Al Horford wouldn’t help them win games? You don’t think he’s a really, really good fit for Carlisle’s system? That’s funny — cuz I do.Mavs sell out every game already. And I love Al, but he's the exact opposite of the type of player you'd bring in if you're trying to sell tickets. They'd be way more likely to generate excitement by adding a big name rookie to pair up with Smith that they can sell as the core of the next competitive Mavs team. Plus that might actually work to win them enough games to matter eventually, which adding Al wouldn't.
Teams don’t go thru a perfect circle of up and down. Don’t dismiss that the Mavs might actually want to win games next year in lieu of getting 7 Dennis Smiths over the next 7 lotteries.