Kings gut their cache of trade assets and get demonstrably worse, losing their best wing for a recovering-from-injury journeyman sixth man AND downgrading at center … all for the 26th pick and a 3rd year low tier prospect.
Ironically, the writer calls these last two pieces “throw-ins” even though picks and prospects are the main targets of teams in “blow it up” mode, which he says the Kings are facing. (Not to mention, are the only parts of the trade that don’t make the Kings worse for no reason).
So what are we doing here?
Doesn’t make much more sense for the Mavs as they get a player who already didn’t work in Dallas with Luka, and a center who does the exact same thing as their current one, but slightly better.
Of course with that said, why wouldn’t Mavs fans be for this? They’re packaging together a bunch of pieces they’d be just as happy to let rot on the scrap heap for players that immediately make them on-paper better.
Screams of a fandom in the thralls of a “We were so close!” existential crisis, dreaming up small, easy, painless tweaks to get over the perceived speed bump standing between them and a championship.
Gonna be something of a system shock when the Mavs have to give up something of actual value to bring in the second All-Star they need to pair with Luka to move from darkhorse to legit contender.
Kind of explains all the handwringing over the Sabonis/Halliburton trade. The only way to make modern fandoms happy is to trade something you don’t want, for something you do.
That and to really fleece the other guys.
