively sought out the pressure of playing in New York. Now, he's cementing himself as one of the most clutch playoff performers in recent memory; just look at him averaging 32.6 points, 4.6 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game, capped off by dropping 45 in Game 5. He's earned every bit of respect and historical accolade coming his way, and he's absolutely skyrocketing up the all-time rankings.

Brunson is a great example of what you win and who you win it for being more important than what you do over the course of your career. He'll never, ever touch the career numbers that Ewing did, Walt Frazier, or Heck even Carmelo Anthony. But by God he carried the Knicks to a championship.
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In reply to Vessel • 12:10p, 6/16/26
AG
He had LeBron and Barkley ahead of KG, Pippen and Wade in his ranking in the Book of Basketball. When he says ahead of he means better than.
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In reply to Vessel • 12:32p, 6/16/26
AG
Vessel said:
It's his pantheon pyramid, where career achievements are given consideration. Now that Brunson has a title, you have to have him above those guys in the pantheon. It's not a "which player would you rather have" or "who is better" conversation.


His pantheon was set up to support his favorite guys, too. Like he had Walton so high because of that one season Walton played over 60 games when no one would take that career over guys that were as good or better for longer
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Vessel
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In reply to hph6203 • 12:33p, 6/16/26
Probably some projecting going on with a guy in his prime and already in the GOAT conversation, assuming he won any rings. He also had Dirk 39th and then moved him up to 21ish after Dirk won a ring.

Career accomplishments are a major factor. Probably also a lot of "this guy won a championship which means he's better than X player with no championship" hindsight.

Is Brunson better than Luka? I don't think anybody would say he's better at basketball than Luka, but he has a championship and Luka doesn't so does that make Brunson "better?" At the moment he has a better career accomplishment, at minimum.
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Vessel
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4:50p, 6/16/26
The Ringer updated their Top 100 today. Coop at 41 between Bane and Gordon. Harper at 45 and Kon at 47.

Feels pretty fair. I think Coop can compete for top 20-25ish by the middle of next season.

https://nbarankings.theringer.com/
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AggieEP
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In reply to Vessel • 7:10p, 6/16/26
Part of Bill Simmons' appeal to a lot of folks is that he takes a fan's perspective to how he looks at basketball and he unashamedly has his biases that he admits to.

As long as you know that going in, he's fun to listen to every once in a while. He's not an expert, and I'm not even sure he knows how to really play basketball, but he sure has made a lot of money talking about it.
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Guitarsoup
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In reply to AggieEP • 7:22p, 6/16/26
AG
He also clearly stopped watching most of the NBA a few years ago and goes off social media narratives. There was something that cracked be way up last year when he was talking to Rusillo where he just didn't know who a common player was and have a completely wrong archetype.

He has some fun stuff and can be a good listen, but he's just entertainment fluff for the most part.

Lowe is so much better for national guys
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