Thread on why I'd consider trading for Blake, and it has nothing to do with performance.

Its good to keep your salary extended, ala Golden State with D-Lo, because it gives you flexibility to absorb large contracts, and you can't do that without matching salary. https://twitter.com/PuGH_3/status/1360668977714900996

The Mavs have max cap space this summer, but it would require them to renounce the bird rights of THJ and Richardson. So yes, we can sign a max player, but we'd be losing two important rotation players, and have next to nothing to sign additional players.

Also, we've been down the "plan powder" path for 10 years now with no success. Let's try something new.

The below trade works for salary purposes and saves Detroit almost $30 million next year. More than enough for Dallas to squeeze a pick or young player out of the deal.

The Mavs, as an over the cap team will then have the full $10mm MLE and the $4 mm BAE while also retaining THJ and Richardson....the exact same amount of money we will have if we keep EITHER of THJ or Richardson.

The difference would be, that because we extended our salary we'd net an additional $25 million in leverage to help land our eventual 3rd star, while retaining THJ and Richardson.

To summarize, from a team building perspective, the Mavs at a minimum need to leverage Johnson's expiring contract into salary that extends past this year. Blake Griffin works great as a target for that purpose, and the Mavs should seriously consider it.

Before anyone takes this wrong.

Plan A should 100% be for the Mavs to try to land good player before the deadline, but if plan A fails, they'd be crazy not to figure out how to extend their salaries past this summer.