The Mavericks Rebuild Begins Now

The Mavericks Rebuild Begins Now

There is a huge report from Mark Stein. Nobody’s more plugged into Dallas. There’s been no suggestion in the immediate aftermath of Nico Harrison’s ouster that Anthony Davis would try to force an exit from the Maz. It’s believed that the Maz will work with Davis’s camp as they decide whether to pursue a trade for him or not or not. How are the Mavs hesitating on this build around Cooper? Are you dumb? Actually, there is more to this report. Just imagine another team’s got an offer. Mavs say we need more. Other teams like heck no. We know you need to trade AD. So take it or leave it. So Dallas needs people to think that they might keep AD. Only way for them to create leverage, otherwise they’re screwed. So don’t believe these reports. They’re lying because they have to. But what franchise will go allin for a 33-year-old injury-prone, now kind of pudgy ad? Is that even real? Yeah, food here in Texas is good. Well, we will get to that. But Nico Harrison’s enemies are now leaking dirt on him now that he’s gone. But we won again on prize picks. Okay, we had one guy sit out, so it was still kind of a partial win, but that makes like three of the last five times we have actually hit. But remember, I’m not playing here to win money. That’s just an added bonus for me. Having my picks on the line makes every game a lot more exciting, especially when we have like a full night of like 14 games. And the best part for me is their app is so easy to use. You just pick more or less on a few players stats and you’ve got your picks in. My two picks for tonight. First up, Zack Lavine more on his free throw makes. Then Jimmy Butler more in his free throw makes. A lot of free throws this year. And best of luck if you’re telling my picks. Prize picks available in 45 states including California, Texas where I live. If you play just five bucks, you get 50 bucks in lineups instantly. Win or lose with code AM hoops. That is play five, get 50 instantly. Code AM hoops. First off, not long after Mark Cuban sold the team, Nico began working behind the scenes to freeze Cuban out. Remember, Cuban thought that he had a voice in decision-making, but Nico made sure that he didn’t. So, by the time he dealt Luca, Cuban was fully iced out, could not stop the trade. He had no idea. But also, coach Jason Kid started to hate this man. Making the same case to fire Nico was Kid and other team officials who are loyal to the coach who was clearly at odds with Harrison over the roster. Dude couldn’t stand that all Nico did at point guard was get him D’Angelo Russell. That’s all you got until Kyrie comes back. So by game two, Kid was playing undrafted rookie Ryan Nimhard more minutes than DLo. Oh, and the players wanted Nico gone too. They now say it was harder to play at home than it was on the road. Things got so toxic that even with a chance to win the game the other night, fans were chanting fire Nico with PJ Washington at the free throw line. Remember, it’s supposed to be quiet when your own players at the line, not loud. But the worst part no one’s talking about is Klay Thompson. He left the Warriors to not be a sixth man, but pretty soon he is now coming off the bench in Dallas without Luca. And he left four years 80 million on the table in LA to play with Luca for 50 million. That is 30 million guaranteed out the window cuz he chose winning over the bag and now it’s gone. But for the new GM, whoever that is, owner Patrick Dumont wants somebody that is media savvy. He doesn’t like the spotlight, which you can tell in interviews. So, he needs a GM who’s going to communicate to reporters and fans. Well, Nico was awkward as hell. And even in the good times, this man said the wrong thing. So, it could be Dennis Lindsay, who’s now in Detroit, Matt Ricardi, who’s the interim GM, but whoever it is has a mess. They need to rework this team around Cooper flag. So, before we get to AD, what about Kyrie? It makes sense to move Kai for picks and a young player on paper because we know the Mavs don’t control any of their picks until 2031 outside of this year. Oh, and do you see 2029? Yeah, Houston. How clutch would it be to get your own pick back and Kai’s a good fit in Htown? Not a pure point guard, but better than what the Rockets have now. Team up with his buddy KD and Mavs get Reed Shepard back. But in reality, fans love Kyrie. This ain’t on paper. He is a reminder of how good things used to be. Kai and Luca dominated to the finals just 16 months ago. So to turn the page on him would feel so defeating. Plus, if he doesn’t return from the ACL this year, it’s not going to hurt the pick. And if Kai wants to stay, he might be good for Cooper Flag. But Kai ain’t close to the only player they could move. I think every other player not named Cooper Flag’s got to be looked at. They are no longer on Nico Harrison’s timeline. and need to tank this year. So with that in mind, Max Christie, Derek Lively, Daniel Gaffford, Clay, Jaden Hardy, Naji Marshall. Only guy who can’t legally be treated yet is PJ Washington. But no trade is more important to get right than Anthony Davis. This will really kickstart the rebuild. But forget rebuild for a sec. The fit makes no sense. Why would you keep a 33-year-old who wants to play his 18-year-old teammate’s best position? Oh, and it helps the tank. And what if AD suffered a serious injury? Did you know that doctors are afraid Davis could tear his Achilles if they rush him back from this current injury? Nico was pushing for it, the psycho. If that happened, it would be a disaster. So, who would trade for AD? Well, remember just two years ago, Davis played 76 games on the Lakers. 25 points, 13 boards a night. First team all defense, second team allNBA, and an all-star. That is an allworld type player who you could get at a discount. This could be a once-ina-lifetime trade. Yes, AD’s banged up, but when healthy, he is a championship level piece to a contender. Problem is, Dallas is not a contender. So, who is? Well, I am most excited about the Warriors. Have you seen the locker room turmoil right now? After another loss, both Jimmy Butler and Draymond call out their teammates. I spoke way too soon about Jonathan Kaminga’s growth who is now inconsistent. Cuz bottom line, Warriors don’t even look like a conference finals team right now. They got to be desperate to get Steph that fifth ring. And AD could be his best teammate since Kevin Durant. So, what about the fit? Well, Golden State is small. AD plays that switchable defense. So, an amazing fit. And what about the trade? Well, this is where it gets tricky. Like real tricky. Okay, I ran through all the options, but guess what? In order to make the salary work, they have to trade either Jimmy Butler or Draymond Green. I know it’s insane, but there is no other way. Now, Jimmy has the higher ceiling, but Draymond’s importance to this team and to Steph is undeniable. I don’t think they are the same team without Draymond Green. The chemistry he has with Steph to maximize what Steph does is invaluable. So for that reason, the Warriors get AD, the Bucks get Jimmy Butler, the Mavericks get Kyle Kuzma, Bobby Porters, Kevin Porter, Junior, Torian Prince, and control of three first round picks, which are valuable. This is from CBS, and I love it. Forget the players. Those three picks are insanely valuable after both Steph and Giannis are gone. Most likely, Dallas could flip those picks in a massive trade to help Cooper. But another trade I love is the Bulls. AD is from there. Chicago played well without Kobe White and he’s up for an extension. People were talking trade even before this. The timeline with AD not perfect but you know that ownership Jerry Rhinor loves to sell tickets. So the trade is the Bulls get AD Maz get V Kevin Herder Kobe White and a 2029 Bulls first round pick. Either way the ideal return here is at least one good young player and one good pick for Dallas. So other teams I have on the radar are the Kings, Wolves, Pacers, Knicks, Hawks, Sixers, Hornets, Pelicans, Raptors, Celtics, and Clippers. That is a lot of teams that could potentially be interested, which might drive up AD’s trade value. But don’t be fooled if Dallas says they might keep him. But I am going to keep pushing this Ryan Rollins story. This dude shoplifted body wash from Target while making 1.7 million in the NBA. He didn’t do it once or twice, seven times. So, I did a deep dive on this comeback season he’s having and what it took for him to finally break out in Milwaukee.

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The Mavericks pivot around Cooper Flagg is inevitable and this is a look at what moves they could make first. Also, we are learning more about the final days of Nico Harrison in the Dallas front office.