Dallas / Toronto / San Antonio

[Ell Curry]

Dallas - Davion Mitchell, Temple, #36 pick (TOR)
Spurs - RJ Barrett, #24 pick (DAL)
Raptors - Kleber, Kelden Johnson, Tre Jones #16 pick (SAS)

Spurs get Barrett for an underperforming Kelden Johnson and that only costs them moving down 8 picks with their 2nd best 1st in this draft, and some cap flexibility in the summer of 2027. That might be a dealbreaker for them, though if they are set on signing a free agent in 2027, they might want to go the other way and dump Kelden that summer (Harrison Barnes and Zach Collins expire) and chase after Luka, Donovan Mitchell or Trae Young or someone.

Rotation next year will be something like:

Wemby-Collins
Sochan-Barnes
Vassell-Champagnie
Castle-Barrett
Paul-2025 1st

which looks decent.

Draft a PG (feels like Traore/Fears territory) in the late lottery to learn from CP3 and take over for him. Barrett is the bench scorer. Still have the money to bring back CP3 and use the non-tax MLE, since they'll be pennies over the cap (15M under the cap with CP3 to sign and a a rookie to pay, they can probably literally be 1$ over the cap if they want before using the non-tax MLE). Maybe they pull the trigger on Barnes expiring + Collins' expiring + picks for a 40M type star immediately or at the deadline next year.

Raptors move up 20 spots in the draft, save 10M in 2026-27. Hope Kelden can start to shoot again. Raps should still be able to squeeze in their firsts and a non-tax MLE signing and stay just under the tax.

Mavs drop 12 spots in the draft but get off Kleber's ugly final year so they can do other things financially like match a Quentin Grimes RFA offer and stay under the tax, or let him go and use the full non-tax MLE. As a small bonus they add Davion Mitchell for this year's playoff run as a defender who can hassle an opposing guard for 10 minutes a night.

[MessiahUjiri]

RJ is outputting 24/6/6, and 35% 3pt.

Toronto adds Davion and the Portland 2nd? To get stuck with Kleber?

There’s less than 10% chance that the #16 pick will be as good as RJ.

This is a bad deal, sorry.

[Texas Chuck]

No reason for Dallas to spend a first to dump Kleber a year early. When Kleber has more utility to the team now than the guys coming in who wouldn't be in the rotation.

If you want to do RJ to the Spurs you should do it without bringing in a 3rd team to provide extra value.

[Godaddycurse]

No reason for Dallas to spend a first to dump Kleber a year early. When Kleber has more utility to the team now than the guys coming in who wouldn't be in the rotation.

If you want to do RJ to the Spurs you should do it without bringing in a 3rd team to provide extra value.

ya the only semi plausible reason for dallas to spend a 1st to dump kleber is if they save enough money to duck the tax like Toronto did in thad young/dragic trade, which OP doesn't accomplish. Need to take out Temple and have them send out Exum, but even then they probably prefer to pay tax and (hopefully) have kleber as a warm body on hand as their back up 4

[Ell Curry]

No reason for Dallas to spend a first to dump Kleber a year early. When Kleber has more utility to the team now than the guys coming in who wouldn't be in the rotation.

If you want to do RJ to the Spurs you should do it without bringing in a 3rd team to provide extra value.

ya the only semi plausible reason for dallas to spend a 1st to dump kleber is if they save enough money to duck the tax like Toronto did in thad young/dragic trade, which OP doesn't accomplish. Need to take out Temple and have them send out Exum, but even then they probably prefer to pay tax and (hopefully) have kleber as a warm body on hand as their back up 4

Not sure I follow. It helps them duck the tax next year and keep Grimes, which I assume would be Dallas's major goals?

For next year, Dallas is 12.3M under the tax with 11 players signed. Grimes has played well enough that they'll have to go over the tax to keep him. Even if we assume that the remaining 3 guys on the roster are minimums (say one young guy at 1.8M then 2 guys at like 2.3M, the cap hold for Markieff and Dinwiddie is almost 2.1, so it'll go up a bit, but I don't know the exact numbers, this should be fairly close?), this deal takes them from like 5.9M they can offer Grimes without going over the tax to about 16M they can offer Grimes, which is even a million higher than the amount non-tax teams can offer him with the MLE. And If bidding is lower and they can keep Grimes for about 11M, they can then use the non-tax MLE themselves and go after a decent player for 7M a year and probably get a playable 9th man for their rotation, or maybe they spend that on Exum and/or Dinwiddie, and stay under the tax.

[Godaddycurse]

No reason for Dallas to spend a first to dump Kleber a year early. When Kleber has more utility to the team now than the guys coming in who wouldn't be in the rotation.

If you want to do RJ to the Spurs you should do it without bringing in a 3rd team to provide extra value.

ya the only semi plausible reason for dallas to spend a 1st to dump kleber is if they save enough money to duck the tax like Toronto did in thad young/dragic trade, which OP doesn't accomplish. Need to take out Temple and have them send out Exum, but even then they probably prefer to pay tax and (hopefully) have kleber as a warm body on hand as their back up 4

Not sure I follow. It helps them duck the tax next year and keep Grimes, which I assume would be Dallas's major goals?

For next year, Dallas is 12.3M under the tax with 11 players signed. Grimes has played well enough that they'll have to go over the tax to keep him. Even if we assume that the remaining 3 guys on the roster are minimums (say one young guy at 1.8M then 2 guys at like 2.3M, the cap hold for Markieff and Dinwiddie is almost 2.1, so it'll go up a bit, but I don't know the exact numbers, this should be fairly close?), this deal takes them from like 5.9M they can offer Grimes without going over the tax to about 16M they can offer Grimes, which is even a million higher than the amount non-tax teams can offer him with the MLE. And If bidding is lower and they can keep Grimes for about 11M, they can then use the non-tax MLE themselves and go after a decent player for 7M a year and probably get a playable 9th man for their rotation, or maybe they spend that on Exum and/or Dinwiddie, and stay under the tax.

Im talking about ducking the tax this year

[Ell Curry]

ya the only semi plausible reason for dallas to spend a 1st to dump kleber is if they save enough money to duck the tax like Toronto did in thad young/dragic trade, which OP doesn't accomplish. Need to take out Temple and have them send out Exum, but even then they probably prefer to pay tax and (hopefully) have kleber as a warm body on hand as their back up 4

Not sure I follow. It helps them duck the tax next year and keep Grimes, which I assume would be Dallas's major goals?

For next year, Dallas is 12.3M under the tax with 11 players signed. Grimes has played well enough that they'll have to go over the tax to keep him. Even if we assume that the remaining 3 guys on the roster are minimums (say one young guy at 1.8M then 2 guys at like 2.3M, the cap hold for Markieff and Dinwiddie is almost 2.1, so it'll go up a bit, but I don't know the exact numbers, this should be fairly close?), this deal takes them from like 5.9M they can offer Grimes without going over the tax to about 16M they can offer Grimes, which is even a million higher than the amount non-tax teams can offer him with the MLE. And If bidding is lower and they can keep Grimes for about 11M, they can then use the non-tax MLE themselves and go after a decent player for 7M a year and probably get a playable 9th man for their rotation, or maybe they spend that on Exum and/or Dinwiddie, and stay under the tax.

Im talking about ducking the tax this year

Well this deals gets them halfway there (2.6M saved, a similar number to get under). At that point they can probably get under with another trade (or cutting Exum? Not sure if that's how it works) that only costs them 2nds.

[Mavrelous]

Mavs need a backup 4, who is big and can defend and stretch the floor, Maxi os just that, he is a bad contract, he plays at best 40 games, but he is better than nothing, and the deal doesn't do anything else but take away the 1st.
I am intrigued by Mitchell though, and think he is a player worth taking a flyer on...

[wemby]

Not a fan of RJ Barrett, but at this price... whatever.

[One_and_Done]

Spurs don't want RJ. Period. They aren't likely to be moving all this for him, those are useful assets for an overpaid guy you don't want on a contender.

[jayjaysee]

Spurs give up very little and Dallas helps them pay make it look less terrible for Toronto.

I’d cut out Dallas. Especially with Luka out..

[daoneandonly]

Dallas is just here to add value to the 2 other teams. Zero reason to do this

[Tripod]

Raps wouldn't do this at all

[Michaellam1987]

RJ is playing fairly good, and as a hometown kid, dont think TOR will trade him away for that kind of package

[Mr Swagtastic]

I don't like the direction for Toronto. Mitchell is probably better if not equal to Tre Jones and RJ Barrett has been solid for Toronto and no longer is considered one of the worst contracts. I think Keldon Johnson has regressed over the last few years, he looked promising finishing his 3rd and 4th seasons now he looks like a questionable contract.

I get Toronto gets a end of the lotto pick but I don't see how Johnson plus said pick impact the team moreso than RJ on the team. It's just a bad direction