DALLAS - We could shut this DBcom Roundtable down before it ever begins, telling our lovely waitstaff to take away the brandy snifters and the expensive cigars because we've already established what the Dallas Mavericks think of the idea of trying to get in on the New York Knicks' willingness to give up on recent top-10 pick Frank Ntilikina, the point guard from France. The New York Post’s Marc Berman writes that the Knicks are open to trading Ntilikina in exchange for "an early second-round or late first-round pick.''

The Dallas Mavericks were interested in Ntilikina in the 2017 NBA Draft before he was picked at No. 8 (the Mavs were happy about that, as it left them Dennis Smith Jr. at No. 9), we inquired about whether the Mavs would like to take another swing at Ntilikina.

And the answer is "no.'' But does that make the Mavs right? We roundtable the idea with DBcom 75-Member Staffers David Lord, Matt Galatzan, Dalton Trigg and Mike Fisher to weigh the pros and the cons of Dallas deciding there are mostly only "cons.''

TRIGG: "My initial reaction: I would absolutely trade pick No. 37 for Ntilikina.''

FISH: "That was my first inclination, too. I was thinking of him as a mid-dollar/high-upside gamble. Let's assume the Mavs personnel department still likes him; what great player are you missing out on that you'd otherwise spend $5 million on?

"But that was before the Mavs sort of alerted me -- or, I guess, reminded me -- of the cap-based priorities. They want that $5 million of space, for whatever, way more than they want Frankie.''

TRIGG: "I will add that I don’t think there’s any need for the Mavs spend a lot of time considering this, which as Fish has already found out, that seems to be the case. Still, just me talking now, I’d be willing for the Mavs to take a chance on Ntilikina for the No. 37 pick because 1) I still believe Frank has something to offer under the right organization and 2) I don’t think this year’s draft is deep enough to worry about missing out on anything much better. All the guys I’ve been really interested in (like Matisse Thybulle, for example, who we talked about with Richard Stayman on Episode 20 of The Step Back: A Mavs Podcast) are probably going to be off the board before the Mavs get to make a selection anyway.''

GALATZAN: "I think Fish and I are on the same page here. I’m fine with with idea of what Franky Smokes might bring to the table, but the cap hit that comes along with that trade just doesn’t make sense to me based on what we all feel they are trying to accomplish this summer.''

D-LORD: "The problem with Franky is that he eats a sizable chunk out of your cap room -- oh, and the other problem is he can't play a lick at the NBA level.''

TRIGG: "The money is a factor that I really hadn’t thought about initially, and I can see why the Mavs would be reluctant to make this kind of move, knowing that it eats around $5 million of their cap space. Still, I haven’t completely changed my stance on this. I’d still love to see Ntilikina wind up in Dallas under Rick Carlisle’s tutelage.''

FISH: "The down-side numbers are pretty clear. This year, he only averaged 5.7 points and 2.8 assists in 21 minutes per game last season while shooting 28.7 percent on 3's. He wasn't really even a factor on a lousy team. But ... pick No. 37 will not offer up a better prospect than Ntilikina, who has greats size (6-6) and athleticism, and can play defense. Oh, and he's just 20 years old. So I'm not committed to the idea that he can't play, though I respect D-Lord's eye for talent here. Nor do I think it has much of anything to do with the value of pick No. 37.

"I'm quite sure it's all about Dallas wanting to horde that $5 million for something better -- something that in the end is much better than a flier on Frank.''

D-LORD: ''I understand why you value those size/athleticism traits, Fish, but I actually think pick 37 has far more value because (a) the players picked in the 30s are ones that you are hoping can develop something more, and (b) Franky has already shown the NBA that his ability to add the extras they hoped for is very doubtful - in his case, the expectation was great shooting, great ability to hit the 3, and skills to become a point guard.

"Also, pick 37 is way more valuable because while you try to develop that player, the cap cost is tiny (minimum salary, for several years). And look at all the 'something betters' that you might be able to have for $5 mil. Perhaps that's enough this summer for a Maxi Kleber. Or a Seth Curry. Perhaps that's a Vonleh or a Looney (just to throw out some random names of young players who might be gettable for that sort of money.) I believe you can find a $5 mil player who isn't a rotting corpse, who can be developed and be contributing all at the same time. Franky has already proven he's not near being a contributor, and to me, ought to end up in the G-League or back in Europe, getting his game way, way more up-to-standards.''

GALATZAN: "Spending that kind of cap room on a guy like Ntilikina might end up affecting your ability to land a Brogdon, a Pat Beverly, or another significant piece to the puzzle -- any of whom are going to bring more to the table than Frank. The goal heading into this summer for the Mavericks is, if we understand correctly, to acquire talent and experience, not spend a significant chunk of space on someone who could end up buried on the depth chart.''

TRIGG: "Speaking generally, can we agree that the time to strike on a prospect you once liked -- ignore the Ntilikina specifics for the moment -- is when the league is down on him?''

FISH: "Speaking generally, I buy this, of course. And going back to specifics, I'll note that Frank has one skill (defense) and that coach Rick Carlisle famously believes if you can do one thing at a high level, you can play in the NBA. If I'm Ntilikina -- regardless of Dallas -- I'm going to bed trying to remember that credo, and trying to build on it.

D-LORD: "But, Fish, did Rick tell you that being able to do "one thing well'' while also "doing everything else terribly'' was acceptable, especially after trying without success to get more value from him in the rest of the game? And did he say that when you are developing a player who can only do one thing well, you should be willing to spend a $5 million chunk of your scarce spending room on him?"

GALATZAN: "Guys, are we really sure that Frank is gifted enough on defense to make up for his lack of ability everywhere else? He’s just not ready for the NBA to me.''

TRIGG: "It seems crazy to say this about a 20-year-old prospect with Ntilikina’s physical gifts, but maybe the Knicks will decide to cut the cord on him early?''

D-LORD: "Buying low, chasing the "fallen angel" so to speak, that's a fine policy. In fact, it's something this franchise has been pretty good at in the Cuban/Donnie era, using it on prospects like Gerald Green and Antoine Wright and Yi Jianlian and Brandan Wright. But there's a right time and a wrong time to do it.

"If they like Franky as a salvage project, then the time to explore that idea will be when he's a free agent, looking for a new team who will pay him minimum salary to try to develop into an NBA player. And I'm guessing that happens way sooner than anyone thinks - maybe as soon as this summer, or the summer of 2020.''