2025-26 Team Developments: Trades / Free Agents / News / Rumors / Ideas

I'm open to trading for Ayton, too.

 

Adou comes off as another Herbert Jones to me.

 

The issue with waiting is LeBron is gone in 1-2 seasons. So if you’re waiting to package the picks, we may lose our 2nd option only to then have to try and trade for another one. I’d rather empty the barrel now on people who are on Luka’s timeline and fit a need. Luka needs a lob threat and some athletic defensive guys who can hit an open shot.

We got a few defenders now in DFS,
Vando, Goodwin, Bronny and Adou. Try to land the best center we can and attempt to compete this year.

 

Another newb



Some Davis and Marciulionis stuff

 

Another one





Augustas Marciulionis footage




I like this year's crop

 

Marčiulionis will get us Sabonis right?

 

^Me too. Hopefully 1-2 or stick.

 

Anyone interested in having Isaiah Jackson.He should be healed by the time training camp starts.FA 6-10 rim runner

 

No.

 

Yeah, he would be a nice backup to have, fits us nicely.

We still need wings. Adou drafting won't solve the need for this season.

I asked the other day, what are the arguments FOR Ayton? I can't get it

 

disagree (as do mavs fans and well, almost everyone), but i'll give slick his win for the day:

 

Another summer leaguer

 

ESPN Should Already Regret $100 Million Investment In Stephen A.

https://www.outkick.com/analysis/es...100-million-investment-stephen-a-bobby-burack

 

honestly, he looks tired, too. he's bad enough when he's on, but i felt like he was having to force the screamin' during the draft.

i'll never forget the time i was watching a college game when d*** vitale thought the camera was off, and he just looked like he actually had perished right there in the chair. then he realizes it's on and his whole face shifts and he's doing his schtick. it's wild.

the funny part is the people that liked these guys (i never liked either, tbh, but at least vitale loves hoops while stephen a clearly doesn't) enjoyed their early careers, where their schtick was at least semi-real. at this point, even stephen a is bored of it, but he has to do it if he wants to remain relevant.

i was actually watching the draft and wondering he's bothering. he's so bad. he's already really rich. just dust yourself off once a week to do something and play golf the rest of the time, man.

side note: bob myers isn't very sharp, y'all. the more he speaks, the more i'm convinced he was in the right place at the right time and nothing more. they kept going to him for former gm insights, and he was just tossing out platitudes and saying some stuff that was legitimately concerning, lol.

 

He rebounds the ball well.

He is a big body that can finish a lob.

At his best he is a good defender, when he isn’t trying he still contests without fouling.

He has talent, athleticism and ability. What he doesn’t have is consistency, a high motor and high internal motivation.

The hope is it’s a contract year so he doesn’t struggle with trying and he balls out enough that we get a ring.

 

ironically, despite his rep, he's always been a plus defender. where he's struggled is actually on offense. and even there he hasn't been bad. i think if he wasn't a former #1 overall pick, people would think of him differently. he probably put in a better year than fan favorite nic claxton last year, tbh.

 

An Ayton trade is nearly impossible to do salary wise

 

Thanks for the reply.

Completely agree he rebounds well and is a big need.
I don't think he's a lob threat, and data backs me up. He's max %FGA of dunks was 16%. For comparison, the least by Hayes is 27% and he was at 57% last year, 46% the year before (without Luka). Ayton doesn't like contact and last 2 seasons had below 2 FTAs a game, so he's definitely not a P&R lob threat.

He's an average defender. Last 4 years avg 1blk or below which is quite bad for a center. Clingan was at 1.6 last year, in less minutes and in the same team.

I also don't think he has athleticism. At least he doesn't use. He's known for being soft, so having athleticism doesn't matter if he doesn't use it.

He likes the mid J which we don't need and JJ runs away from. He's 3 better skills are not the 3 skills we need from a center: physical, switchable and a roll threat.

Finally, he's at 35M so we need to trade at least 3 rotation players to match salaries. And we have little to win. If he balls out, we either overpay him or he walks for nothing. If he doesn't ball out, well you know that one.

I think there's much more cons than pros for Ayton.
I rather get Capela or Richards for up to 1/5 of the price and use the assets we would use on Ayton to upgrade our wings, a POA defender and/or another center.

 

Would it hurt ESPN to get just get some NBA guys who actually just love the game and not the drama/soap opera aspects.of it?

Stephen A at his best is when he's talking about his favorite teams like the Cowboysm. He's actually fun then