Southwest Notes: Marshall, Mavs, Middleton, Coward, Eason
Although the Mavericks have been eliminated from postseason contention, the final stretch of the season remains important for several players looking to secure their next contracts. As Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal details, forward Naji Marshall falls into that group — he has earned praise recently from head coach Jason Kidd as he looks to put the finishing touches on a career year before he becomes extension-eligible this offseason.
Marshall’s scoring average of 15.5 points per game would be a new career high, as would his field goal percentage of 51.6%. The 28-year-old wing has also contributed 4.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.1 steals per night through 71 appearances and has played 2,108 total minutes, second on the roster only to Cooper Flagg (2,132).
As of July 6, Marshall will become eligible for a contract extension that could cover up to four years and could be worth up to 140% of the league’s estimated average salary. That figure won’t be officially set until the start of the new league year, but based on early projections, Marshall would be eligible for a maximum of roughly $92MM on a four-year extension.
We have more from around the Southwest:
- The Mavericks haven’t hired a search firm to assist or guide them in their search for a new permanent head of basketball operations, league sources tell Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link). The expectation is that Dallas will name Nico Harrison‘s full-time replacement sometime between the end of the regular season and June’s draft, with current co-interim GMs Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi among the candidates. According to Stein, regardless of who ultimately gets the job, there appears to be growing interest throughout the organization in retaining veteran forward Khris Middleton beyond this season.
- It has been a pretty forgettable year in Memphis, where the 25-50 Grizzlies have been decimated by injuries and traded away former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. at February’s deadline. But the development of 2025 lottery pick Cedric Coward has been a silver lining, according to Jonah Dylan of The Memphis Commercial Appeal, who notes that the rookie forward has taken on more of a primary offensive role due to the club’s health issues. “Right now, when you look at our roster, he’s a featured guy and teams may put a lot more emphasis on stopping him,” head coach Tuomas Iisalo said after Coward scored 24 points on 10-of-19 shooting in a Saturday win over Chicago. “And I think he’s done a great job letting the game come to him.”
- After struggling mightily for several weeks, Rockets forward Tari Eason scored 16 points on Friday and 15 on Sunday, marking his two highest-scoring performances since the All-Star break. As William Guillory of The Athletic writes, Eason credited his breakthrough to a Thursday meeting in which his teammates made a point to emphasize his importance to the team’s identity. “It felt like it was pretty centered around me,” Eason said of that meeting. “It wasn’t directly pointing at me negatively. It was more so positive. It was more so affirmations. It was more so everybody kind of trying to lift me up. … Everybody just being there for me and embracing me was important.” Eason will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer.
Cuban Says He Regrets Selling Mavs to Adelson, Dumont
In an appearance on the Intersections podcast (Instagram video link), former Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban said he doesn’t regret selling the team in December 2023 — but he does regret the buyers he chose, as Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News relays.
“I don’t regret selling. I regret who I sold to,” Cuban said in a teaser clip released Monday. “I made a lot of mistakes in the process, and I’ll leave it at that.”
Cuban sold the majority of his shares in the team to Miriam Adelson and her son-in-law, Las Vegas Sands CEO Patrick Dumont. Dumont has been the Mavericks’ governor since the sale was completed.
Cuban, who still controls a 27% stake in the Mavs, said when the sale was announced that he would still be the team’s top basketball decision-maker, but it turned out he had no contractual grounds for that role.
As Christian Clark of The Athletic notes, it was evident in February 2025 that Cuban’s influence in the organization had waned considerably when Dumont signed off on the decision to trade Luka Doncic. Former general manager Nico Harrison, who was hired by Cuban and was dismissed by Dumont in November, reportedly led those negotiations.
Cuban still attends the majority of Dallas’ home games, according to Clark. The Mavericks are currently 24-50, the sixth-worst record in the NBA.
Cuban told hosts Tom Leppert and Kyle Waldrep he sold the Mavs because “it’s a big emotional commitment” and he didn’t want his children to be involved with the team.
“You hear the passion and everything,” Cuban said. “Now imagine going up and down like that every single game. That’s hard.
“… My kids, they were coming of age where they would be of the mindset (that) maybe they want to work at the Mavs, and I didn’t want that for them. … If fans don’t like what you’re doing or the team’s not doing well, you’re the worst human being on the planet, and they treat you that way.”
Doc Rivers To Be Inducted Into Hall Of Fame
Bucks head coach Doc Rivers will be among the Hall of Fame inductees for the class of 2026, a person familiar with the matter told Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. The full class will be revealed this Saturday, April 4.
Rivers, who was named a North American committee finalist last month, has compiled the sixth-most wins in NBA history across his 27 seasons as a head coach. The 64-year-old holds a career regular season record of 1191-861, for a .580 win-loss percentage.
Rivers’ teams have made the playoffs in 21 of his 27 seasons, including the longtime coach’s lone championship with Boston in 2008. He also led the Celtics to the NBA Finals in 2010, when they lost to the Lakers in seven games.
Aside from those two deep postseason runs, Rivers’ playoff results have been pretty mixed. Despite having a ton of regular season success with the Clippers and Sixers from 2013-23, none of those clubs advanced past the second round.
The only other team Rivers coached that reached a conference final was Boston in 2012. He holds a career playoff record of 104-102 (.504 win percentage).
Milwaukee was eliminated from postseason contention on Saturday for the first time since 2016.
A native of Illinois, Rivers also played 13 years in the league (from 1983-96). He was named an All-Star with Atlanta, with whom he spent his first eight seasons, in 1988.
Townsend’s story is largely centered on former Mavericks head coach Dick Motta, whose family was told on Monday that he won’t be inducted this year. It was the third time the 94-year-old has been a finalist but the first time since 2012, Townsend notes.
Motta, who had two different stints with Dallas, also coached the Bulls, Bullets (now Wizards), Kings and Nuggets. He holds a career regular season mark of 935-1017 (.479) and a playoff record of 57-70 (.444).
As Townsend writes, Motta is 14th on NBA’s all-time win list, and of the coaches in the top 15, only Rivers, Motta and Pacers coach Rick Carlisle aren’t in the Hall of Fame. Obviously that will change for Rivers later this year.
Motto also coached junior high, high school, junior college and major college basketball, according to Townsend, who points out that the Utah native led the Washington Bullets to back-to-back NBA Finals appearances in 1978 and ’79. The Bullets won the championship in ’78.
Southwest Notes: Bagley, Flagg, Jackson, Durant, Spurs
Marvin Bagley III, the No. 2 pick of the 2018 draft, has bounced around the league in recent seasons. He had one of his best games in years for the Mavericks in a 100-93 win over the Trail Blazers on Friday. Bagley scored 26 points, his biggest single-game output since the 2022/23 season.
“He was being dominant,” P.J. Washington told Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal. “We were finding him and giving him the ball and just letting him do him. He’s scoring at a high level in the paint. He’s just a mismatch nightmare for them tonight. When he’s in the pick-and-roll, it’s good for us. If we hit him in the pocket, he can make plays, he can pass, he can score.”
Bagley, traded by the Wizards to Dallas last month, will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
Here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- In the same game, Cooper Flagg continued his push for the Rookie of the Year award, scoring 24 points. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd told the Dallas Morning News’ Brad Townsend that Flagg’s candidacy should be a priority for the organization during the season’s final weeks. “Yeah, I think it’s a big priority that the organization pays attention to this. But it’s not just the organization,” Kidd said. “This is a partnership, and Cooper has to be able to do his part. And he’s doing his part. He’s having a historic year as a rookie. When you put his numbers up against past rookies who have won the award, it’s clear-cut that it’s not even close that he is the one that will win Rookie of the Year.”
- Grizzlies forward GG Jackson II is exasperated that stars like Kevin Durant get calls that other players don’t. “It’s unbelievable how the refs can suck up to somebody,” Jackson said, per Clay Bailey of The Associated Press. “He’s the GOAT, so I respect that, but as far as us other guys, we bust our [tails] like he does.” Durant didn’t have an inordinate amount of free throws in the Rockets‘ 10-point win on Friday. He went to the line seven times while scoring 25 points.
- While the Spurs’ general lack of playoff experience might make it seem unlikely that they’d win the championship this season, there’s growing sentiment around the league that they can overcome that. ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst quote several insiders from across the NBA who believe San Antonio will wind up as champions.“Everyone says they don’t have experience, but they have a lot more than anyone gives them credit for,” an Eastern Conference executive told Windhorst. “Harrison Barnes and Luke Kornet have championship rings. De’Aaron Fox is one of the league’s best clutch players and he’s been in the playoffs. Do you think Victor (Wembanyama) is going to be intimidated by the moment? Good luck with that.”
Southwest Notes: Fox, Murphy, Alexander, Kyrie
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra recently praised Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox for being willing to sacrifice his individual statistics in pursuit of the team’s goals, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio-Express News.
“I think you have to really commend Fox,” Spoelstra said before Monday’s game in Miami. “He’s been a 25-plus point scorer for four straight years, and then sacrificing to win, he’s averaging 19 a game. People say, ‘Oh, you do whatever it takes to win.’ But I don’t know a lot of players who want to sign up and have their scoring average drop by seven and be great with it.”
For his part, Fox said the scoring dip was by design.
“I knew what I was signing up for,” Fox told the San Antonio Express-News. “Ultimately, I wanted to come and win a championship, and this is definitely the best place for it.”
We have more from the Southwest:
- After initially being listed as questionable, Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III was ruled out of Thursday’s contest in Detroit due to a right ankle sprain, the team announced (via Twitter). New Orleans lost its third straight game, with all three defeats coming against top Eastern Conference teams, notes Rod Walker of NOLA.com. “Defensively, we just had no hold on them,” interim head coach James Borrego said. “We could not gain any traction defensively. Other than the run at the end of the third quarter and early fourth, we just couldn’t string enough defensive possessions together.”
- Trey Alexander, who is on a two-way contract with the Pelicans, is the G League’s latest Player of the Week, the NBA announced on Tuesday (Twitter link). The second-year guard has only made five NBA appearances this season, but he had a huge week for the Birmingham Squadron, putting up 36.7 PPG and 10.0 APG in leading the team to a 3-0 record.
- The Mavericks have been involved in a league-high 42 “clutch” games this season, defined as a game in which the score is within five points in the final five minutes. However, they have gone just 15-27 in those contests, and have particularly struggled on the offensive end. Head coach Jason Kidd is confident Kyrie Irving will help Dallas improve its record in clutch games when he returns to action in 2026/27, per Christian Clark of The Athletic. “The offensive end of the ball, it will help in all categories,” Kidd said. “Shooting. Scoring. And the biggest (thing) is, you have a closer. A born closer.”
Southwest Notes: VanVleet, B. Williams, Nembhard, McLaughlin
It seems increasingly unlikely that Fred VanVleet will be able to rejoin the Rockets for their playoff push, Varun Shankar writes for the Houston Chronicle.
The veteran point guard, who has been out since September with a torn ACL, expressed hope earlier this month that he’d be able to return this season, but head coach Ime Udoka‘s recent comments made that seem unlikely, Shankar notes.
“On-court shooting, cutting, moving, non-contact. That’s pretty much the extent of the on-court (work),” Udoka said. “… (Contact will) come soon but you’re obviously not looking at playing if you’re not getting on the court and making contact this late in the season.”
VanVleet’s contract includes a $25MM player option for the 2026/27 season, which he seems likely to pick up coming off his ACL tear. General manager Rafael Stone expressed support for his his point guard and his role on the team.
“He’s a big part of what we’ve done over the last two years and we expect he’s going to be a big part of what we do moving forward,” Stone said. “He’s literally the toughest NBA player I’ve ever met. If he can play, he’ll play.”
The Rockets are sixth in the West heading into Wednesday’s games, but are just a game behind the fourth-place Nuggets.
We have more from around the Southwest Division:
- After missing the past three games with a concussion, Brandon Williams took to the court on Wednesday morning’s shootaround for the Mavericks and was upgraded to questionable for Wednesday’s game, Grant Afseth writes for Dallas Hoops Journal. Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News speculates (via Twitter) that his changed status could indicate his favorable chances of clearing concussion protocol.
- Ryan Nembhard recently discussed his rookie season growth with the Mavericks, Afseth writes. “I’ve been trying to get more catch-and-shoot threes off — that’s a big thing for me,” Nembhard said. “Just trying to space the floor, make guys close out, and respect my jump shot has been important.” He admitted that the length and demanding nature of the NBA season was unlike anything he’d experienced as a basketball player until now, but added that the All-Star break was a good break to get back to his usual form.
- Jordan McLaughlin‘s presence and professionalism have allowed the Spurs to rest some of their starters down the stretch without losing any ground in the standings, Tom Orsborn writes for the San Antonio Express-News. “J-Mac gave us 10 minutes of really mature, professional basketball,” coach Mitch Johnson said after a close win over the Clippers last week. “We needed every second.” Johnson said that the team specifically targeted the veteran point guard in their trade negotiations with the Kings for De’Aaron Fox last season. “We definitely didn’t view him as a throw in,” Johnson said. “… McLaughlin had good times in Minnesota and played well for Sacramento at times. And he was someone we thought could be a good member of this team. And we brought him back this year when he was a free agent.”
Mavericks Eliminated From Postseason Contention
The Mavericks were officially eliminated from postseason contention after they lost to Golden State in overtime on Monday.
Dallas dropped to 23-49 with its latest defeat, while the Warriors — who are currently the No. 10 seed in the West — improved to 34-38. The Mavericks only have 10 games left in the regular season, so they have no way to make up the 11-game deficit.
It’s been a long season for the Mavs, who were 5-15 after 20 games. There was a brief stretch in mid-January when they looked like they might make a push for the play-in tournament — they held a 19-26 record after a four-game winning streak, but then they lost 10 consecutive contests. They have gone just 4-23 since Jan. 22.
Injuries have been a major issue for Dallas in 2025/26. Kyrie Irving will miss the entire season after sustaining a torn ACL in March 2025; Anthony Davis had multiple health issues before he was traded ahead of the February deadline; Dereck Lively II only played seven games prior to suffering a season-ending foot injury, which required surgery; Dante Exum didn’t play at all this season due to a knee injury, which also required surgery.
P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford have both missed significant time as well, and Gafford was forced to leave Monday’s game due to a right shoulder contusion, per the team (Twitter link).
The Mavs are currently No. 6 in the reverse standings, giving them a 9.0% chance at landing the No. 1 pick and 37.2% odds of moving into the top four. They join Indiana, Washington, Sacramento, Brooklyn and Utah as teams that have been eliminated from postseason contention.
Dallas had just a 1.8% chance of claiming last year’s top pick, jumping up from No. 11 to No. 1 when the team won the draft lottery last May. It was the first time in 17 lottery appearances that the Mavericks ended up with a better pick than their odds dictated. They selected Duke standout Cooper Flagg, who is having an excellent rookie season despite the team’s poor results.
In other news from the Southwest, San Antonio clinched the division title with a win and a loss by Houston. The Spurs are two wins or two Lakers losses from securing, at worst, the No. 2 seed in the West, notes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link).
Mavericks Notes: GM Search, Flagg, Middleton, Lively
Mavericks CEO Rick Welts and president Ethan Casson provided an update on the team’s search for a permanent general manager on Thursday, per Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. Both executives said the team isn’t in a rush to make a hire, while Welts confirmed the Mavs are aiming to have a top basketball decision-maker in place ahead of June’s draft.
Dallas currently has Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi operating as co-interim GMs, and both are candidates for the permanent job. Finley believes he’s prepared for the position.
“I think I am Dallas,” Finley said before Thursday’s Mavs Ball. “I’m everything that Dallas is about. I played here through the good times and bad times and as a fan of the Mavericks, I know what it takes and I know what the fans are looking for. I would love to have the chance to lead this franchise into the future and to, ultimately, championship contenders.”
Riccardi, meanwhile, said it hasn’t been difficult to manage being a candidate for the permanent role.
“I think it’s easy for Fin and myself,” Riccardi said. “All we care about is what’s best for the organization. We put the organization first in everything that we do. Let the rest of it take care of itself.”
Multiple sources who spoke to Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com praised Riccardi’s experience, relationship-building acumen, “selflessness and substance.”
“He has no ego,” one source said of Riccardi. “That’s who you want running a front office. Just look at where ego got Nico Harrison.”
Previous reports have indicated that the Mavericks are looking at external candidates with experience running a basketball operations department.
Here’s more on the Mavs:
- Guard Max Christie and head coach Jason Kidd explained why they believe Cooper Flagg deserves to be named Rookie of the Year on Friday, according to Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com. Flagg’s primary competition for the award is his former Duke teammate, Kon Knueppel. “To see what he’s doing on a nightly basis – points, rebounds, assists – he’s playing the game at the right level,” Kidd said. “And these names that (people) have brought up are very impressive (to be compared with). I truly believe he deserves rookie of the year. It’s not easy to come in with all the hype and expectations and be able to deliver – if not be even better than what the expectations were.” Last year’s No. 1 overall pick currently ranks in the top five among rookies in all five major counting statistics (points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks), tweets play-by-play announcer Mark Followill.
- Veteran forward Khris Middleton considered reaching a buyout agreement with Dallas last month to sign with a playoff contender, but decided to stay with the Mavs, who control his Bird rights. As Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal writes, the 34-year-old recently signaled he’s open to re-signing with the team this summer. “For sure. I love the city of Dallas, I’ve been here before,” Middleton said when asked if he could see himself playing in Dallas beyond this season. “I’m familiar with Dallas, I love the area. As far as the organization, it’s been great. I stayed here for a reason. I like where things are headed here. I like the way they’re trying to do things here, so we’ll see what happens.”
- Third-year center Dereck Lively II, who is on the mend after suffering a right foot injury in December which required season-ending surgery, recently said he’s provided an update on the progress he’s making in his recovery, as Afseth relays. “I went from being on a scooter, two crutches, and now I can walk around with a cane,” Lively said. “So I’m definitely getting there. Making sure I don’t rush myself, taking it real slow, and making sure that the scans are gonna give me the advice on what I should do. Not how I feel.”
Mavs’ Brandon Williams In Concussion Protocol
Mavericks guard Brandon Williams was unable to practice on Friday because he’s still in the NBA’s concussion protocol, according to Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com.
“He’s riding the (stationary) bike and shooting. Those two things,” head coach Jason Kidd said.
According to the league’s latest injury report, Williams will miss his second straight game on Saturday against the Clippers. He was also out for Wednesday’s loss to Atlanta.
The 26-year-old was forced out of Monday’s loss at New Orleans after just five minutes after suffering a head injury.
Williams is a key reserve for the Mavs, Afseth writes, averaging 12.8 points, 3.8 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 60 appearances (22.0 minutes per game). The fourth-year guard is in the final season of his contract and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Veteran wing Caleb Martin is questionable for Saturday’s contest due to a right heel contusion. He has missed the last two games and was unable to practice on Friday, per Afseth.
Southwest Notes: Wemby, Missi, Marshall, Christie
While he acknowledges that he would vote for Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander if the season ended today, Sam Amick of The Athletic says Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama continues to strengthen his case in the race for Most Valuable Player and could steal some top-two votes that have long appeared earmarked for Gilgeous-Alexander and Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.
As Amick points out, the on/off numbers are a point in Wembanyama’s favor, as the Spurs have a +16.0 net rating when he’s on the court and a 0.0 mark when he’s not, for a 16-point difference. That exceeds the 10-point gap between the Thunder’s net rating when Gilgeous-Alexander is and isn’t on the court. And while SGA is one of the NBA’s top scorers, Wembanyama, the overwhelming favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year, is the more impactful player on the other end of the court.
It’s also not out of the realm of possibility that the Spurs could catch Oklahoma City in the Western Conference standings, Amick notes. San Antonio is just 3.5 games out of the No. 1 spot, and Wembanyama has talked about wanting to get to the 60-win mark, whereas the defending champion Thunder may feel less compelled to push hard for seeding at the end of the regular season.
We have more from around the Southwest:
- Pelicans center Yves Missi was considered a prime trade candidate leading up to this season’s deadline, but he remained in New Orleans and has impressed head coach James Borrego, who spoke glowingly of the second-year big man after he racked up 10 rebounds, five blocks, and five assists in a win over Dallas on Monday. “We’re using him a number of ways defensively,” Borrego said, per Rod Walker of NOLA.com (subscription required). “Then he gets out and runs. He’s all over the offensive glass. He’s made tremendous strides.”
- Another pre-deadline trade candidate, forward Naji Marshall, is showing why the Mavericks weren’t eager to consider moving him last month, writes Nate Sanchez of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required). Marshall, who spoke earlier this season about his desire to play alongside Cooper Flagg long-term, had his best game of the season on Monday in New Orleans, with 32 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and no turnovers. “I appreciate everything about Naji,” Flagg said after the game. “He’s just such a good basketball player, all-around, consistent. He shows up every single night and is just a true professional.”
- Flagg, Marshall, and fourth-year wing Max Christie have been a few of the bright spots in an otherwise forgettable season for the Mavericks. Even with Dallas falling well out of the play-in picture, Christie told Spencer Davies of R.org that he wants to “finish strong” and resist letting fatigue get the best of him in what has been a career year so far. The 23-year-old will become extension-eligible this July as he enters the third season of a four-year, $32MM contract.