The Dallas Mavericks CRUSHED the NBA trade deadline | Nerd Sesh
The Dallas Mavericks they pick up both PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford let’s start with which of those two moves did you prefer and why I probably like The Gafford move more um slightly I like both of these because Dallas had a clear need I think throughout and that’s just size athleticism physicality and
Rebounding like the Mavs would just routinely just get big body man and crushed on the glass like they just needed more quality wings and another quality big for drik lively Gafford I think is an awesome pick and roll partner for Luca as a vertical lob threat screen Setter uh rebounder
Interior guy like shout out Derrik lively man but I feel like you just need a guy who’s a little more built like gafford’s just a thicker stronger guy and that matters I think Lively could kind of get big bodied by some of these other veterans out west um so gafford’s
A good switch up again this now means that you have 48 minutes of really solid Center play if it’s Gafford or it’s Lively um and then PJ I’m sorry man it’s just like you’re trotting out Grant Williams and and Derek Jones yeah literally anybody else thank you Dallas you traded the Michelin Man
And I’m sorry friend of the show Matthew Spa hour you guys now have the Michelin Man rolling into town uh yeah so good luck with that man the god dude I mean Grant Williams looks like he was hit with a hydraulic press man you know what
I mean like goodness just just give the guy a break would you yeah every time that you see him on the basketball court you tweet a picture of the Michelin Man yes I do it’s an abusive relationship that you have with Grant Williams and I’m putting a stop to it I’m sorry
Batman now you have to go save the city of Charlotte he’s sick he’s tked with the impossible uh goal of saving the city of Charlotte anyway I think these are two of the best deals that Dallas could have made these this was the biggest glaring weakness that Dallas had does this
Change my trajectory for Dallas I don’t know the West is really tough but it is an improvement they got more physical they got more size they got more athletic for a team where you have Kyrie Irving and Luca as your two guards and Josh Green probably is your third that’s
Your biggest need more guys that can make up for those guys and I think they did it here two really good moves by Dallas here at the deadline I agree the gaffard one is the safer of the two to me and the PJ is the higher upside I
Really like the value for Gafford though I mean they give up ran Holmes who I’ve always enjoyed because of his beautiful floater game but really does nothing for them and the more favorable of the Clippers or Thunders first round pick so that’s going to be a real late first
Rounder and it’s what you said dude now you have 48 minutes of real quality starting level big play I don’t know that I’d say either of these guys are above average level starters but they are starting level bigs and for the Dallas Mavericks where it had been the
Dwight Powell show and all of the weird combinations they cooked up bringing back javil McGee like that is a significant upgrade you now have two very athletic Rim protecting Rim finishing productive rebounding High effort bigs and over the last couple years Daniel Gafford has consistently been one of the most effective Rim
Protectors in basketball we talk a lot about that stat of opponent field goal differential inside of six feet when you are the primary Defender and you always see the same names pop up you’re going to have goar and Walker kastler and AD and those guys at the top of the list
And Gafford has always been in that second tier like right behind them consistently very productive there he’s seventh in blocks per game this year and although these guys do a lot that’s similar you do now have slightly different skill sets like you mentioned Gafford is more of that big physical
Bruiser at times both of them can go up top and catch a lob from Luca Luca is going to have fun throwing these guys lobs all day but then Lively is a bit more Nimble guarding in space I think that I probably trust Gafford a little
Bit more in a playoff setting because I do like a that physicality element B it’s a very specific thing but it matters to me when you’re talking about a closing lineup that the dudes on the floor can hit a free throw Derrik Lively has been like 54% from the line and he
Is just more experienced I didn’t expect Lively to be thrust into situation like this so quickly and I didn’t expect him to perform at this level as a starter like pre-draft we thought this guy is going to be a bit of a project and he has been really really good this year
But I think having at least a guy who in different matchups you can turn to is so valuable for him so they’ve upgraded the big situation twice since this off season started and I think that the PJ trade could be a win-win I could see both teams being happy with what they
Got out of this I think that PJ clearly has more offensive skill and more athleticism than a grant Williams right he’s quicker he’s more fluid he’s more comfortable handling he’s more athletic overall I do think his role is going to be different in Dallas because he’s kind
Of been allowed to do what he wants a bit more in Charlotte like sometimes PJ runs pick and roll I don’t want PJ running pick and roll ever in Dallas he’s just not that good at it but as a play finisher as a roller as a guy who
Was Lethal in pick and pop situations knocking down spot up jumpers I think that there’s potential for him to be really productive there he does have to shoot better he has not shot the ball very well this year he’s historically been pretty good for deep he’s only 32%
This year he does have to simplify his offensive game and then defensively he’s got a lock in I can’t really hold any individual Hornets defense against them because the entire culture there is so broken and I like his tools defensively a lot I think he makes really good plays
There but sometimes he just doesn’t care because the Charlotte Hornets don’t care but he’s got a 73 Wings span he’s strong he’s 235 pounds at 67 he does move really fluidly so he can guard multiple guys in space he’s versatile he’s got good bounce so he can bring you some
Value as a help Defender there as well so he’s just a bit more unknown like the one advantage that Grant has and I know that you you hate him Logan but the guy is going to grind and he’s going to do the little things and he’s going to
Defend hard and he’s been in those playoff environments before and he knows what it takes at least in the role that Grant Williams can have to win basketball games PJ’s never been in a serious basketball situation and that is an adjustment and not everybody’s wired
That way some dudes do still want to see what they can do with the ball in their hands and take possessions off defensively so if you tap into his talent he has a clearly higher ceiling than Grant Williams I’m just not sure exactly what version of PJ we’re going
To get in this new environment but I like it at first I thought giving up Grant and a first for him is maybe a bit much but you get back two seconds so that doesn’t really matter to me he’s going to be better than Grant I’ll go
Out on a limb and I I’ll go ahead and say that that is the point I was going to make though is that this is a drastically different situation for PJ and this is going to be the true test of whether he’s a winning basketball player
Can he lock in defensively can he at catch and shoot threes the one caveat I will put with that um his three-point shooting numbers this year he’s 35% off the catch and he’s 32% overall in about six attempts per game I think his shot quality is really tough because there’s
Not a lot of you know there’s not a lot of attention being drawn to other areas of the Court playing with a guy like Luca with a guy like Kyrie PJ’s shot quality is just going to be higher like he is just going to have more open looks
Because of the guys around him that are created for him so I’m hoping that like you said I’m hoping that in a winning situation that PJ can really and truly shine as a good role player yeah he is shooting 27% on open threes this year like it’s just been a down season for
Him but look man everybody looks better offensively alongside LCA donic and Kyrie Irving and he’s going to have better looks manufactured for him than he ever ever has in his career so I absolutely think his efficiency will take a tick up and I think it’s clearly a higher upside player overall probably
In that positive maybe Grant can bring a little bit of culture to Charlotte I don’t know and they do get the first out of it and PJ it feels like sort of is what he is there like he needs a change of scenery I think because he doesn’t
Have the sort of talent to just be allowed to roam free and let’s see what he can be but he does have the sort of talent where if you can Channel it and put him in a clear role and he buys in that then he can be a productive legitimately good basketball player
Carson Breber and Logan Camden discuss how the Dallas Mavericks nailed the NBA trade deadline by acquiring Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington and took concrete steps towards getting Luka Doncic the help he needs to make a playoff run.
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8 Comments
I promise this the first noti of yall I've gotten in forever 😩
Gafford is an absolute beast in 2k. Also, what did Grant Williams ever do to Logan? 😂😂
Started following you guys last year and really have enjoyed your commentary and analysis and was shocked when I checked your subscriber count and found it below 10K. That needs to change and I hope you guys stick with it long enough because I think it will come.
I am also really high on the Gafford trade. Yall nailed most of that analysis already, however I think a big reason Lively is performing so well is the environment. Rim rolling and catching lobs tends to look easier when you're catching them from Luka & Kyrie. I expect Gafford to immediately get better with the Luka/Kryie effect as well. Gafford is averaging 26.5 minutes per game while Lively is averaging 26. With 48 center minutes, these guys would only be losing a little over 2 mins per game playing together, so in theory the production shouldnt drop all that much. They combine for 20 points, 16 rebounds, & 3.5 blocks per game. Having one of them on the floor constantly is going to make Luka's job much much easier.
As far as PJ goes, I'm not convinced that he will be all that much better than Grant Williams. Grant had a nice game in Boston, but unfortunately it just hasnt meshed well in Dallas. Grant is a physical, strong PF. PJ is more of a versatile athlete. I have a feeling the main reason he was traded so quickly is that the team just didnt like him as a person. Another thing, PJ wasn't even starting for his old team… I'm optimistic he is a better option than Grant though.
Another thing I havent seen many people talk about is the age around Luka. Luka is about to be 25. Gafford & PJ are 25. Josh Green is 23. Hardy is 21. Lively isn't even 20 yet. They might not be the odds on favorite to win a title this year, but the Mavs are in a much better place than last season. They have a young core and time to grow & get better together. Kyrie should still have a few years left in the tank. They have some assets to trade for more help this offseason. If they can bring in a stud wing defender who knocks down 3s at a high clip, the mavs are well on their way.
I enjoyed the video 👍
Loved this. Very informed opinions on the Mavs!
“Looks like he was hit with a hydraulic press…”
Absolutely brilliant line
I think Lively will be a absolute monster at center down the road he definitely has the body to add weight as well but man he needed a another big to help so he's not being overused and hurt all the time and the Mavs got that guy. PJ Washington also will fit in better than people think with Dallas, I think people will point out to his defense dropping but I think alot of that was playing on a horrible team for years mostly that had nothing to gain from winning.