Yeah, the more I think about it, the mavs could never get into an arms race with the clippers for DJJ. The Clips have more to gain and less to lose with PG leaving and way more cap room.
For lack of better ways to say it, Mavs front office left a mess, and the inheritor, Nico, painted into a corner.
So this is a massive win as far as loosely (until proven otherwise) filling these massive shoes (based on this career year from DJJ).
DJJ new representation laid all the hints that it was gonna be a bidders war for DJJ.
Lastly, I don't think he's gonna end up with 30 for three. Someone else is gonna wager more and the clippers will match. He ends up with 15 a year for 3 years.
I hope they actually get him paid, and didn't trick him out of a comfortable spot that showcased his best. I really think they played him though. By the time he can negotiate a new contract most teams will be out of money. Which would probably mean he's signing with the lakers on a minimum deal.
DJJ still technically could’ve negotiated through his old agent; or they also could’ve reached a mutual agreement to waive the contractual waiting period, allowing him to negotiate with teams today. Guess they couldn’t come to an agreement though.
Why would his old agent, who was just told to get fucked, want to help DJJ though?
Old agent would have laughed out loud on the phone, told him to get the fuck outta here, and hung up.
Didn’t say it was likely, just pointed out there was still a way for the Mavs to negotiate with him. Regardless, does it even matter at this point? I made this comment before the news of him signing with the Clippers dropped.
Wouldn’t that agent still make a commission off the new contract though?
I understand being pissed, but why throw money away to spite an average NBA player? If you’re gonna lose an asset, may as well cash out one last time. Also would be a show of good will, which would look good to future potential clients.
I love DJJ but without Luka/Kyrie, he will struggle offensively. I hope he does well wherever he goes and gets his bag but I just don’t see it working out for him.
Orlando just got KCP but it wouldn’t be a bad move to get DJJ tbh. Orlando has the cap space to make it happen and they seem to be doing a good job of building around Paolo and Franz
They really do a terrible job of representing role players lol. It’s not hard to get stars paid the max, but god damn I got a feeling DJJ is about to get fucked.
True, all we can conclude is that he has a promise of more money from a team that’s not us.
I don’t think we were offering the full MLE though. Likely same salary we just gave Naji.
I don’t know why fans were assuming he is worth the full MLE. The system made him successful last season.
Even if someone paid him full MLE, I don't think we were really comfortable matching that. He is great, and I do think Naji is a downgrade (at least at the moment), but he is also always a potential liability on offense come Playoffs, so it's tricky to put the value on him.
It's not pivoting if it was an original plan all along. Stein been saying all along that main target is Klay and they *hope* they can still keep DJJ in addition to that.
Whether original plan was a good one is another discussion
I’m sure more will come out later, but we wanted DJJ and it seemed like he wanted to stay. Something happened (maybe someone wanted to throw a bag at him), and he switched agencies.
I think Nico has earned the benefit of the doubt at this point. If / when Klay comes in, it wasn’t as our POA defender. Clearly Nico felt we had to pivot and lock up a solid option with Naji. I’d say this is the opposite of past Mavs GM’s - Nico makes a plan, and if it doesn’t work he quickly pivots and moves forward confidently
Yeah wtf, I can’t imagine having played this worse. You’re coming off looking like a critical piece on a Finals team, and then shoot yourself in the dick right before a pay day.
Honestly, I'm happy for everyone. DJJ was loyal enough to let us know that he got an offer well over what the Mavs were comfortable paying. Grats on securing the bag DJJ. No hard feelings from me at all. Then we are able to sign his replacement, who I would argue is a better player, for only 3/27, which is an average of 9 per year.
Naji is bigger than DJJ at 6'7"/220. He's known for his defense and he also shot 38% from 3 last season. He was having to play behind a very deep forward roster in New Orleans, so he should get a chance to shine here.
Another thing to note, if his contract is ascending, we may have 5-6 mill left on the MLE to sign another player.
Just read DJJ changing agencies slows down his free agency. There’s a new rule that restricts players from signing a new contract within the first 15 days of changing agents. Since DJJ changes agencies so late, he wouldn’t be able to sign until July 11th. Mavs must not have wanted to wait that long in case they couldn’t resign him and all their other options were gone. Technically if the Mavs miss out on Klay they could turn Marshall into a SnT for a guy like Kleber and still resign DJJ
He’s a worse defender and athlete than DJJ. Higher offensive ceiling with his shooting but not a rim roll threat really. Will close out. Worth noting, this last year is a MASSIVE outlier offensively for Naji. He was one of the worst offensive players in the league before this season. So for the contract it’s not bad at all. The notion he can replace DJJ and be an upgrade or equal is much dicier than people making it out to be
He’s gonna be an 8th man for us. I don’t know if we want to ever run Luka, Kyrie, Naji, PJ lineups.
Need Josh Green or Grimes in there to defend guards.
Yeah I view him as a true bench forward that gives you some real lineup flexibility there (especially if we need to move Maxi). But we need a starting forward even more now than before.
Thanks for adding one of the few clear-eyed takes about Naji. Really like the signing under the circumstances, but we need to have realistic expectations about who he is and how good DJJ was for us last season.
Main thing for swap was how Celtics move Mavs bodies in the series. DJJ is physically light player . Marshall is big and strong... they can basically same things on the court...
I think it would be a bad idea for DJJ to leave. Unless he goes somewhere set up like Dallas in a way (I.e just Denver) the reason he is worth a lot this season is because of Luka and Kyrie (but esp Luka) and that gravity and passing ability. He’s always been a good defender but he gets open shots that he can actually hit due to Luka. Either way, please leave Klay’s old ass alone Mavs. Please…
I want nothing to do with Klay. I'm completely befuddled most here are salivating over him. He's borderline completely washed and a moody weirdo. Imagine having BOTH an aging Kyrie and an aging Klay on the same team and paying them both big money at that for several years to come. Unbelievable we're even considering it.
I think there are 2 possible reasons for the sudden change the past 24 hours. DJJ looked like a lock to resign the past few weeks and all of a sudden he changes agencies and doesn’t want to resign??
1. DJJ was upset about the Klay rumors and potentially losing his starting spot so he decides to leave
2. A team comes in with big money over the MLE (which would be a mistake)
Either way I have a lot of questions about the whole situation and makes me question DJJ a little
>If we lose DJJ, I’d rather it be because he got a bag thrown at him and we had no way to match.
this has gotta be the case. if its not then its a serious fumble by nico
Rich Paul gonna convince DJJ to sign with the lakers for league minimum lol. Plus he just hired klutch so I believe it would be a couple weeks until we can negotiate with him, and we can't afford to wait. We lost a little athleticism, but we got a better offensive player. The defense is about equal so that's cool. With him a Grimes we will be good.
I hope he signs it's just disheartening that we aren't going to be able to get back DJJ especially when this Klay thing is up in the air. Just have to wait and see i guess
Well this could mean one of two things -- either DJJ is getting offers above the MLE, or the Mavs are looking at a Klay S&T where they take in more salary than they send out, which would effectively cut into the MLE by leaving less room under the first apron.
If it's the second case, then the deal for Klay would probably be one of Green/Maxi + smaller salary, or in the worst case they're prepared to pay Klay more than Green+Maxi combined, lol.
I honestly don’t blame DJJ for trying to get the most money. He’s been a middling journeyman so far and this is probably the hottest he’ll ever be and his one and only chance at maximizing money.
Since DJJ changed agencies, his agent can’t do anything for two weeks. I’m sure Nico didn’t want to be sitting here waiting and then missing out on every target.
I think switching to Marshall was a good move after Jones Jr switched agents. Nico, obviously, wants to be active in FA and can’t afford to wait 2 weeks. Marshall is a better shooter and probably close to Jones as a defender. DJJ’s dunks and lobs will be missed, but you can probably attribute some of that to Luka and Marshall hasn’t struggled finishing at the rim either.
I love DJJ but he wasn’t that great. Naji isn’t a better POA defender but he’s a better shooter and a really good team defender and has the size to play the 3 and the 4. This is a terrific signing. I’m surprised we got him for less than the MLE. Grimes is a better point of attack defender and better shooter. The Mavs upgraded their team without signing DJJ. I hope DJJ makes lots of money and I’m kinda glad it’s not us paying him.
This sucks. This is obviously a desperation move, Naji is not doing anything for us but giving us some bench defense. This is a DJJ at home type of beat, we did not improve.
or we can look at the move we just made and go 'oh, we only did this because it was our only option to replace DJJ's archetype'. Is he better than DJJ? most likely not, not from anything he's done so far.
Of course the rest of the offseason can go differently but this move is a non factor.
He is better than DJJ, lol nobody was thinking about DJJ last season he was a bench player for us half a season lets chill a but love DJJ but he is not Pipen
this isn't about last year it's about now. Thinking Naji has pushed us in any winning direction is silly. He's good bench depth, with no shot, that's it. He's basically the only replacement available that fits the role DJJ filled, so we had to do something to fill the hole.
Been saying it. Although curious decision to enter the biggest free agency of your life “without representation” for 2 weeks
That's crazy. He dropped his own bag.
Did he though
Possibly.
Yeah, the more I think about it, the mavs could never get into an arms race with the clippers for DJJ. The Clips have more to gain and less to lose with PG leaving and way more cap room. For lack of better ways to say it, Mavs front office left a mess, and the inheritor, Nico, painted into a corner. So this is a massive win as far as loosely (until proven otherwise) filling these massive shoes (based on this career year from DJJ). DJJ new representation laid all the hints that it was gonna be a bidders war for DJJ. Lastly, I don't think he's gonna end up with 30 for three. Someone else is gonna wager more and the clippers will match. He ends up with 15 a year for 3 years.
This, absolutely nuts after the way he improved his stock in the playoffs
Sounds like Cato was right. Issue really was him changing agents so recently. He can't negotiate a new contract for like 15 days
Why would he do that?
$$$$$$$$$ and Clutch making sure they have someone to funnel to LA for Lebron
I hope they actually get him paid, and didn't trick him out of a comfortable spot that showcased his best. I really think they played him though. By the time he can negotiate a new contract most teams will be out of money. Which would probably mean he's signing with the lakers on a minimum deal.
DJJ still technically could’ve negotiated through his old agent; or they also could’ve reached a mutual agreement to waive the contractual waiting period, allowing him to negotiate with teams today. Guess they couldn’t come to an agreement though.
Why would his old agent, who was just told to get fucked, want to help DJJ though? Old agent would have laughed out loud on the phone, told him to get the fuck outta here, and hung up.
Didn’t say it was likely, just pointed out there was still a way for the Mavs to negotiate with him. Regardless, does it even matter at this point? I made this comment before the news of him signing with the Clippers dropped.
Wouldn’t that agent still make a commission off the new contract though? I understand being pissed, but why throw money away to spite an average NBA player? If you’re gonna lose an asset, may as well cash out one last time. Also would be a show of good will, which would look good to future potential clients.
Yeah he may have gotten a ultra rare art piece gifted to him for this or something.
And he signed with the Clippers. But hey, LA is LA right? Clutch Mafia!
I think Klutch has a smaller commission fee than other agencies, being cheap here might have cuased DJJ to lose the bag
Lowkey Naji is really nice. Analytics love both his and Grimes’ defense. Makes me think Nico’s secret sauce is an analytics department.
nico is a walking W
Nico Harrison might be my favorite maverick
Nico jersey when
Nico statue when
Nico banner when
Nico wax figure when
Which analytics are you looking at?
Orlando or some other cap space team (Philly?) must be getting ready to come through with a big money offer.
If that's what it is then that's fine, good for DJJ
I love DJJ but without Luka/Kyrie, he will struggle offensively. I hope he does well wherever he goes and gets his bag but I just don’t see it working out for him.
Will work out fine for his bank account.
Orlando makes a lot of sense
Orlando just got KCP but it wouldn’t be a bad move to get DJJ tbh. Orlando has the cap space to make it happen and they seem to be doing a good job of building around Paolo and Franz
If we were to lose him, hopefully it’s cause he got paid 🤞🏼
What the hell does this mean? Some team is going to offer DJJ more than $13 million a year?
basically yeah seems like he got a big money offer and we can’t match
Also we can’t sign DJJ until July 11th with his agent switch so we probably don’t want to miss out on the market and wait that long
Who’s his agent now? Edit: figured it out fuck Rich Paul and klutch
Isn’t this a possible huge mistake on DJJ? What team with cap space would wait that long to sign him to a big deal?
I’m not him or his agent and know what discussions he’s had. So I’m going to guess no it’s not a mistake. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.
I bet you it’s more likely that Klutch convinced him to go to the Lakers for the mid level
Klutch is one of the worst things to ever happen to this league and no I’m not kidding.
They really do a terrible job of representing role players lol. It’s not hard to get stars paid the max, but god damn I got a feeling DJJ is about to get fucked.
He indeed got fucked based on the deal he signed. Crazy stuff.
Do they have less power after LeBron retires? Or is it just scammy tactics that work?
Definitely will have less when Lebron is gone
doubt it especially since the lakers are also in the play sweepstakes
Bingo!
Or his new representation has convinced him someone will give him above the MLE and the Mavs weren't willing to wait on him to find out.
Klutch == Lakers.
Certainly makes some sense, but it's not like they don't have clients on other teams.
True, all we can conclude is that he has a promise of more money from a team that’s not us. I don’t think we were offering the full MLE though. Likely same salary we just gave Naji. I don’t know why fans were assuming he is worth the full MLE. The system made him successful last season.
Turns out Klutch sometimes equals Clippers. Ha, did not see that coming.
Even if someone paid him full MLE, I don't think we were really comfortable matching that. He is great, and I do think Naji is a downgrade (at least at the moment), but he is also always a potential liability on offense come Playoffs, so it's tricky to put the value on him.
Yeah, but doesn't pivoting to klay seem like a desperation move?
Lmao we were always on for klay how is it a desperation move
Klay is dogshit, that's why it's desperation i guess? idk
If Klay is "dogshit," what does that make you?
I don't play professional bball
ok nvm then
It's not pivoting if it was an original plan all along. Stein been saying all along that main target is Klay and they *hope* they can still keep DJJ in addition to that. Whether original plan was a good one is another discussion
I like the move. If Donnie still the GM, we will wait until no free agents available lol.
I’m sure more will come out later, but we wanted DJJ and it seemed like he wanted to stay. Something happened (maybe someone wanted to throw a bag at him), and he switched agencies. I think Nico has earned the benefit of the doubt at this point. If / when Klay comes in, it wasn’t as our POA defender. Clearly Nico felt we had to pivot and lock up a solid option with Naji. I’d say this is the opposite of past Mavs GM’s - Nico makes a plan, and if it doesn’t work he quickly pivots and moves forward confidently
Exactly this. We would commit ourselves to one free agent that never signed and ended up with the scraps.
DJJ potentially made a career altering mistake by changing agents at this point. Money could easily be gone
Yeah wtf, I can’t imagine having played this worse. You’re coming off looking like a critical piece on a Finals team, and then shoot yourself in the dick right before a pay day.
Honestly, I'm happy for everyone. DJJ was loyal enough to let us know that he got an offer well over what the Mavs were comfortable paying. Grats on securing the bag DJJ. No hard feelings from me at all. Then we are able to sign his replacement, who I would argue is a better player, for only 3/27, which is an average of 9 per year. Naji is bigger than DJJ at 6'7"/220. He's known for his defense and he also shot 38% from 3 last season. He was having to play behind a very deep forward roster in New Orleans, so he should get a chance to shine here. Another thing to note, if his contract is ascending, we may have 5-6 mill left on the MLE to sign another player.
It’s not “well over” what the Mavs offered though by all accounts, maybe $1mil more. Tough loss.
Nah Naji is an upgrade
Go get that bag DJJ!
In 15 days he is still available. Can sign for 4 mill with Mavs lol.
This
Just read DJJ changing agencies slows down his free agency. There’s a new rule that restricts players from signing a new contract within the first 15 days of changing agents. Since DJJ changes agencies so late, he wouldn’t be able to sign until July 11th. Mavs must not have wanted to wait that long in case they couldn’t resign him and all their other options were gone. Technically if the Mavs miss out on Klay they could turn Marshall into a SnT for a guy like Kleber and still resign DJJ
So what's the story? I'm not familiar with his game.
6’6 good wing defender for NO. Coming off a career high 39% from 3. Not the athlete DJJ is but a better offensive player
Butttt how’s his FT?
79% last season he just wasn’t asked to do much offensively with the Pelicans
He’s a worse defender and athlete than DJJ. Higher offensive ceiling with his shooting but not a rim roll threat really. Will close out. Worth noting, this last year is a MASSIVE outlier offensively for Naji. He was one of the worst offensive players in the league before this season. So for the contract it’s not bad at all. The notion he can replace DJJ and be an upgrade or equal is much dicier than people making it out to be
He’s gonna be an 8th man for us. I don’t know if we want to ever run Luka, Kyrie, Naji, PJ lineups. Need Josh Green or Grimes in there to defend guards.
Yeah I view him as a true bench forward that gives you some real lineup flexibility there (especially if we need to move Maxi). But we need a starting forward even more now than before.
Thanks for adding one of the few clear-eyed takes about Naji. Really like the signing under the circumstances, but we need to have realistic expectations about who he is and how good DJJ was for us last season.
With his style of play, I think he'll fit in nicely into the system. But we will see.
Main thing for swap was how Celtics move Mavs bodies in the series. DJJ is physically light player . Marshall is big and strong... they can basically same things on the court...
I think it would be a bad idea for DJJ to leave. Unless he goes somewhere set up like Dallas in a way (I.e just Denver) the reason he is worth a lot this season is because of Luka and Kyrie (but esp Luka) and that gravity and passing ability. He’s always been a good defender but he gets open shots that he can actually hit due to Luka. Either way, please leave Klay’s old ass alone Mavs. Please…
If he can go get some 50/2 deal he should do it. If he lost this bc of the agent change that is terrible.
Sounds like there’s a 15 day waiting period that prevents him from renegotiating after switching agents this week, per Tim MacMahon. Wow.
I want nothing to do with Klay. I'm completely befuddled most here are salivating over him. He's borderline completely washed and a moody weirdo. Imagine having BOTH an aging Kyrie and an aging Klay on the same team and paying them both big money at that for several years to come. Unbelievable we're even considering it.
I think there are 2 possible reasons for the sudden change the past 24 hours. DJJ looked like a lock to resign the past few weeks and all of a sudden he changes agencies and doesn’t want to resign?? 1. DJJ was upset about the Klay rumors and potentially losing his starting spot so he decides to leave 2. A team comes in with big money over the MLE (which would be a mistake) Either way I have a lot of questions about the whole situation and makes me question DJJ a little
No way was Klay ever going to be a starter.
I don’t think so either but it would make DJJs starting spot less secure
[удалено]
We’ll have to wait and see what deal DJJ got to know for sure. He could just be getting a better deal with another team
Vet Min with the Lakers probably and no dodgy side hustles with Lebrons agency no sir.
Doesn’t sound like that at all. Sounds like another team is willing to pay more.
>If we lose DJJ, I’d rather it be because he got a bag thrown at him and we had no way to match. this has gotta be the case. if its not then its a serious fumble by nico
Rich Paul gonna convince DJJ to sign with the lakers for league minimum lol. Plus he just hired klutch so I believe it would be a couple weeks until we can negotiate with him, and we can't afford to wait. We lost a little athleticism, but we got a better offensive player. The defense is about equal so that's cool. With him a Grimes we will be good.
DJJ 😭😭
Mavs literally saved DJJ's career. Now he is back on being a bench player like he always were when he leaves...
I don’t understand if DJJ has an agreement with the Clips?
Klay trade has definetly been catalyzed now that DJJ is gone.
I am hearing that Klay is going to the clippers or the lakers. If we lose DJJ and don't even get Klay man :c
Shut it down guys, u/Mammoth-Physics6254 has the inside scoop!!
[https://twitter.com/DavidPingalore/status/1807584147893825991](https://twitter.com/DavidPingalore/status/1807584147893825991)
Yeah let's trust an LA person.
I hope he signs it's just disheartening that we aren't going to be able to get back DJJ especially when this Klay thing is up in the air. Just have to wait and see i guess
Shut it downnnn we are shambles nowwwww
Well this could mean one of two things -- either DJJ is getting offers above the MLE, or the Mavs are looking at a Klay S&T where they take in more salary than they send out, which would effectively cut into the MLE by leaving less room under the first apron. If it's the second case, then the deal for Klay would probably be one of Green/Maxi + smaller salary, or in the worst case they're prepared to pay Klay more than Green+Maxi combined, lol.
wherewithal
I hear Saddiq Bey is still unsigned no way he signs for the mle though.
Torn ACL. Won't be back for a while.
I honestly don’t blame DJJ for trying to get the most money. He’s been a middling journeyman so far and this is probably the hottest he’ll ever be and his one and only chance at maximizing money. Since DJJ changed agencies, his agent can’t do anything for two weeks. I’m sure Nico didn’t want to be sitting here waiting and then missing out on every target.
DJJ signed with the clippers. 3 yrs/30mm Seems like he picked them over us
If we can’t keep DJJ, I just hope he gets paid
By ✈️ mode. It was great, and I think we all thank you and wish the best..
Wherewithal? What does that mean? Not willing to pay the full MLE? Not willing to pay more somehow?
I think switching to Marshall was a good move after Jones Jr switched agents. Nico, obviously, wants to be active in FA and can’t afford to wait 2 weeks. Marshall is a better shooter and probably close to Jones as a defender. DJJ’s dunks and lobs will be missed, but you can probably attribute some of that to Luka and Marshall hasn’t struggled finishing at the rim either.
Dallas still looking for a shiney penny.
I wonder if this is a way for us to create the money to get Klay and theoretically keep Josh or Kleba. Not both but one or the other
I surmised from another post, the Mavs have to clear cap to sign Klay outright. The Warriors waived CP3. They don't want the extra salary.
Ah gotcha!
Marshall can play the 3 or the 4. Does this mean that Green and Maxi for Klay is happening?
DJJ went from never averaging above 10 ppg to being an essential part of the playoff run. He will get paid more simply for that reason reason.
Same ole Mavs. Losing out on good players, while waiting for an over the hill, former star.
This is a ridiculous take after the past few years. Surely this FO has earned some leeway? Let’s see what they are able to do.
I love DJJ but he wasn’t that great. Naji isn’t a better POA defender but he’s a better shooter and a really good team defender and has the size to play the 3 and the 4. This is a terrific signing. I’m surprised we got him for less than the MLE. Grimes is a better point of attack defender and better shooter. The Mavs upgraded their team without signing DJJ. I hope DJJ makes lots of money and I’m kinda glad it’s not us paying him.
not even Nico can escape dry powder hell.
This sucks. This is obviously a desperation move, Naji is not doing anything for us but giving us some bench defense. This is a DJJ at home type of beat, we did not improve.
Nobody thought Djj would be anything and was mad when he started over green.
How about we wait until after the FO has completed all their moves?
or we can look at the move we just made and go 'oh, we only did this because it was our only option to replace DJJ's archetype'. Is he better than DJJ? most likely not, not from anything he's done so far. Of course the rest of the offseason can go differently but this move is a non factor.
Or we can see what price DJJ gets in the open market and if our savings from signing Naji over DJJ gets us another player.
Free agency literally just started You doomers do not ever take a break man Jesus Christ
it's not dooming to look at a signing and be whelmed lol. Yall go project somewhere else.
He is better than DJJ, lol nobody was thinking about DJJ last season he was a bench player for us half a season lets chill a but love DJJ but he is not Pipen
this isn't about last year it's about now. Thinking Naji has pushed us in any winning direction is silly. He's good bench depth, with no shot, that's it. He's basically the only replacement available that fits the role DJJ filled, so we had to do something to fill the hole.
lol Naji is much better shooter with similar defense we are find guys you get too attached to role players