Alright, let’s talk about what I did around the Dallas Mavericks trade deadline this year. It wasn’t just about refreshing news feeds, though I definitely did some of that too. I actually tried to make a little project out of understanding the moves myself.
So, the buzz started picking up, right? You hear names flying around. Instead of just waiting for the final summary, I decided I’d track it actively and then really break it down once the dust settled. Felt like a good way to properly digest it all, you know?
My Little Breakdown Process
First step, once the trades were official – I saw we got P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford – I made sure I knew exactly who went out. Had to list them out: Richaun Holmes, Grant Williams, Seth Curry, and those draft picks. Okay, baseline established.
Next, I started looking into the incoming guys. Not just their basic stats, though I did check those – points, rebounds, blocks for Gafford; points, rebounds, threes for Washington. I tried to look at their recent performance, like over the last month or so before the trade. Gives you a feel for their current form, not just season averages.
I also spent some time thinking about the guys we lost. Grant Williams, started off okay, but things seemed off later. Holmes barely played. Curry, always love him, but his role was smaller this time. You gotta consider what we were actually losing in terms of on-court production day-to-day.
Figuring Out the Fit
This was the trickier part. How do they fit with Luka and Kyrie? That’s the million-dollar question, always.
- For Gafford, I thought about his role. Pure center, rim runner, shot blocker. Seemed straightforward – catch lobs from Luka, protect the paint. We needed that badly.
- For Washington, it was a bit more complex. He can shoot, he’s got size, can play the four, maybe small-ball five? I looked at his shooting percentages, specifically catch-and-shoot numbers if I could find hints of them in game logs or summaries. Seemed like he could space the floor but also add some defensive versatility.
I didn’t pull up complex analytics or anything super deep. Just used regular sports sites, looked at player pages, read some game recaps from their old teams. Tried to visualize how their skills would mesh with our main guys. Does Washington run the pick-and-pop? Can Gafford handle switches defensively?
Wrapping Up My Thoughts
After going through that process, comparing the ins and outs, thinking about the team’s obvious needs (rebounding, defense, size), I started to form my own solid opinion. It wasn’t just repeating what pundits said. It felt like I’d done my homework, you know?
My takeaway was feeling pretty okay about it. We got bigger, more athletic, addressed clear weaknesses. Losing Grant hurt a bit on paper based on his start, but the fit wasn’t quite there lately. Holmes wasn’t contributing much, and Curry, while a great shooter, wasn’t getting the minutes either. Felt like calculated risks to fill bigger holes.
So yeah, that was my little exercise for the trade deadline. Just spending some time to go beyond the headlines and really process what the team did. Helps me feel more connected to what’s happening on the court.
