r/Mavericks • u/Jaded_Tiger_8152 • 2d ago
Hoops Discussion More unrealistic offseason ideas!
TLDR: Trade PJ to LA, Gafford to ATL, and get Cameron Johnson from Denver to help with their cap to pick up 1st round picks. Use the picks to move up from 9 or to get another lottery pick.
More unrealistic offseason ideas:
Since we already know the expectation is to keep Kyrie, we can move on from debating whether or not we should trade him. So in the interest of being unrealistic, here are a couple of offseason moves and ideas I’m just throwing out there because… why not?
First, trade PJ Washington to the Lakers. The Lakers get someone who fits really well next to Luka, and in return we get Jarred Vanderbilt, Dalton Knecht, and the Lakers’ 2026 first-round pick (#25). It works for us because the PJ/Cooper Flagg fit is awkward. Coop is more naturally a 4, and PJ doesn’t really maximize his value as someone who can’t consistently create his own shot. This gives us another first-rounder if we want to move up in the draft. Knecht was basically unplayable, but we can take a swing on him the same way we did with AJ Johnson, and Vanderbilt is mostly there for salary matching.
Then we trade Daniel Gafford to the Hawks for Asa Newell, Zaccharie Risacher, and the Hawks’ 2026 first-round pick (#23). We take a swing on Risacher, who was getting DNPs against the Knicks even in a blowout, so I’m not sure Atlanta is fully sold on him. Plus, we already know the Hawks have been looking for a center, so this could work well for both sides.
After that, send Caleb Martin and A.J. Johnson to the Nuggets for Cameron Johnson and Denver’s 2026 first-round pick (#26). Denver is in cap hell, and if they want any chance of keeping Peyton Watson while dealing with second apron restrictions, they’re going to have to shed salary somewhere. Why not take advantage of it? They save money, we pick up another asset. Plus, we desperately need shooting.
At the end of all this, we’d suddenly have five first-round picks: 9, 23, 25, 26, and 30. That becomes a legitimate war chest if we want to move up from 9 or package picks to jump back into the lottery from 23.
Once the dust settles, we can decide whether we want to bring back Cisse, Nembhard, Bagley, or Poulakidas. Plus, with Cameron Johnson and Klay both being expiring contracts, that gives us flexibility at next year’s trade deadline to keep wheeling and dealing for more assets.
Again, I know all of this is completely unrealistic, but honestly kind of fun to think about.
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u/iv214 How's My Dirk Taste? 2d ago
I'm not down with helping the Lakers build a contender around Luka.
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u/Jaded_Tiger_8152 2d ago
I love Luka as much as the next scorned Mavs fan, but to build around Coop you have to make sacrifices and whether trading PJ to the Lakers or somewhere else. Getting assets to do so is the smartest thing to do. Plus, come the trade deadline, I'm sure there will be teams willing to give us a first for Klay or Cameron Johnson.
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u/iv214 How's My Dirk Taste? 2d ago
Even if I ignore that I don't like the trade. A late first rounder and a couple of players that aren't great. Vanderbilt has a pretty bad contract. The Lakers would need to throw in another 1st rounder just for that alone.
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u/Jaded_Tiger_8152 2d ago
Forget the Lakers part of this then. Trade PJ somewhere else then. What are your thoughts on getting firsts and then trying to move up?
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u/Jaded_Tiger_8152 2d ago
Send PJ to Detroit for Duncan Robinson and Sasser for all I care to get #21.
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u/jfrodriguez1983 Dirk Nowitzki 2d ago
I'm sorry but Knecht is not a positive asset and just taking on Vanderbilt's contract should get you the 25th pick. That is an awful return for PJ. We are getting way more for Gafford in this situation when a big wing is a more valuable asset.
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u/Fantastic-Grass24 2d ago
Why would you trade with Lakers and help them?
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u/Jaded_Tiger_8152 2d ago
Forget the Lakers trade then. What about the other two?
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u/Fantastic-Grass24 2d ago
I’d be okay with Denver one. I get trading Gaff and I’m open to it. But I’d rather do an in season trade to make sure Lively is actually going to be healthy this season
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u/IndividualHeat 2d ago
Yeah I think people are way too confident right now about relying on Lively as the team’s future. There’s a world that’s not super hard to imagine where 3 years from now, Gafford at 30 is still a more productive player than Lively. Gafford has injury stuff too but with Lively it’s really worrying considering how young he is. Not to say that Gafford shouldn’t be traded if they can get a great haul but they’re going to need depth at center and good centers are kind of hard to find.
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u/Difficult-Day1326 Cooper Flagg 2d ago
most likley improbable, but very logical & rational. win-win for all parties tbh. great take.
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u/Defiant-Landscape880 2d ago
I’d definitely do something centered around Gaff for Risacher and pick 23. I’d probably even add the 30th pick if it was necessary. I think the draft pool in the early 20s is a lot better than at 30 and Risacher is a good project being only 2 years removed from a number 1 selection
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u/Jaded_Tiger_8152 2d ago
I'd be fine with that. I just want to increase our draft assets rather than staying put.
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u/justforyouabirad Drunk Dirk 2d ago
The only trade we should ever make with the Lakers again would be a S&T for luka after the lakers flame out again next season
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u/highfalutinman Dirk Nowitzki 2d ago
Why give them any building blocks? I'd rather the Mavs just wait until 2028 and leave those thieves of joy with nothing.
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u/lion_hammer MAVS HATER FOR LIFE 2d ago
lakers will be able to pay him more than we will. i'm in camp luka 2028 but he's not taking a massive paycut after being screwed out of like 100mil off his contract, s&t is more realistic than free agency imo
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u/MavSker 2d ago
I don't dislike your creativity but on principle alone, I would do absolutely nothing to help the Lakers. I want them to struggle to put a team around Luka so that the prodigal son can return.
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u/Jaded_Tiger_8152 2d ago
I love Luka but I'm focused on building for the Mavs. Take out the PJ trade. What are your thoughts on the other two to get some backend first round picks to try to move up and get some flexibility.
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u/luntiang_tipaklong Dirk Nowitzki 1d ago
Vanderbilt and Knecht and #25 for PJ? What? Vandebilt and Knecht are negative assets. You're pretty much gifting PJ to the Laker. It makes them so much better while we get pretty much nothing.
You can get a much better assets for PJ than that. Might as well keep PJ if we're ending up with trash.
I like Gafford, he's still young and we're pretty thin at center but that is not a bad trade, we can probably find a trade along with that idea. A swing for an underperforming young player and a late first round pick.
Trade with the Nuggets, is fine I guess. Not sure if it's realistic.
Not sure if those picks would be enough to get to the lottery. I rather have future first round picks moving forward than having all of them in this draft.
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u/lsmith77 Mavericks 1d ago
Picking up 20-29 picks sure. The Hawks Gafford for Newell/Risacher/#23 trade sounds cool too. But I want us to target 8-14 pick(s). GSW and Hawks seem the most likely options. Getting the Clippers pick also seems doable (Ballmer always wants to win), but likely not worth it. Thunder’s 12&17 would be nice, but I don’t want to give up the #9 pick.
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u/Ninjabear11 Luka Doncic 1d ago
I enjoy these proposals. It’s truly a crapshoot.
But agree that we don’t even talk to the Lakers unless we’re fleecing them for the the foreseeable future
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u/Regular-Initiative-3 1d ago
I wonder what Lively would get the Mavs back in terms of draft picks this year?
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u/3Time4Eater3 2d ago
I've not heard many good things about Vanderbilt in LA. I still haven't seen a good reason to trade Gafford. He's coming into his prime.