RealGM

Obviously Dallas is playing great right now. They have two elite scorers and a trio of big men who fit together nicely. Their entire rotation outside of DJJ is locked up on good contracts for two more years.

They can still trade their ‘25 FRP, ‘26 FRP swap, and ‘31 FRP. They have multiple tradable salaries in THJ, Kleiber, Green and Powell.

Does Dallas stand pat or get another wing player? I think ideally they could use one more starting quality wing or guard who can create offense and take some load off Luka and Kyrie in the regular season.

In two years they’ll face some difficult financial decisions as guys come due for new contracts and Luka’s PO arrives. Kyrie will be 34 then and closer to aging out, so they might want to really go all-in the next two seasons.

Dumping an expiring like THJ into cap space will cost two 2nd rounders (See the Nets trading Joe Harris to Detroit as a comparable trade).

I could see Utah taking on THJ for that deal type. Dallas could send the Raptors 2025 2nd & Miami 2028 2nd as compensation.

Bruce Brown makes a lot of sense for them, along with using some picks/OMax to dump contract on the Raptors to free up space for the MLE.

MessiahUjiri wrote:Bruce Brown makes a lot of sense for them, along with using some picks/OMax to dump contract on the Raptors to free up space for the MLE.

Dallas cannot decline the team option on Brown if they trade for him. The salary would need to be guaranteed to make the trade work for cap purposes. Same thing happened with the Chris Paul trade last summer. Dallas needs to dump THJ to a team with cap space or find a creative 3-ways to save the needed cap space.

mhd wrote:

MessiahUjiri wrote:Bruce Brown makes a lot of sense for them, along with using some picks/OMax to dump contract on the Raptors to free up space for the MLE.

Dallas cannot decline the team option on Brown if they trade for him. The salary would need to be guaranteed to make the trade work for cap purposes. Same thing happened with the Chris Paul trade last summer. Dallas needs to dump THJ to a team with cap space or find a creative 3-ways to save the needed cap space.

Dallas is currently $3 million under the 1st apron, where they'll be hard capped if they use the NTMLE. Sending THJ to cap space would allow them to use the full $13 million on DJJ, which they'll probably need to do to retain him, and still have about $6 million in room under the apron. Utah is really the only team with the space that would consider taking on THJ. Given that renegotiating and extending Markannen, which seems likely to be a priority for them, would chew up a lot of their space, it seems fair to say that the likelihood of Utah taking on THJ for a couple of 2nds is quite low.

A number of threads here have looked at 3 team trades to get Dallas room to use the NTMLE, but all involve Dallas taking back at least some salary for THJ, putting them much tighter to the apron. There are other options, some of which involve moving Green as well as THJ, but at the end of the day, the Mavericks may have to move on from DJJ, but what does that look like?

One simple option would be moving THJ, plus picks, and perhaps OMax for the best DJJ replacement you can get. This would have the benefit of hard capping at the 2nd apron rather than the 1st. Another option is trades made before July 1st (before the league year ends), which don't trigger next year's hard caps. Dallas is already hard capped this year at the 1st apron, but is $6 million under that cap. They could, for example, send THJ, Powell and picks to Toronto for Brown.

2 Options:

THJ, Tor 2nd, Cash for Thybulle

Get DJJ replacement and THJ upgrade shave 5 million. Portland moves off long term money for the short term hit but Dallas pays the difference and they get a great 2nd.

THJ, 25 1st, Prosper for Caruso

DJJ insurance, Caruso is a better shooter and probably the best POA defender in the league, shave 9 million.

BeiBeau wrote:2 Options:

THJ, Tor 2nd, Cash for Thybulle

Get DJJ replacement and THJ upgrade shave 5 million. Portland moves off long term money for the short term hit but Dallas pays the difference and they get a great 2nd.

THJ, 25 1st, Prosper for Caruso

DJJ insurance, Caruso is a better shooter and probably the best POA defender in the league, shave 9 million.

Portland is already in the tax. Even if you included max cash I highly doubt that would do this for just a 2nd. I think Portland at worst could trade Thybulle into someone's MLE and get at least a 2nd on top thus removing all his salary and getting out of the tax.

psman2 wrote:

BeiBeau wrote:2 Options:

THJ, Tor 2nd, Cash for Thybulle

Get DJJ replacement and THJ upgrade shave 5 million. Portland moves off long term money for the short term hit but Dallas pays the difference and they get a great 2nd.

THJ, 25 1st, Prosper for Caruso

DJJ insurance, Caruso is a better shooter and probably the best POA defender in the league, shave 9 million.

Portland is already in the tax. Even if you included max cash I highly doubt that would do this for just a 2nd. I think Portland at worst could trade Thybulle into someone's MLE and get at least a 2nd on top thus removing all his salary and getting out of the tax.

Good point Dallas might get it done with the 1st instead?

BeiBeau wrote:

psman2 wrote:

BeiBeau wrote:2 Options:

THJ, Tor 2nd, Cash for Thybulle

Get DJJ replacement and THJ upgrade shave 5 million. Portland moves off long term money for the short term hit but Dallas pays the difference and they get a great 2nd.

THJ, 25 1st, Prosper for Caruso

DJJ insurance, Caruso is a better shooter and probably the best POA defender in the league, shave 9 million.

Portland is already in the tax. Even if you included max cash I highly doubt that would do this for just a 2nd. I think Portland at worst could trade Thybulle into someone's MLE and get at least a 2nd on top thus removing all his salary and getting out of the tax.

Good point Dallas might get it done with the 1st instead?

Something like that but then if becomes a question is it worth it when Thybulle could easily opt out. With both teams looking to cut salary likely not the best trade partners. Likely better to not try to clear money and get a better talent.

BeiBeau wrote:2 Options:

THJ, Tor 2nd, Cash for Thybulle

Get DJJ replacement and THJ upgrade shave 5 million. Portland moves off long term money for the short term hit but Dallas pays the difference and they get a great 2nd.

THJ, 25 1st, Prosper for Caruso

DJJ insurance, Caruso is a better shooter and probably the best POA defender in the league, shave 9 million.

The Bulls want more for Caruso.

vxmike wrote:

BeiBeau wrote:2 Options:

THJ, Tor 2nd, Cash for Thybulle

Get DJJ replacement and THJ upgrade shave 5 million. Portland moves off long term money for the short term hit but Dallas pays the difference and they get a great 2nd.

THJ, 25 1st, Prosper for Caruso

DJJ insurance, Caruso is a better shooter and probably the best POA defender in the league, shave 9 million.

The Bulls want more for Caruso.

Don’t we all. They’re going to do the classic middling franchise move and instead of picking up assets and not taking on bad money they’re going to lose him for nothing next year.

vxmike wrote:

BeiBeau wrote:2 Options:

THJ, Tor 2nd, Cash for Thybulle

Get DJJ replacement and THJ upgrade shave 5 million. Portland moves off long term money for the short term hit but Dallas pays the difference and they get a great 2nd.

THJ, 25 1st, Prosper for Caruso

DJJ insurance, Caruso is a better shooter and probably the best POA defender in the league, shave 9 million.

The Bulls want more for Caruso.

Sure. And if they can get it, they should always do that. But he has one year remaining and he's a limited, defense first guard. These guys never sign big money contracts and never return premium in trade. His value was a really team friendly contract with multiple playoff runs. That's now done.

I find it unlikely they get more than a recent first round pick, a future first round pick and no bad salary back in a deal.

Again, if you can get it, get it. But we see fans do this all the time based on rumors that come out after the deadline. If that was really a price a team was willing to pay, he would have moved because multiple teams could have used him. But teams don't overpay for that. There are other good defenders who stifle the offense available. Look at NAW and Derrick Jones Jr right now in the conference finals. Caruso is better than them, but not multiple first rounders better.

And mainly don't listen to reports of deals that don't happen and use that to set the value on your players. It's not their value.

vxmike wrote:

BeiBeau wrote:2 Options:

THJ, Tor 2nd, Cash for Thybulle

Get DJJ replacement and THJ upgrade shave 5 million. Portland moves off long term money for the short term hit but Dallas pays the difference and they get a great 2nd.

THJ, 25 1st, Prosper for Caruso

DJJ insurance, Caruso is a better shooter and probably the best POA defender in the league, shave 9 million.

The Bulls want more for Caruso.

Sure. And if they can get it, they should always do that. But he has one year remaining and he's a limited, defense first guard. These guys never sign big money contracts and never return premium in trade. His value was a really team friendly contract with multiple playoff runs. That's now done.

I find it unlikely they get more than a recent first round pick, a future first round pick and no bad salary back in a deal.

Again, if you can get it, get it. But we see fans do this all the time based on rumors that come out after the deadline. If that was really a price a team was willing to pay, he would have moved because multiple teams could have used him. But teams don't overpay for that. There are other good defenders who stifle the offense available. Look at NAW and Derrick Jones Jr right now in the conference finals. Caruso is better than them, but not multiple first rounders better.

And mainly don't listen to reports of deals that don't happen and use that to set the value on your players. It's not their value.

Texas Chuck wrote:

vxmike wrote:

BeiBeau wrote:2 Options:

THJ, Tor 2nd, Cash for Thybulle

Get DJJ replacement and THJ upgrade shave 5 million. Portland moves off long term money for the short term hit but Dallas pays the difference and they get a great 2nd.

THJ, 25 1st, Prosper for Caruso

DJJ insurance, Caruso is a better shooter and probably the best POA defender in the league, shave 9 million.

The Bulls want more for Caruso.

Sure. And if they can get it, they should always do that. But he has one year remaining and he's a limited, defense first guard. These guys never sign big money contracts and never return premium in trade. His value was a really team friendly contract with multiple playoff runs. That's now done.

I find it unlikely they get more than a recent first round pick, a future first round pick and no bad salary back in a deal.

Again, if you can get it, get it. But we see fans do this all the time based on rumors that come out after the deadline. If that was really a price a team was willing to pay, he would have moved because multiple teams could have used him. But teams don't overpay for that. There are other good defenders who stifle the offense available. Look at NAW and Derrick Jones Jr right now in the conference finals. Caruso is better than them, but not multiple first rounders better.

And mainly don't listen to reports of deals that don't happen and use that to set the value on your players. It's not their value.

Can’t fault teams for trying to posture for more value. But I am curious what would happen if middling team sold its players when their value was at their peak. OG rotted for a full extra season and a half on the raptors losing value over time because you just couldn’t get that many playoff runs out of him and his contract was only going to be team friendly for so long.

Texas Chuck wrote:

vxmike wrote:

BeiBeau wrote:2 Options:

THJ, Tor 2nd, Cash for Thybulle

Get DJJ replacement and THJ upgrade shave 5 million. Portland moves off long term money for the short term hit but Dallas pays the difference and they get a great 2nd.

THJ, 25 1st, Prosper for Caruso

DJJ insurance, Caruso is a better shooter and probably the best POA defender in the league, shave 9 million.

The Bulls want more for Caruso.

Sure. And if they can get it, they should always do that. But he has one year remaining and he's a limited, defense first guard. These guys never sign big money contracts and never return premium in trade. His value was a really team friendly contract with multiple playoff runs. That's now done.

I find it unlikely they get more than a recent first round pick, a future first round pick and no bad salary back in a deal.

Again, if you can get it, get it. But we see fans do this all the time based on rumors that come out after the deadline. If that was really a price a team was willing to pay, he would have moved because multiple teams could have used him. But teams don't overpay for that. There are other good defenders who stifle the offense available. Look at NAW and Derrick Jones Jr right now in the conference finals. Caruso is better than them, but not multiple first rounders better.

And mainly don't listen to reports of deals that don't happen and use that to set the value on your players. It's not their value.

Agree, but that’s why the Bulls are a middling play-in team. They absolutely should have cashed in while Caruso had 3 playoff runs left on his contract. They’ll either overpay him entering his 30s or end up trading him at deadline next season for peanuts.