Michael Schwartz

Senior Sports Content Researcher

[Michael Schwartz @SchwartzCenterM]

I used to joke with Schmitz about becoming a GM one day when he worked at VotS. That would have been ridiculous for anybody but this guy.

[Dallas Mavericks @dallasmavs]

We have hired Mike Schmitz as our General Manager.

@Chime // #MFFL

[Michael Schwartz @SchwartzCenterM]

Could not be more proud!!! Let’s go!!!!

[Shams Charania @ShamsCharania]

The Dallas Mavericks have hired Mike Schmitz as the franchise's new general manager under Masai Ujiri.

[Michael Schwartz @SchwartzCenterM]

@SouthwestAir @NicoleOutaCntrl Why weren't they strict like this under the open seating policy?

[Michael Schwartz @SchwartzCenterM]

@ClaireMPLS Hopefully nobody ranted to you about the reporting of Thunder extensions tonight....

[Michael Schwartz @SchwartzCenterM]

@ClaireMPLS The Ball brothers and I guess NBA Cup final last year?

[Michael Schwartz @SchwartzCenterM]

@mbodmer @chikago12 Schmitz strikes again!

[Michael Schwartz @SchwartzCenterM]

@SunderousDunks Yep, definitely opens up flexibility, but need to do more than sign a tax MLE guy to make it worthwhile.

[Michael Schwartz @SchwartzCenterM]

@SunderousDunks To become a second star on a title team? No, not a believer. I think Maluach was a great pick, though, and makes the KD trade look much better than it did 2 weeks ago.

[Michael Schwartz @SchwartzCenterM]

constrained in a Durant trade and would have been in a better negotiating position being able to aggregate and able to take on a little more salary in a trade. If the move is just done for flexibility without an immediate use case for that, that would be really shortsighted.

[Michael Schwartz @SchwartzCenterM]

While I think what Milwaukee did with Dame was misguided as I don't think Turner is enough to keep Giannis long term, I respect the play using the waive-and-stretch to bring in an impact player. If the Suns had ordered their moves differently, they wouldn't have been so

[Michael Schwartz @SchwartzCenterM]

remaining). Now that money will be immovable. It also could be an impediment if the Suns go the cap space route in 2028 or later when their books are largely clear (outside of Book's impending extension).

[Michael Schwartz @SchwartzCenterM]

be winning a bidding war in a star trade any time soon either. What I hate about the likely Beal stretch is that his contract could have been used as a giant expiring contract next year that could fetch salary (or perhaps a decent player who's a bit overpaid with multiple years

[Michael Schwartz @SchwartzCenterM]

By far the biggest thing the Suns must do long term to become a contender again is find a second star. That almost certainly won't come from a high lottery pick with the multiple swaps on their picks, and they have no tradable firsts and only a few tradable seconds so they won't

[Michael Schwartz @SchwartzCenterM]

@AytonOverDoncic @KingLouieLouie Yeah, agreed that makes sense. That would require not stretching Beal since that would mess up the cap for years to come. Trying to have cap space in 2 years makes some sense.

[Michael Schwartz @SchwartzCenterM]

@KingLouieLouie @AytonOverDoncic My problem is who’s the 2nd-best player on a title team or a path to get one? I don’t feel that player is on this roster nor do they have the draft assets to acquire that guy and we know what the cap situation is. Team will be frisky this year, but how do they become a contender?

[Michael Schwartz @SchwartzCenterM]

@AytonOverDoncic @KingLouieLouie Agreed, that feels quite likely. Hawks have a fat one.

[Michael Schwartz @SchwartzCenterM]

@KingLouieLouie @AytonOverDoncic Trade should never be a surprise with this front office haha. I kind of doubt Beal happens with the dearth of draft picks but some of the role players seem likely.

[Michael Schwartz @SchwartzCenterM]

@Farfegnguyen Very true

[Michael Schwartz @SchwartzCenterM]

@Farfegnguyen Once they made the Utah trade they had picks in the odd and even years and ended up trading the swapped '26 pick to CHA to dump Nurk. So now they don't have any pick in '26, hence not being able to trade the '27 UTAH/CLE/MIN pick due to Stepien.

[Michael Schwartz @SchwartzCenterM]

@KingLouieLouie @AytonOverDoncic Unless it’s to Brooklyn that likely will require matching salary but could get off their deals a year or so earlier in any case. Definitely need to offload some of this wing glut.