Breaking: Klay Thompson is a Dallas Maverick

Breaking: Klay Thompson is a Dallas Maverick

[Music] [Applause] [Music] a [Applause] [Music] well welcome back to the Dallas Prospect we have something to talk about man oh man do we have something to talk about I’ll be honest with you guys when I planned to go live today I didn’t know what to expect I certainly did not come in here with the assumption that this Klay thing would have already resolved itself I actually felt like this might drag into the night and as has happened so many times in the past we would ultimately find that the Mavericks were leverag in a situation and they don’t get their guy they’re the always the bridesmaid never the bride really not even the considered bridesmaid in this case I really had a feeling this was going to go the way of so many other Primo re agents and uh it’s interesting to see for once the Dallas Mavericks get their top their top Target in free agency now you can say like oh well you know before last year it was resigning Kyrie yeah but you had Kyrie it was resigning and you already had that leverage this is the first time and it’s not lost on me in the least bit that it’s under a new ownership group governorship group whatever and that it was very strategic that during the last week or so we learned that like oh Mark cubin no Mark Cuban’s really not even involved hardly at all like really he has no involvement this clarification came out ahead of free agency because as I have said before and maintained nobody ever forgot that Mark blew up the title team didn’t matter that we went 10 12 13 14 whatever years beyond that nobody forgot that and Donnie Nelson combined with markk Cuban being more preoccupied with Shark Tank and whatever other nonsense just never allowed Dallas to be in the real running for these kinds of things the difference is that you have a capable GM now I I don’t care whatever you think of the Mavericks and their potential to ultimately get a championship even with Luca even with Kyrie what you cannot dispute is that they management and their ability to make big things happen has radically transformed for the better under Nico Harrison in his role like his his job as general manager of the Mavericks what he’s been able to do whether it was swinging his only blip is Jaylen Brunson and that was his kind of Welcome to the NBA moment but like whether it was the initial the initial trade for Kyrie and all of the criticism and skepticism that came with it even though yeah this past season ended in a in a rough kind of way with the last you know last round the finals there going down 4-1 yeah that sucked but you know what you still have built a very very good team you prove that Luca and Kyrie can work well together you prove that you can take you had an eye for this talent that you were able to get and we’ll get into this in a minute but guys like Derek Jones Jr Dante exom you were able to get these kind of guys in here on these minimum deals and especially in the case of DJJ really really make things work and happen for you all of that got you not just into the finals but gave you a sense that like this isn’t just a fluke like oh this team caught fire at the right moment you legitimately look at this team and think like they’re going to be Rel they’re going to be like in the thick of contention now the West has gotten very good uh I love love uh some of the things like the Pelicans for instance have done but even still I had some concerns and you know when the when the Mavericks as I referenced before the best thing about Nico here isn’t just like yeah getting Kyrie seeing the the veteran veteran minimum deals that could be had with like drick Jones Jr and Dante Exum but also then making other mov that they did like PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford those were huge moves obviously those last two in particular put you over the top where you went from a team barely at 500 to a team that 5 months later was playing in the finals that’s legit but not resting on The Laurels not being overly attached to the players and I don’t say that to sound heartless but it is when you’re building these rosters the worst thing you can do is just fall in love with your own guys you can’t do that Jerry Jones makes that stick with the Cowboys all the time that’s why they just keep paying their own guys to stay there instead of drafting their Replacements or finding other parts that work in free agency Mark cubin was the same thing and where they have finally found something is that when their leverage with Derrick Jones Jr started to really slide and it was clear that was going to drag out when it was clear that there was that preoccupying with that what they had said was their top and second highest priority entering free agency when that was going to drag out and take them out of the Klay Thompson sweep Stakes while the Lakers led by LeBron and them tried everything they could to pry Klay Thompson away in the past the Mavericks would and have stood Pat and just said our offer is our offer we got the most money to offer Mavericks could have offered four for 68 for Klay Thompson he ended up taking less to choose Dallas now I know some people are like hey the quiet part out loud is he chose Luca over LeBron over 39-year-old LeBron James yes I would sincerely hope so but it’s not just Luca it’s Kyrie like Anthony Davis is a walking injury he can still be great when he’s healthy but he’s a walking injury LeBron’s 39 years old like if you’re talking about a multi-year deal are you going to keep banking on that no I wouldn’t the only question would be like okay he stays in you know California he stays in that nice area and you know he’s with the the spectacle of the Lakers we know his dad was uh had a connection to the Lakers obviously so like yeah there was there was some reason for that but it was never a more attractive offer than Dallas in terms of the money in terms of the role and the opportunity dude Luca creates he Klay Thompson is the second most efficient just spot up shooter in NBA history you could say Luca creates the most wideopen looks for his teammates like you just look at the finals Dallas starters with wideopen looks from three shot like 177% that that right there is practically your series because in the modern NBA the three-point shot is everything the Celtics were lethal in those situations the Mavericks were just painful and I love Derrick Jones Jr I said numerous times I wanted Dallas to find a way find a way to keep him but you know what he he took the deal he took he’s now a Clipper and Dallas had to look at the situation and say like dude he’s now represented by clutch clutch LeBron Rich Paul all that if they’re dragging their feet to try and impact the clay situation make it where the Mavericks are either going to lose Derrick Jones Jr or risk losing out on Clay the Mavericks in the past might have found a way to lose both they might have completely stood Pat let him walk and then maybe they kept Derrick or maybe they find a way to lose that too but at the end of the day they don’t stand Pat they do make a move and I really really like what they get with uh Nai like really now I I don’t think he’s pound-for-pound the same Defender as as Derrick Jones Jr was and I do think Derrick Jones Jr especially his athleticism and his ability to switch onto guards uh at point of attack and stuff phenomenal phenomenal you are going to miss that the difference is that Naji in like wide openen three-point looks was like 40% last year his overall three-point percentage isn’t that different from Derrick Jones Jr especially if you look at their careers but if you just look at like the wide open opportunities which was what we just said was the Kryptonite for the Mavericks in the finals that’s your difference like that really is your difference he is he is a dog he is a great defender he is versatile though not quite in the same way is of Derrick Jones Jr and he doesn’t have the athleticism and like that crazy lob threat that DJJ brought but you still have an awful lot to like with that signing and getting him at what was it uh let me see the exact details of his deal here I think it worked out to like 12 million per year or something that he was able to get but being able to pick him up and bring in that kind of shooting touch just that three-point cons consistency huge absolutely huge for Dallas yeah Naji Marshall uh blah blah blah ended up going threee 27 million Derrik Jones Jr got three for 30 from the Clippers so not that different in terms of money but the thing is somebody I I wish I knew who said this I wish I remember who said this on Twitter because it was my favorite perspective on it now that Paul George has gone from the Clippers it’s like like yeah going from Derrick Jones Jr to Naji Marshall is nowhere near as painful as going from Paul George to Derrick Jones Jr again DJJ I love you you’re going to be one of my favorite one-year Mavericks ever but that’s just truth like that’s that’s just UN in in irrefutable proof I wish that we had resolved a way to keep drick Jones Jr but when he made the switch to clutch and was kind of being used in this as this Pawn in this leverage game for the Lakers to try and get clay the whole thing just kind of fell apart and Dallas recognizing this said yeah we’re we’re not going to do this we’re going to make sure we make a very good pivot now so that we can stay in the clay thing and defensively we’re going to stay pretty much where we were except we’re going to add some shooting in this equation too so they spent slightly less and managed to really address that while staying in the clay sweep Stakes which had that not panned out you might have looked at it and said was this ultimately a worthwhile tradeoff I think it would have been closer to a push better in some areas slight step back maybe in a couple but the fact that you pull this thing off the fact that you actually pull off this like let let’s look at what they’ve done they traded Tim Hardaway Jr and yeah they sent out a lot but you get Quinton Grimes you get a very nice piece in return good by the way that piece made Josh screen dis uh dispensable he’s starting the first year of a new deal and we talked about the sugar glider yeah man he’s he’s got his strengths and the things about him that you that you covet but there’s also the shortcomings and those have never gone away maybe not here at least so the fact that you’re able to make this sign in trade work to get Klay Thompson he takes less money for Dallas it’s about four for 50 in Dallas again first time we’ve heard the actual the actual like consideration part of it being the no state income tax for Texas being a huge factor in the decision um the Mavericks are closer than than the Lakers are to real contention and so you’re able to get that he get his three three-year deal with a player option so he’s not you know he’s not ham tying his hands to the Mavericks forever uh if if it’s not a fit okay within a couple years he’s on his way out it is what it is but you’re able to add one of if not like the best spot up three-point shooter in NBA history you’re able to add a dude I said three for 50 right um you’re able to add a dude who has been very capable obviously with his injuries and stuff he’s had in recent years he’s not what he was but I would still say you know a lot of people look at how he kind of finished out the year last year and make a determination on him that I don’t think is indicative of it I I think overall his season was good it just tailed off towards the end as he hit a rut and it got rough his games against the Mavericks last year were nothing home nothing to write home about I think one of them he was one of 11 so there are some things there but you’re able in your offseason maneuvering to move on from Tim Hardaway Jr you move uh you move Josh Green to Charlotte and for Cay Thompson it’s like you get so in this multi-team deal with the Warriors you end up losing Josh green and like a couple second round picks and you add Klay Thompson on a three for 50 oh I said four for 50 my bad yeah three for 50 I think I was trying to say earlier when the Mavericks had the option to give him a four for 68 is what it was initially being talked about but yes it is a three-year deal you’re correct um but yeah it’s like dude you get that kind of maneuvering and pull it off and man that is that is a masterful job in in terms of roster building in terms of again just doing the doing the tough thing like you you love your players but you can’t you can’t slap a ring on every one of them you can’t and Josh Green he’s he’s a great xfactor guy brings great energy he had his moment in game five uh where he hit like four threes for the game late third quarter was still like your leading scorer at one point as wild as that is but he was doing his thing but there was also I think a clear ceiling there where he was never going to step into that next level that Dallas needed and so it’s like yeah for something like this he had to be one of their best assets they would willingly get rid of they did guarantee fully guarantee Jaden Hardy’s uh salary next year it’s just $2 million so because Tim Hardway jun’s gone because Josh green has now been dealt I think Jaden Hardy is going to get really opportunity now to shine and that’s awesome especially with how he was able to grow and like find his kind of step and rhythm with this team late in the playoffs I think having him having another year older for uh Derrik Lively is going to be huge again this team the core of this team was only together for five months now yeah three of those pieces are gone Derrick Jones Jr is the only one you didn’t really want to part with but you had to you had to let him go um because if you had overpaid to to make sure you kept him you were going to be out of the clay sweep Stakes because if it was 330 to keep Derrick Jones Jr I think Dallas would have done it I think I think with the switch to clutch I think they were leveraging for more because Dallas now to be clear because he was a one-year player it’s not like Dallas had bird rights to him that’s that’s not how that works so Dallas had some leverage but not a lot and if if it was just 3 for 30 to keep him and then we stayed in the clay sweep Stakes I don’t know that Dallas would have made the move they did for Naji Marshall I think they made the move because the asking price was a lot more and it wasn’t reasonable to what they to what they felt his Market should be and so when that was the case they they pivoted they said okay where’s the best bang for buck value we find I think in terms of what you got and what you’re going to be able to bring to the table with Marshall I think it’s a I think it’s a very very solid um very solid pivot like I don’t think it’s a significant downgrade I don’t think you’re going to have to worry about that the three-point shooting yeah we saw stretches of it for drick Jones Jr but man it it’s just not the same animal it’s really not so having this ability now where you’re going to have multiple Shooters coming in Klay Thompson obviously like I said one of the best three-point shs ever particularly spot up shooting he don’t have to dribble the ball a single damn time he’s going to be spoonfed like clockwork by Luca and by Kyrie that that’s it now Josh Green you did have someone who was a deceptively good playmaker whether it was his passing or his off the dribble a little bit but again I I never got the sense from him that there was just this brimming confidence for him to really consistently put it together and maybe he finds that in Charlotte because now there’s less pressure but you know until the last stretch of this year there really wasn’t a lot of pressure here other than like oh you play with Luca you you know you got to try and do something to make this team like do your part to make this team a contender it’s it’s a different ask though so looking at all of this I think Dallas has ated significant shooting I think they’re still very good defensively and when I look at the parts that came in respective to the parts that went out it’s like yeah this team is this team is for Real this team is establishing like we’re not just going to we’re not content just being here this year in the finals and hey we even won a game woohoo they’re not content with that they looked at it and said we’re going to take a step forward we’re going to be aggressive we’re not going to be passive and just say run it back baby I wouldn’t have faulted them if they had I I would have said like I think that’s probably a mistake but I wouldn’t have faulted them to to a sign ific degree other than saying can you find another shooter Off the Bench can you find another guy who can be a knockdown shooter for you at least they just added They just added like one of the best ever for that and then they got another guy that’s been very capable of that while being a solid Defender as TG points out in the comments like Naji can body up power forwards that that wasn’t that wasn’t a thing for Derrick Jones Jr Derrick Jones Jr was you know he was able to guard guards because of that but you know point of attack Defenders there’s just not there’s not a plethora of those available I I want to find it was a great tweet from uh Nick angad the other day on point of attack Defenders they’re not in like they’re they’re not hugely available oh by the way here’s that three-o percentage thing open three point percentage thing in the finals stat mamb said wide open three-o percentage in the finals the Celtics shot Celtics starters shot 42.6% the Maverick starter shot 17.6% there’s your finals that’s your difference and again Derrick Jones Jr not a strong strong three-point shooter uh Washington you know PJ n he he’s had moments in the playoffs but he wasn’t great in the final shooting the three he did a lot of other things played hard but there was still more that you needed so the fact that you’re able to do this and not not find yourself in this kind of predicament where you’re just stuck you’re addressing your specific needs without giving up too much defensively is huge you know especially on Naji Harris or Harris Naji uh Marshall Naji Harris who is that I think that was an old running back or something from the NFL my brain flipped back into cowboys coverage talking about like a Steelers matchup or something um so Naji Marshall 26 years old 67 with a 7-1 wingspan good defender 40.7% on wide openen threes 30 point or 39.6% on catch and shoot threes and 42% from the corners there you go there’s your fit that that is Major value there if you’re gon to have to lose Derek Jo derck Jones Jr that is the kind of guy you go and get a guy who brings you much of what you were able to get from that and maybe if it’s not an exact Apples to Apples comparison is at least close enough that IT addresses many other needs that you have and then brings a dimension that you simply didn’t have there Cowboy xfactor knew exactly the reference I accidentally made um just awesome stuff so I love I love all of this that they’ve been able to add here I’m just looking through some of my notes uh anything else that I want if you guys got questions by the way throw them in the chat LeBron to Dallas don’t see that happening now um I was not the least bit surprised that the Lakers drafted bronny just to to make sure LeBron stays BR Rob says yes sir DDP number one hater first in the house Frank what’s good Mavs in the arm race the Mavericks are the arms race sir they are the arms race wanted to read this from uh NBA University on Twitter talking about he posted this uh about 10 days ago talking about Naji Marshall he says Naji Marshall the knife makes a living giving hell to ball Defenders he has a 7-1 wingspan and uses it to pickpocket everybody strong anticipation and understanding of space passable shooter with really nice connective playmaking and closeout attacking in his bag yeah that’s a hell of a pivot so the one thing that felt like a little bit of a disappointing loss for me with Derrik Jones Jr at least they made a a solid pivot that that’s a a great pickup there this from Tim McMahon also gives some context to the clutch thing I was talking about Derrick Jones Jr’s decision to switch agents this week complicated hopes of resigning due to the NBA player association guideline a 15-day wait to change representation basically complicated things where it reduced their ability to negotiate with Derrick Jones Jr and between that and the initial kind of ask not really able to go back and forth the Mavericks are just like screw it we got to move now so yeah I like it and uh Nick angad points out that Grimes can also and exam even can help uh Cobble together some some of that fit for what they need what they lose defensively on the drick Jones front I’ll be curious to see uh I’ll be curious to see as well what Dallas or not excuse me what not what Dallas with the with the 76ers making their signing bringing in Paul George I’ll be curious to see what happens with some of those guys because to make that $212 million deal I think it was uh work they’re going to have to renounce some rights or something to that effect so there are going to be guys out there like your buddy heels now I never even mentioned buddy healed this time around CU financially I just knew it wasn’t going to work I didn’t expect even if the clay thing didn’t happen I didn’t think you were going to be getting buddy healed and even if he did he’s got no defense to really help you there so I didn’t have that expectation but I was curious to see like oh is there going to be like a a fire sale that opens up for you in in one of those markets but really not so much [Music] ah okay here’s that thing I was looking for earlier the point of attack Defenders list that Nick angad put together he says how many players in the NBA would you feel confident to lead your point of attack defense on a championship level team assuming player Health this is who I came up with with he’s got Drew holiday Derek white Jaylen Brown kcp uh OG anubi Mel Bridges BB Jones Lou Dort Alex Caruso Jaylen Suggs Marcus Smart notice how many of these guys are Celtics by the way or I know Smart’s not anymore but was for a long long time Jaden McDaniels Dylan Brooks uh matis dul kawhai Jimmy Butler K Wallace Gary Payton and he’s even got Pat Bev on the list yeah uh oh and Jonathan Isaac um Isaac would have been kind of interesting so that’s really really what it looks at there um the West has gotten stronger aside from the fact that the the Clippers seem like they’re folding up shop a little bit I think they’re going to take a step back they’re trying to find a way to shop Russ I did read something that the Nuggets were for some reason kind of interested that’s a baffling one to me but the Nuggets continue to lose pieces from that Championship Squad and I think it’s going to catch up to them so the Nuggets feel like they’ve taken a step back the Clippers are taking a step back I think the Thunder have actually done a lot of really nice stuff um with their big man they got from the Knicks Haron um that’s I I really like that pickup for them and their draft picks I thought they did a good job with I thought the way they managed their cap uh with Wiggins and Isaiah Joe really solid uh um how they’ve managed that so I do think the Thunder are going to stay around they a problem I think they’ve addressed some of those weaknesses well the Lakers got better but I still think they’re a little ways away especially now with this deal not coming together for them getting clay so the West is going to be very interesting and I mentioned earlier too I I love what the Pelicans have done oh and I had even mentioned for OKC Alex Caruso my God getting Alex Caruso for uh Josh giddy only wo that is that is a serious upgrade and I actually forgot he was on the Thunder at one point when he still had hair for whatever that’s worth let’s see let me ask this in the chat is Klay Thompson the biggest free agent signing in Maverick’s history just name value I again I understand they resigned Kyrie you could say that but like he he was here he was acquired in a trade beforehand and then resigned to me that’s different is Klay Thompson the biggest name value signing in Mavericks history that is true Cowboy xfactor that Josh green and Grant Williams are teammates again Seth Curry is a free agent I don’t I don’t want there’s no role for Seth Curry I love Seth Curry there was a time when I said he was one of my f I said he was one of my absolute favorite one-year Wonder Mavs um we’ve had two other cups of coffee since then and the magic is gone leave the memories alone there is an open roster spot for the Mavericks to consider though so that is worth saying W points out that Klay Thompson had fouryear offers for more money but it’s taking less um offsetting that for the chance to win a fifth championship and obviously the difference in the state income tax according to agent Greg Lawrence so that was a motivating factor for him still amazing to me that all Dallas is giving up in this multi-team trade is who round picks and Josh green and Josh Green is going to the to the Hornets he’s not even going to Golden State that’s what’s even more wild to me about all this like man you didn’t have to give up really anything just found out the Lakers wanted to offer clay four for 80 so clay took $30 million pay cut and one less year that’s wild um I thought the Mavericks the Mavericks had the flexibility to go four for 68 I knew he took less to go with the Mavericks that’s wild though if it’s that much of a difference that La was offering again it’s 39-year-old LeBron and made of glass Anthony Davis and how much else is really there that makes you say like yes this team is there it the the luster of the Lakers and his own personal connection would have been the biggest factor in anything I feel like so Dallas always made more sense if personal feelings were set aside of course I said similar things talking about Jaylen Brunson and that proved not to be true I felt like that 2022 playoff run if anything showed him and Luca could coexist similar to how we see Luca and Kyrie existing coexisting now but you know the money offer was never going to be in that same ballpark if you had given Jaylen the max which would have been like a $120 million deal or some nonsense he would have taken it but I think you had to go Max to keep him and Dallas wasn’t going to do that so he took the most the max he could get from uh the Nicks to go there and it’s worked out for him hell he was just on a in a a spot with halberton on what was it Smackdown or something where he hopped the guard rail and was like standing in the ring with a chair stopping uh halberton from handing Logan Paul a chair or something like that the nonsense of professional wrestling crossing over with basketball is amazing I have fond memories of uh Dennis Rodman and Carl Malone the awful awfulness of him aside uh in the 90s doing their whole angle with the NWO and hey my namesake Diamond Dallas Page Frank says also DDP the Mavericks have not lost a single future first round pick in any of these trades or signings and that is significant um now they do have some of those tied up right now obviously you got out from under the the original KP deal finally but you do have uh a first round pick I think I think tied up in the PJ deal that you just made with Charlotte so there is that to consider uh Santos says I’d argue nii is a better Defender especially on bigger uh strong wings or guards like Jaylen Brown and wasn’t given the same minute as Derrick Jones Jr definitely think Nai will be a better allaround than Derrick Jones Jr ah I appreciate the perspective I I would love to see that be the case yep matist is a point of attack yep I agree 100% uh who should the Mavs add to the roster with the 4 million or so left uh for that mid-level exception I’ll be curious to see what they look at there I really don’t want them to look at Seth Curry again we’ brought him in three separate times it’s never it never works out it’s always a one year or in the case of this past year half a season barely playing leave the memories alone move on um let him stay and finish out his career with Charlotte where his dad played that’ll that’ll be nice for him or maybe send him to Golden State to play one year with his brother I don’t know but that would uh that would be interesting I I’ll have to look at the the market what we think we can get for 4 million the thing is I love the fact that like normally we’d be like oh 4 million that’s such such little money why would we even like worry about it like so I I’ve watched times R Mavericks in the past have let trade exceptions worth like 16 million expire because they couldn’t figure out how to use it that’s infurious creating the fact that like Nico Harrison was able last year to be like mid-levels exception is all we got huh screw it Derrick Jones Jr get in here still limited huh Dante exom you know bring it on down let’s go both of those guys were huge this year especially Derrick Jones Jr so you know again I hate that it didn’t work to keep Derrick Jones Jr like I don’t know how that would have looked if you had managed to keep the difference is I feel like the clippers because of the situation losing Paul George they could offer him something Dallas ultimately couldn’t not just $3 million more apparently but they could offer him a guaranteed starting job he couldn’t get that in Dallas especially if they were going to get clay you couldn’t give him that so like for a guy who again told us during last year like you know yeah I took a minimum deal to come to Dallas and a one-year deal when I could have gotten more money to stay with Chicago I could have gotten a better deal they wanted to keep me long term but it was like you have to Define your you’re you’re eventually getting to a point where you’re limited in your remaining opportunities to stake your claim to your role and your money he took the less far far less money to stake his claim to that role and now he’s getting that role in a different place I wish it I kind of wish it had been here but at the same time I think Dallas made the right move and especially if he if you weren’t going to be able to get him for that same like three for 30 that the the Clippers just did yeah you couldn’t have done that and because of his change in representation that’s kind of a trojan horse sort of thing you stayed tied up in that trying to navigate that uh while losing out on the the big fish so I think Nico Harrison did a brilliant job in managing and pivoting in this free agency so absolutely love it let’s see could clay shoot his best with Dallas could he like career best I don’t know maybe from a percentage standpoint uh again Dallas generates like the most open looks in the league and that’s like the entirety of Luca’s tenure with the Mavericks so yeah he’ll get the looks he’ll absolutely get the opportunities and again we talk about guys with gravity he’s going to open up the spacing because that was part of the trouble when you got to the finals when PJ Washington wasn’t able to hit threes like he was doing against Oklahoma City um when Derrick Jones Jr wasn’t able to hit threes like he had done at times against Oklahoma City and even a little bit against the uh Timberwolves Dallas’s Dallas’s offense stagnated a little bit because suddenly yeah you got two guys that can weave through the paint get anything they want in Luca and Kyrie but Defenders are sagging off the shooters they’re daring you OKC did the same thing but Dallas was able to get enough to make them pay but they’re daring those Shooters to beat them and Dallas just couldn’t really get that so when you can’t open open up that lob threat inside because you can’t get that late double team shifting over to open up the alleyoop he took a huge vital aspect of the offense away from the Mavericks and never getting that shooting going was what really really hurt Dallas in the finals and when the open shooters for the Mavericks the open starters are shooting 17.2% on wide open looks yeah that’s going to be everything so clay addresses a major major problem that Dallas experienced uh in in the finals and I I think Marshall does as well so it’s a significant Improvement on that it’s a different defensive look but I do have trust at this point I gave it very begrudgingly but I do have trust in Jason kid and the coaching staff’s ability to rework and retool the defense in the in the slight variation ways that they need to to make this thing continue to work well also just the fact that you’re going to have another year of Derek uh Derek Lively’s development is so huge like Derek Lively flashed numerous times throughout the year but man oh man was it really in like when he came back from what was it a knee a spray knee I think he missed most of the end of the regular season and came back just in time for the start of the playoffs he was different when he came back it maybe took him that initial Clipper series to really really find it but he was such a differen maker for this team and you saw suddenly everything was coming together the mental side the physical side um all of that was there having that foundation and now that experience that he’s gotten going against these guys and these looks and uh having to deal with teams you know trying to take him away in what he does the way that they do is going to be so invaluable to to what he’s able to bring to this team moving forward I really think and I’ve said this from the start look back at my video when they drafted him he’s Tyson 2.0 because yeah we saw in that game game for the finals him bust out the the corner three I think that’s going to be an actual part of his game now where maybe not every game but it’s not going to be uncommon to see him taking one or two threes per game from that corner three and the way that that’s going to force teams to change up how they guard Dallas how that’s going to open up space that was part of what made Boston so good is you had five guys that could put the ball on the deck and get something and at the same time five those same five guys could stand out there on the ark and just spread you out completely and that’s how you get like Al Horford just getting wide open spot up threes because he’s just standing there waiting for the ball to come to him because somebody else penetrates and then there’s so much spacing something’s going to open up having that ability even on a smaller scale is so big for Dallas and now that that you can have the shooters you can have Luca Klay Thompson Kyrie Irving even a halfway passable percentage wise Derek Lively just the threat of him being able to shoot a three having those guys out there and like a PJ who again is like what like 35% or something um his career is probably like 33 34 but like through the playoffs for much of it was more like that 35% 36% range and the Thunder series was like 40% almost having those kind of Shooters at your disposal and having guys off the bench like Jaden Hardy who can just be an absolute spark plug and really ignite referencing his former team um that was it right ignite uh it is just so so invaluable so I love love love how the Mavericks have handled this it would have been so easy for them to rest on their Laurels and say hey this group only had five months together maybe we don’t change really much of anything maybe we kick the tires on Clay try to get a meeting with Clay but like yeah you don’t really like change too much you kind of you kind of know what you got and you got something really good good good is great I know that sounds like an upgrade good is great but when it’s so apparent that the difference between you and a team that actually is great is as vast as it is getting your ass handed to you in five games and your deficiencies brutally picked apart then it’s clear you can’t rest on your laurels and I think former former uh I was going to say ownership groups former iterations of the Mavericks year-over-year with the previous ownership with the previous general manager president of basketball operations all that I think would have been far too willing to rest on The Laurels maybe they would have gotten stars in their eyes over the idea of the big fish taking that meeting with clay or tried to get it but it wouldn’t have gone anywhere and so we would have run out largely the same team and been more likely for a regression next year now to be fair when when it’s hey we at least made the finals anything short of a title is going to be a regression anything short of at least getting back to the finals is going to be a regression so you didn’t have a whole lot of space to work with but navigating it this way I think absolutely brilliant job can the Mavs win in the NBA with clay and this team asks Micah I think so um I I think they’re capable for sure again I really want to see how different the defense is going to look but like when you look at how good this team was top to bottom and it’s like hey you’ve had three pieces to part Tim Hardway Jr who after the midpoint of the year was more or less useless to us had one good game in the in the playoffs um and no I’m not counting his game for barrage against the Celtics that I don’t count that although I guess for for his credit sure um but you lose him you lose Josh green and the only one that stings at all and it’s more on a personal level is Derrick Jones Jr um that’s your losses but you bring in Klay Thompson Naji Marshall and Quinton Grimes and it’s like yeah yeah you know what I think I’m good with this I I think this is a solid upgrade if not Abs if not at every single level then overwhelm inly the the sum of what you got is better than what you’re losing and I think this is how you prove to your team and your guys we’re serious about going out and winning we’re serious about we talked about like a two-year window with Luca and Kyrie potentially this is how you signal to them that you’re serious and you’re going for it that’s how you keep them driven and motivated and don’t have them thinking like ah well that was fun but maybe maybe that’s not here like more so in the Kyrie thing cuz he’s got a year two now of his three-year deal and he’s got a player option so feasibly Kyrie could opt out this this next summer and we could be uh trying to see where we’re at then so it’s all fluid man that’s why you got to look at these things and that’s why I think it’s very very crucial to to prove to your guys that you’re ready to go right now th W is a better fit than clay yeah but I don’t think that one was going to be uh as easy Thunder is complete now but OKC needs two more years of experience to adjust to the veterans of this league uh I think OKC is going to be better than they were this year and they were the one seed this year I think if OKC had gotten past Dallas I still think they could have beaten the Timberwolves I don’t think they would have beaten Boston but I think they would have been in the position Dallas was and probably went in a similar way either four or five games but having said that um I don’t know that they’re two years away I think OKC is going to be really a team to keep your eye on this year Health permitting because their health was in insanely good to them all year this past year so that’s going to be something to keep an eye on but yeah I I don’t rule out at all what they’ve done I I absolutely love the offseason OKC has had what about Monte Alis or DeAndre Jordan sir I will have I will not have that name Spoken Here Again uh Dennis Smith Jr or Spencer deny real talk I would like either of those I know we gave Spencer justly so a lot of crap for his decision of like choosing the Lakers over the Mavericks but even still Spencer was serviceable here and as long as you kept his rule somewhat modest could be a very nice second unit piece for you uh and Dennis Smith Jr man I I I think he’s deserving of an opportunity and I would love it if he if he got a chance to do that here but he would be such a reserve player here I just don’t know exactly what that looks like but I love that dude’s defense the one thing he should at least thank Rick Carlile for was Rick carile basically told him if you want to make it in this league you’re going to have to become a tenacious Defender like you you cannot be just your athleticism with dunking and your streaky scoring and the athleticism largely left him the streaky scoring has been Streaker even but the defense that he developed at Rick’s advisement and everything has kept him around the energy in the defense has kept him around and he has held on for dear life at the at you know at the edge of several rosters he’s been Detroit he’s been Portland he’s been Charlotte I mean he’s been several several places I would like to see one more shot at Dennis Smith Jr here for sure and I think Luca would love that by the way they were they were really tight their one season not even full season half season whatever together Doug McDermot McDermot would be a case of getting just a pure shooter Off the Bench but I don’t I I’m honestly not Adept enough uh in the know enough at this point of what douge mcbuckets looks like U as a player to to know how much of a help it would be but McDermot was solid for us he just was here during a time when we had nothing else going on and so it it was kind of hard to quantify Naji can play more physical than Derrick Jones Jr can’t navigate through screens like Derek Jones but is a way better on ball Defender I appreciate that input Frank what’s left for the Lakers buddy hee yeah that’s that’s a reasonable thing here gualberto Garcia what’s good is Clay’s Championship experience an important factor I think so I mean anytime you had a guy that’s been there and done that you know he’s not going to shrink from the moment I’ll be honest with you man Klay Thompson I have I have largely not liked Klay Thompson in his NBA career um not that I ever doubted or dismissed his talent but I for so much of his career felt like if you were with anybody but step and like tethered there to that dynasty you you would be a solid number two anywhere you might have still won a championship somewhere but like the level of arrogance he’s flashed at times right he was the one up 3-1 poking the bear uh when LeBron was on the Cavs and it led to that comeback in the 2016 finals all of that was uh was Clay and so many comments he’s made have just come across to me as arrogant and like a really inflated sense of self import I’m sure I’m going to hear some of that as well this year and I’m sure some of that’s going to like me be like ah it’s fine now he’s with us he he’s our arrogant guy or whatever but at the very least I do look at you know speaking of 2016 game six Oklahoma City the Thunder were up 3-1 his game six he hits 83 Steph couldn’t throw it into the ocean that game maybe that’s a bit harsh that was like Durant and Westbrook combined when they went up 3-1 the last uh three games of the series they couldn’t do that but like clay single-handedly saved the Warriors season and got them to the finals so I look at that and I’m like he’s got that ability he’s especially for a guy that’s just a spot-up shooter even with the injuries he’s had if you just need him as a spot-up shooter and at least a capable Defender doesn’t have to be a great defender like he once was uh then yeah I I think it absolutely has worth and value especially when you can anchor him defensively the way the Mavericks came with Lively and Gafford that’s the whole thing is like you can have some deficien icies in in your defensive skill set as long as you got the right anchors and that’s kind of like 2011 Mavericks like they were a very good defensive team but like Dirk at his best Dirk was a a hair above average as a Defender um Jason Terry was never a great defender you just had these guys like kid was still a capable Defender certainly at times could could really lock up and make guys work uh even even your Kobes for instance or your Dwayne Wade’s but you know he couldn’t do it like at length for long periods of time Kon Butler was your you know your second best player your second best player and Defender but he was gone for the season by that point but a lot of things worked because you had the ultimate eraser at the back in Tyson Chandler you kind of still have that not not just with Lively in my comparison but also with what Gafford is able to bring to the table so absolutely uh think that you can be solid even with these three um you know we’ve seen what a motivated directed Luca and even Kai can do defensively and I think Clay is probably in a similar boat adding his shooting is just icing on the cake he doesn’t have to dribble I don’t care if he dribbles the ball three bounces in a game because odds are he’s going to be just as likely to make three threes as he is to perform three ball bounces not three drives three bounces of the ball this is a dude who in his Heyday would make more threes than he would dribbles now I’m not even using that as an exaggeration like ESPN would track this sort of thing and that was always one of those things where I was like that’s a hell of a party trick but it’s also one of those things too where it’s like is it you like to an extent yes but it’s also the system and the talent around you well fortunately the system is here and so is the talent around him he doesn’t have to be the second best guy here he can be the third best guy here and that is a great place to be that’s why I said it’s not choosing just choosing Luca over LeBron although yes 25 or whatever year old Luca should absolutely be chosen over 39y old LeBron but it’s Luca and Kyrie with all of Dallas’s core over LeBron in Made of Glass ad at this stage of their career and what the Lakers have it’s just not the same Southwest Division for the Mavericks is getting better the Spurs getting Chris Paul Thunder getting kuso uh iHeart and the Pelicans getting yep and Murray yep no you’re you’re right um and I don’t care about divisions in the least but yes the West has gotten better and the Pelicans getting Murray first of all it feels like there’s a fire sale coming with Atlanta um in the in the east as a conference just seems determined to make the West better continue to stretch that gap between the two conferences but I really really like what they’ve been able to uh to do so Chris Paul’s going to be great for the Spurs the Spurs are going to be better obviously year or two of wimy but I don’t know man I just I don’t have the highest expectations of like I’m sure Chris Paul’s going to make a lot of people again reevaluate him just like when the Rockets Jetta send him to Oklahoma City I just don’t know that you repeat that magic of getting a mid middle of the road playoff spot uh the way he did then I I feel like he’s longer in the tooth more limited than he was and the West is just such a bloodbath clay averaged 17 on nearly 40% from three that is considered his Worst season I think people are overreacting to his o of 10 Kings game there was drama all year for Golden State it was time for a change I like that perspective uh Santos great perspective Kyle Anderson or Lonnie Walker are great Defenders as well yes they are following the Warriors clay got us through when it got rough uh many times in the series what you call arrogance is also always having confidence in himself and the team no matter what you need those guys says Shashank again I appreciate the perspective and yes um me from an outsider looking in and at times as I’ve said if I have a second team and it’s a second team you know it’s Mavericks significant step down just because I’m from this area Oklahoma City I I always have a little bit of love for the Thunder and so yes seeing him in 2016 rip out the Thunder’s heart in game six that very much resonates and it stung all the more when then Kevin Durant turned full snake and uh flushed his legacy down the the drain so yeah I hear you if Nico pulls a hattick and also gets slow-mo on the squad I’m buying a 12 and celebrating all right does clay help mold Lively into a threo Marksman uh I’m not going to rule it out but like I don’t I don’t know maybe I I I honestly feel like ly’s already got all the shooting support that he needs it never hurts to add more to it but we’ll see I mean I’m sure there’s going to be practice shootarounds and stuff like that the Mavericks are already doing those sorts of things I’d rather my guy be overly confident than have his confidence shattered like the Warriors did to clay with all the new changes in drama fair enough it really is amazing the Warriors got that last title um because Draymond knocking out Jordan pool kind of felt like that the end of that chapter and yet they went on to win the title that year which is just Why so I don’t I’m impressed they pulled it off but uh cuz they didn’t have to just go through Dallas they had to go through again Boston but yeah we’ll see what ends up happening what ends up coming of that but it’s been a very exciting couple days for the Mavericks here very uh very much very much on board with what Nico’s apparent vision is his roster building his decision- making his decisiv more than anything again I I keep going back to this previous iterations of this Mavericks front office whether it was Mark and Nico whether it was Mark and Donnie which we saw so many of those would have probably hung around and tried to hold Pat on Derrik Jones Jr talks saying like hey we don’t want to lose him he he’s got clear value such a great locker room guy all of that is true oh okay pool thing was the year after gotcha for some reason I thought that was the same year um woke up a champion for some reason um or the Mavericks would have probably held Pat tried to hang on to Derrick Jones Jr and I think It ultimately would have cost them any leverage or positioning in the conversation for Klay Thompson in this case I think he would have been a Laker that’s what I’m am certain would have happened were it not for the change in ownership late in the year and then Nico taking full control of all of that basically ownership doing what I have begged Mark to do for years and just just step back especially once Nico started to prove himself like just step back you you just be the one signing the check you don’t have to do anything else the new ownership group is doing that they’re saying Nico it’s all you man make it work and Nico immediately rewards them with I think not one not two but three two very solid moves and then I think a brilliant move regardless of what happens ultimately with Klay Thompson in Dallas the fact that you pulled this off only losing Josh green and two second round picks that’s a master stroke like that is a master stroke there is no other word for that that is incredible asset management and it’s amazing that at the deadline last year people had the audacity National Riders had the audacity to grade the the PJ Washington trade and the Daniel Gafford trade so poorly and saying the Mavericks gave up only the only leverage they had and their assets were depleted and now they’re going to be more depleted and they only got marginally better at most no man they made a jump from barely 500 to making the five seed and being in the NBA finals and now they got better again I think cuz I think the major deficiencies that ultimately cost them in the finals have been addressed it’s not to say that everything is perfect in this team is like positioned like Boston just was to make the Run they did which by the way now Boston being listed for sale is crazy um but being positioned where they are and trying to move forward here they’re well set up I think the Mavericks are to really really do something I’ll be curious to see how they continue to move forward how clay looks how he fits but this was you can only work with the information you have the information you have says this guy makes you better these moves that you’ve made make you better and they address your biggest weakness that before we talked about it like all right defense rebounding and uh points in the paint translate even on the road even when your three-point shots not there for months even when things were great so so often we were having to make that concession like okay it’s just going to be one of those nights at three-point shootings not there but I do believe in this team because of the defense that’s true and it can be enough but you literally needed just one or two more guys capable of being good three-point Shooters to to change the fate of what happened in the finals a Klay Thompson a Naji Marshall and you know having I think even a quain Rhymes those all help you so we’ll see what comes of it but uh I’m out of time guys thank you so much for tuning in we will see where Dallas goes from here how they spend that remaining four mil I have every confidence Nico will do something that even if it’s something like Dante when Dante exom for instance who again his impact much more so felt in the regular season but when Dante Exum was signed so many people I know to an extent myself included rolled our eyes and we like that’s your move huh that that’s okay okay some of them by the way were even calling for like Derrick Jones Jr then you still got him later but when it happened they weren’t uh they weren’t feeling it they weren’t there then you see like oh a month or so into the season now it’s like oh man you know what Dante xom’s got something this was a nice pickup the fact that you could see that again happening you could see Nico Harrison pick someone up initially us not being that moved by it and then saying yeah no that that was a Savvy pickup that’s where the relationship management thing the Nike connection is so important so we’ll see thank you guys so much for tuning in salute to our new subscriber sha shank appreciate you uh if you haven’t already drop a like leave a comment below subscribe to the Dallas Prospect like our good friend sha shank and until next time guys remember every Legend was once a prospect peace [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] oh

Nico Harrison, you brilliant S.O.B.!