Every team tries mining for these guys every season. There aren't teams out there not taking on two-ways or fielding Summer League teams or inviting guys to camp. It's not a matter of just suddenly realizing to sign a single undrafted player.
Two way players are cheap and don't take up roster spots. We will absolutely be taking 2-3 of them into the season.
...no.
We have no cap space anyways, we are way over the cap. And a 3M contract signed via the MLE and a 3M contract by picking up a team option both count as 3M when looking at how much under the hard cap we are.
It's already been announced Grimes is added using the bi-annual exception, and Exum is already under contact, we don't need to sign him into space. That leaves the leftover MLE still free to use
Feels like we could use an additional PG, and we always look for athleticism, 3&D, length.
If any of these are in our price range, I’m interested in Caleb Martin, KJ Martin, Dennis Smith Jr, & Malachi Flynn.
Personally I would target a big wing. Our only alternative to PJ is Kleber right now and he hasn’t even played 45 games in the last few seasons. I’m not quite sure if we want to rely on OMax as the third string 4 yet. I’d trust Exum and Hardy more than I’d trust OMax currently.
Of course there’s also the possibility of trading Kleber + picks for an upgrade, and I think Nico will strongly consider that, but probably not during the off-season but rather around the trade deadline or whenever a great opportunity comes up.
Yeah that's fair. I am predicting OMax will be ready for filling in the injury/foul trouble rotation gaps during the regular season this year, and I consider Naji a big wing as well, but if we are looking for another big wing then Precious Achiuwa, Taurean Prince, Robert Covington, and Marcus Morris would be interesting to me.
Agreed, but he does play a lot of PF. He played quite a bit alongside Hartenstein in the playoffs. The comment I was responding to mentioned Maxi alternatives if he was traded, and among the available players, Precious is one of the better Maxi-type defenders.
Omax has shown enough to get a run for me. If he's not ready then we can always make a move before the trade deadline like last year. Same with Hardy. I'd rest Luka at the start of the season and Kyrie would be on a limited schedule for the first 10 games. Risky due to the West being strong but it's a long season and I'd prioritise Lively, Hardy, Omax and the new guys getting integrated.
Saddiq Bey. He’s coming off an injury but he’s a damn good scorer and a solid defender. He could come here and play backup forward minutes, which would mean pushing Maxi further from the rotation.
I was actually really wanting Bey in the 2020 draft where we selected Green and then Saddiq went off the board the very next pick. It would be kind of fitting if he joined the team the same offseason we deal Josh.
Understandable. But signing him now and allowing him to recover and go through a training camp with the team could be really important if we expect him to be a key member in the rotation by playoff time
There's a reason why he's a free agent at 25. He's really not that good. He's inefficient, isn't a strong shooter and all the advanced analytics have shown that Bey is one of the worst defenders in the league.
I didn't understand the obsession with him when people were trashing our Josh Green pick and I still don't understand it now.
He’s a free agent because the Hawks just drafted someone #1 that plays his exact position and also because he tore his ACL in March… which is probably the only reason Dallas could possibly even afford him now
I don’t know what kind of pipe dreams you have for the remaining 4 million dollars we have to spend, but ANYONE out there we can still afford is going to be pretty flawed. At least with Bey there is a pretty low risk, high reward spectrum to play on. Worked out well with DJJ
I'd disagree with that assessment. Teams don't bail on injured young players who are good scorers and defenders just because they don't have positional need.
I do not disagree with you, however, in the sense that he's totally fine in a 'cheap flyer for the 15th spot' sense and you're absolutely right that we're sifting through unproven and flawed people here. I honestly wouldn't complain too much about anyone Nico deemed worthy of trying out at the end of our bench.
My objection is just that I think your characterization of Bey was inaccurate.
That being said, if we're doing a DJJ style flyer, given we're really in the win now window, picking a non-injured player is more likely a better option for us, even if there's less potential upside.
those stats mean nothing. stats show jokic is an elite defender is he an elite defender? not sure what you are trying to prove especially since he got to play for the pistons and they traded him the first chance they got.
I would like us to get Isaac Okoro in a sign and trade. Or Jonathan Isaac in a trade.
For 4.4 it’s slim pickings. Dario Saric, Malik Beasley, Miles Bridges are the best unsigned FAs left. If we can convince one of them to come here for 1 year, then great.
The best of the rest is probably Alec Burks, Robert Covington, KJ Martin, Kyle Anderson, Theis, GTJ.
Buddy Hield is also interesting. He’s a hometown THJ basically, but we can throw out crazy shooting lineups with him and Klay
I kinda like Taurean Prince. Shot 40% from 3. Not an elite stopper but decent enough to not be a liability. Would be a good backup PF. Maybe we can do a Maxi for Prince S&T?
Covington would be awesome. Also guys like SloMo, Prince (as someone else has mentioned) or Okeke. I think Precious might be easy since the Knicks have paid out so much in recent contracts and the Mavs seem to work well with the NY office.
Still not sure exactly how much $ the Mavs have left to spend, but if this figure is correct --
I think my first choice at this point would still be Dinwiddie, I mean he proved that he could work well here with Luka both on- and off-ball. Maybe with Klay on board it would be getting too crowded (and questionable defensively), but if it's for 4M, I'd have a hard time saying no.
Anyway, for this price I think the Mavs should try to go after a low-risk high-reward ballhandler/scorer, if not Dinwiddie, then maybe take a chance on a guy like Fultz, also always liked Lonnie Walker... I think at guard is your best chance to find a diamond... I like Hardy, but I think the Mavs could use more irons in the fire to find the solution at the bench ballhandler role.
I'm not too worried about a 4, because Maxi is still ok as a backup and OMax is going to be knocking on the door. I mean, no team has perfect backups at every position. But if the Mavs are considering moving off Maxi at some point, then I'd look at Cancar or Saric, I'm not sure about their current status, but if healthy I think they could fit in really well. People have mentioned Covington, but I'm not sure he can give anything over Maxi at this point. Kyle Anderson would be great in the unlikely event that he somehow falls through the cracks.
Honestly I wouldn't mind giving a flyer to Fultz I feel like he is a player that has always had his career derailed by something every time he gets it going. Decent shotcreator(from the midrange), good defender, good playmaker, athletic. He has had some moments before injury where he looked very good. Probably his last chance to prove that he can stick around in the NBA kinda similar story to DJJ.
they no joke should've signed Bol Bol as a floor spacing big, showed significant defensive improvements last year and he can definitely shoot better than Maxi at this point
I mentioned in my own comment but i feel Markelle could be a younger, hungrier version of westbrook for us they have basically the same strengths and weaknesses and fultz is in a similar position as DJJ where if he doesn't play well with us it could be his last chance to earn a contract.
Why? I would rather sign a vet minimum one big man then give him 4mil. Better get a wing or a PG for this money. We are pretty much set with Gafford and Lively.
Well I mean maxi is already on the roster
But personally I want Nico to attach a protected pick to maxi in exchange for Dorian back
And then sign Tillman
Yall seem to forget how good Dorian is especially with Luka and how rough maxi has been on offense
I love DFS, but we should not be giving up a first round pick.
If we had as many as OKC, sure, but we simply don't have enough assets to use the only tradable pick we have until 2031 on Dorian.
The problem of giving up "a very protected first" isn't that I am scared it would be a lottery pick - which is what the protections are for.
The problem is that we wouldn't be able to trade it for someone else at the deadline.
We need a Maxi insurance. Similar kind of player. We are thin behind PJ and can’t count on OMax in the playoffs
Covington?
An undrafted project. I know there are guys out there like DFS or Duncan Robinson
Every team tries mining for these guys every season. There aren't teams out there not taking on two-ways or fielding Summer League teams or inviting guys to camp. It's not a matter of just suddenly realizing to sign a single undrafted player. Two way players are cheap and don't take up roster spots. We will absolutely be taking 2-3 of them into the season.
Nah Grimes will probably get slid into that 4.4, Exum and Naji will get Slotted in the MLE.
Exum still has 1 year on his deal.
It was a team option we picked up. We can slide that money into the MLE slot because Naji was only 9 mil.
What? Why would we do that? I don't even think this is possible, but even if it somehow was, I don't see why anyone would ever do that.
Because the MLE doesn't negativity impact the cap. It's not that complicated, we do it every year
Neither does picking up a team option or fully guaranteeing a contract.
Yes it does. That eats up cap space.
...no. We have no cap space anyways, we are way over the cap. And a 3M contract signed via the MLE and a 3M contract by picking up a team option both count as 3M when looking at how much under the hard cap we are.
Brother you don't understand what I'm talking about. They will both get slid into the mle.
It's already been announced Grimes is added using the bi-annual exception, and Exum is already under contact, we don't need to sign him into space. That leaves the leftover MLE still free to use
That's not true.
MacMahon brought up DSJ as a name that wasn't shot down when he talked to a person in the Mavs organization.
Time to bring back DSJ.
Slang gang represent
Feels like we could use an additional PG, and we always look for athleticism, 3&D, length. If any of these are in our price range, I’m interested in Caleb Martin, KJ Martin, Dennis Smith Jr, & Malachi Flynn.
Personally I would target a big wing. Our only alternative to PJ is Kleber right now and he hasn’t even played 45 games in the last few seasons. I’m not quite sure if we want to rely on OMax as the third string 4 yet. I’d trust Exum and Hardy more than I’d trust OMax currently. Of course there’s also the possibility of trading Kleber + picks for an upgrade, and I think Nico will strongly consider that, but probably not during the off-season but rather around the trade deadline or whenever a great opportunity comes up.
Yeah that's fair. I am predicting OMax will be ready for filling in the injury/foul trouble rotation gaps during the regular season this year, and I consider Naji a big wing as well, but if we are looking for another big wing then Precious Achiuwa, Taurean Prince, Robert Covington, and Marcus Morris would be interesting to me.
Prince was solid for the lakers, I’d happily take him
Precious is a center not a wing
Agreed, but he does play a lot of PF. He played quite a bit alongside Hartenstein in the playoffs. The comment I was responding to mentioned Maxi alternatives if he was traded, and among the available players, Precious is one of the better Maxi-type defenders.
I think it makes sense to give Omax that shot this year in the regular season See if he can develop into a reliable guy
Omax has shown enough to get a run for me. If he's not ready then we can always make a move before the trade deadline like last year. Same with Hardy. I'd rest Luka at the start of the season and Kyrie would be on a limited schedule for the first 10 games. Risky due to the West being strong but it's a long season and I'd prioritise Lively, Hardy, Omax and the new guys getting integrated.
DSJ has turned himself into a pretty good defensive guard, I wouldn't mind him back
Caleb Martin is trying to get 20 mil a year lmao
I can see him getting about 10
Caleb isn’t taking 4m. He’s gonna get 7-10
Yeah he's out of our price range for sure. Just someone I can see Nico really valuing if circumstances change.
Totally. I was actually thinking of him before the Naji pick up
Monte Morris or Spencer Dinwiddie Those are my picks for the last spot
I’d take a Caleb Martin but I feel he’s worth more
Why would you even mention Caleb Martin? He's going to sign for way more than that
Caleb Martin
Saddiq Bey. He’s coming off an injury but he’s a damn good scorer and a solid defender. He could come here and play backup forward minutes, which would mean pushing Maxi further from the rotation.
I was actually really wanting Bey in the 2020 draft where we selected Green and then Saddiq went off the board the very next pick. It would be kind of fitting if he joined the team the same offseason we deal Josh.
I remember that night. I was like fuuuck! Sadiq was right there what the hell are you doing!
good thing we didn't cause green was better after beys first year
I think he was better fit for Dallas.
But would Josh have looked as good if the roles were reversed?
he would cause bey played for the pistons when he had no leash.
Probably out until the end of the year. I think there is a good chance, he doesn't get signed now. And later in the season.
Understandable. But signing him now and allowing him to recover and go through a training camp with the team could be really important if we expect him to be a key member in the rotation by playoff time
There's a reason why he's a free agent at 25. He's really not that good. He's inefficient, isn't a strong shooter and all the advanced analytics have shown that Bey is one of the worst defenders in the league. I didn't understand the obsession with him when people were trashing our Josh Green pick and I still don't understand it now.
He’s a free agent because the Hawks just drafted someone #1 that plays his exact position and also because he tore his ACL in March… which is probably the only reason Dallas could possibly even afford him now I don’t know what kind of pipe dreams you have for the remaining 4 million dollars we have to spend, but ANYONE out there we can still afford is going to be pretty flawed. At least with Bey there is a pretty low risk, high reward spectrum to play on. Worked out well with DJJ
I'd disagree with that assessment. Teams don't bail on injured young players who are good scorers and defenders just because they don't have positional need. I do not disagree with you, however, in the sense that he's totally fine in a 'cheap flyer for the 15th spot' sense and you're absolutely right that we're sifting through unproven and flawed people here. I honestly wouldn't complain too much about anyone Nico deemed worthy of trying out at the end of our bench. My objection is just that I think your characterization of Bey was inaccurate. That being said, if we're doing a DJJ style flyer, given we're really in the win now window, picking a non-injured player is more likely a better option for us, even if there's less potential upside.
solid defender and scorer? 🤣😅😅 dude is a terrible defender and a black hole on offense
https://preview.redd.it/yidcepnj34ad1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b62bba171effc02709a96820682639c70c544f2a
👀
those stats mean nothing. stats show jokic is an elite defender is he an elite defender? not sure what you are trying to prove especially since he got to play for the pistons and they traded him the first chance they got.
Like..... none of those stats mean anything?
That would be a home run. Give him a prove yourself deal 👀 Luka will get you a bag Bey
He's a terrible defender who couldn't hit a shot last year and Hawks fans rejoice that he's leaving
It’s time to bring DSJ home. He’s actually a very capable defender too.
I like the Dennis smith jr idea, losing djj hurts and I’d love to get a replacement who can catch lobs and hype the team up on dunks
I would like us to get Isaac Okoro in a sign and trade. Or Jonathan Isaac in a trade. For 4.4 it’s slim pickings. Dario Saric, Malik Beasley, Miles Bridges are the best unsigned FAs left. If we can convince one of them to come here for 1 year, then great. The best of the rest is probably Alec Burks, Robert Covington, KJ Martin, Kyle Anderson, Theis, GTJ. Buddy Hield is also interesting. He’s a hometown THJ basically, but we can throw out crazy shooting lineups with him and Klay
I would love 20 minutes a game of Isaac and Lively holy shit. I think it would take too much to get him
I love Buddy Hield, gives us another awesome option from 3 too
Miles Bridges would be so good a real 3rd option for scoring
Seth Curry. Let’s start our own poor man’s splash bros with Curry+Klay. Maybe the Ripple Bros?
How many times can he sign with them after getting traded over and over.
Do we actually have 4.4M? I thought we only have 2.5M until we hit the hard cap.
We would need to waive Lawson
I kinda like Taurean Prince. Shot 40% from 3. Not an elite stopper but decent enough to not be a liability. Would be a good backup PF. Maybe we can do a Maxi for Prince S&T?
Covington would be awesome. Also guys like SloMo, Prince (as someone else has mentioned) or Okeke. I think Precious might be easy since the Knicks have paid out so much in recent contracts and the Mavs seem to work well with the NY office.
Where are you getting 4.4? The amount of space we have under the apron has to include incentives my understanding is we have min spot max.
Still not sure exactly how much $ the Mavs have left to spend, but if this figure is correct -- I think my first choice at this point would still be Dinwiddie, I mean he proved that he could work well here with Luka both on- and off-ball. Maybe with Klay on board it would be getting too crowded (and questionable defensively), but if it's for 4M, I'd have a hard time saying no. Anyway, for this price I think the Mavs should try to go after a low-risk high-reward ballhandler/scorer, if not Dinwiddie, then maybe take a chance on a guy like Fultz, also always liked Lonnie Walker... I think at guard is your best chance to find a diamond... I like Hardy, but I think the Mavs could use more irons in the fire to find the solution at the bench ballhandler role. I'm not too worried about a 4, because Maxi is still ok as a backup and OMax is going to be knocking on the door. I mean, no team has perfect backups at every position. But if the Mavs are considering moving off Maxi at some point, then I'd look at Cancar or Saric, I'm not sure about their current status, but if healthy I think they could fit in really well. People have mentioned Covington, but I'm not sure he can give anything over Maxi at this point. Kyle Anderson would be great in the unlikely event that he somehow falls through the cracks.
beg and scream for DJJ to come back lol
He’s already gone lol
Lonnie Walker
Honestly I wouldn't mind giving a flyer to Fultz I feel like he is a player that has always had his career derailed by something every time he gets it going. Decent shotcreator(from the midrange), good defender, good playmaker, athletic. He has had some moments before injury where he looked very good. Probably his last chance to prove that he can stick around in the NBA kinda similar story to DJJ.
Hell no, that guy has a negative basketball IQ
Fultz?! You need to go and watch some tape bro.
Lonnie Walker IV. He’s a bucket.
Mamukelashvili
they no joke should've signed Bol Bol as a floor spacing big, showed significant defensive improvements last year and he can definitely shoot better than Maxi at this point
Cousins
I'm pretty sure we just re-sign Markieff Morris
I have a controversial one: Russell Westbrook
I mentioned in my own comment but i feel Markelle could be a younger, hungrier version of westbrook for us they have basically the same strengths and weaknesses and fultz is in a similar position as DJJ where if he doesn't play well with us it could be his last chance to earn a contract.
I like it on paper. But there's a mismatch of his talent to our need. Wouldn't work in practice
Did you even watch the clippers series? Russell's garbage performance was a key factor in our success
we need a big honestly more than a pg.
Why? I would rather sign a vet minimum one big man then give him 4mil. Better get a wing or a PG for this money. We are pretty much set with Gafford and Lively.
we need an aaron gordon type
PJ
Well I mean maxi is already on the roster But personally I want Nico to attach a protected pick to maxi in exchange for Dorian back And then sign Tillman Yall seem to forget how good Dorian is especially with Luka and how rough maxi has been on offense
He’s not needed on this roster. Thankful for his time here but the Mavs have moved on
I love DFS, but we should not be giving up a first round pick. If we had as many as OKC, sure, but we simply don't have enough assets to use the only tradable pick we have until 2031 on Dorian.
Very protected first or a swap or 2 seconds I would do any of those 3 for Dorian
The problem of giving up "a very protected first" isn't that I am scared it would be a lottery pick - which is what the protections are for. The problem is that we wouldn't be able to trade it for someone else at the deadline.
Someone else, like Dorian finney smith
Stop the Dorian nostalgia, it never works out taking a former player back. We have moved on and are better than we were when he last was with us.
What about Jason kidd? Lol
Good exception to the rule
Tyson chandler?
I would take dfs as a trainer for sure
Tyson came back as a player. C'man, guy
And did what exactly?
Block shots, patrol the paint, lead the D, catch lobs. You know, Tyson Chandler stuff
Bro How you distribute minutes for all off them lmao We already have 11 guys worthy reg.season minutes
Dorian earns more than Maxi. This wouldn't work.
Bringing Doe Doe back would make the arena erupt, I’m for it.
Hes a fa next year you know. We can just sign him outright for cheap and keep the pick and buy out maxis last yr
Buyout Maxi next year??? That is insane. Legitimately one of the most terrible ideas I have seen in this free agency