Mavericks Rumors

Mavericks Notes: Davis, Nembhard, Thompson, Gafford, Lively

Anthony Davis and his Mavericks teammates were eager to move on to the next game following Friday’s 21-point loss at Oklahoma City, writes Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal. Davis missed his first eight shots from the field and was held to two points by one of the NBA’s elite defenses. His only points came with 8:08 left in the fourth quarter, shortly before he checked out of the game for good.

“I hold myself accountable for the play,” Davis said. “When I catch the ball, (they) have guys loaded up … there’s not much room to operate. But we don’t have time to dwell on it.”

As Christian Clark of the Athletic describes, the Thunder used Jaylin Williams as the primary defender on Davis, with Chet Holmgren lurking to provide help. That combination prevented Davis from getting many good looks at the basket.

“That was their game plan,” Davis said. “That’s most teams’ game plan. When I catch the ball, have guys loaded up. Specifically, when I have it in the post. … And they didn’t have Chet on me. Chet was kind of the help on the baseline.”

There’s more on the Mavericks:

  • Ryan Nembhard continued to be impressive despite the lopsided loss, Afseth states in a separate story. Coach Jason Kidd said the rookie point guard, who made 4-of-8 shots from the floor and committed just one turnover, held up well under heavy pressure from OKC’s defense. “I thought he did great,” Kidd said. “Being able to find his teammates. … I thought he did a good job of getting guys shots. I thought he attacked.”
  • Klay Thompson will miss Saturday’s game against Houston with left knee soreness, while Daniel Gafford is out due to right ankle injury management, Afseth relays in another piece. P.J. Washington, who was a game-time decision because of a sprained right ankle, has been cleared to play (Twitter link).
  • As the team previously announced, center Dereck Lively II will seek additional medical opinions on the cause of the swelling and soreness in his right foot. Lively has only been available for seven games this season and hasn’t played since November 21. “For a 21-year-old, it’s tough,” Kidd told reporters, per Afseth. “He wants to play. Unfortunately, he can’t play right now. So hopefully as he goes through this process of finding other opinions on what he should do, it brings resolve and he can get back to playing because we miss him. He misses playing.”

Warriors Notes: Horford, Green, Curry, Richard, A. Davis

Al Horford was excited about the opportunity to join the Warriors, but his first few weeks with the team haven’t worked out as planned. The veteran center has only been available for 13 of Golden State’s first 23 games and is averaging 5.6 points and 4.4 rebounds in 21.5 minutes per night. He admits to Nick Friedell of The Athletic that he’s disappointed with his performance so far.

“I’m not where I want to be,” Horford said. “I would say I haven’t been very good. I understand that there’s a lot of work ahead of me, there’s more that I need to do, and I need to be better, and I feel like I will. But right now, I’m not where I want to be.”

Injuries have played a part in Horford’s early-season frustrations, as he just returned Thursday after missing about two weeks with sciatica. Golden State isn’t using him in both ends of back-to-backs, just like Boston’s policy over the past two years, to avoid putting too much strain on his body during the long season. After playing 18 minutes on Thursday at Philadelphia, Horford said he believes he’s making progress physically.

“I felt pretty good tonight,” he said. “Obviously, not playing or anything, that’s always challenging, so trying to get my legs back under me, but it’s just nice to get back on the floor. Things didn’t go our way tonight, the game didn’t go our way, I’m still trying to find myself as well, but I was encouraged with some of the things tonight.”

There’s more on the Warriors:

  • Horford will miss Saturday’s game at Cleveland as part of a lengthy injured list that also includes Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, Seth Curry and De’Anthony Melton, according to Anthony Slater of ESPN (Twitter link). He adds that there’s optimism about Green, who injured his right foot during Thursday’s game and left the arena in a walking boot. Slater states that Green was able to do some shooting on his own after this morning’s shootaround (Twitter link).
  • Coach Steve Kerr said Stephen Curry is making progress in his recovery from a thigh contusion and “it’s realistic” that he could return Friday against Minnesota (Twitter link).
  • At 22, Will Richard was viewed as old for a prospect heading into this year’s draft, but he believes he benefited from playing four seasons in college, writes Kenzo Fukuda of ClutchPoints. Richard has been a surprise contributor for Golden State after being selected with the 56th pick. “I feel like those four years at Florida helped me out with my experience,” he said. “I feel like it helped me adjust much quicker than if I were an 18-year-old freshman or something like that. So no knock to the guys that get drafted who are younger than me. … I know my journey is different from everyone else, so I’m happy how it went.”
  • Rumors that the Warriors are among the teams pursuing Mavericks big man Anthony Davis are untrue, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, who tweets that Golden State hasn’t contacted Dallas about a potential deal and doesn’t plan to during the season.

Stein: Mavs Plan To Eventually Promote Ryan Nembhard

Within an interesting story about how Ryan Nembhard ended up on a two-way contract with the Mavericks after going undrafted in June, Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link) reports that Dallas has “already committed” to promoting the rookie to a standard deal as soon as the team is able to do so.

As we outlined on Thursday, Nembhard has been making a strong case to have his two-way deal converted to a standard contract since he took over as the Mavericks’ starting point guard five games ago. However, with only about $1.29MM in breathing room below their second-apron hard cap, the Mavs are ineligible to add a prorated minimum-salary contract to their roster until January 6.

Promoting Nembhard as soon as they can next month would put the Mavericks in a difficult financial position, as they would be just $12K away from their hard cap. Dallas was in a similar situation last season and was unable to add reinforcements when the roster was decimated by injuries during the second half.

As Stein writes, it’s possible that a minimum-salary deal wouldn’t be enough to entice Nembhard either, especially if he keeps up his recent play. So the Mavericks might have to offer more than the minimum during the season if they want to prevent him from reaching restricted free agency in 2026.

Nembhard can still be active for 33 more games as part of his two-way contract, and there isn’t necessarily a rush for the Mavs to convert him, even if they intend to do so down the line.

According to Stein, while the former Gonzaga standout worked out for 29 of the NBA’s 30 teams prior to the draft, the Mavericks were the only club to consistently express a desire to acquire him.

Sources tell Stein that Matt Riccardi, who was then an assistant general manager and has since been elevated to co-interim GM, repeatedly told Nembhard’s agents the team hoped to trade for a second-round pick to draft the 22-year-old, but if it was unable to do so and no other team selected him, the Mavericks would “definitely” offer him a two-way contact.

On the day of the second round, the Mavs’ front office was unable to land a second-rounder. Teams selecting in the 50s expressed some interest drafting Nembhard, Stein continues, but his agents rejected those overtures because going undrafted would make him an unrestricted free agent and thus able to sign the two-way deal with Dallas.

I don’t think about it much anymore,” Nembhard told Stein about not being selected. “My focus is on today because that’s all that matters. But deep down I think I have a natural fire to compete. And it’s hotter than maybe it would have been otherwise because no one believed in me.”

Nembhard isn’t the only rookie on a two-way deal with Dallas who has made a good impression this season. Prior to Friday’s game, Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News asked head coach Jason Kidd about big man Moussa Cisse, who has played an unexpected role off the bench amid several frontcourt injuries (Twitter link).

Our two-ways have done great…Moussa and the energy that he’s brought, he’s helped win some games for us early,” Kidd said. “Our two-ways have had a big impact and at some point here in January, they could run out of games. That’s just the unfortunate thing, but we’ve needed them because of injuries and they’ve responded with the opportunities they’ve been given.”

Mavs’ Dereck Lively Seeking Multiple Opinions For Foot Injury

Mavericks center Dereck Lively II is seeking multiple opinions on the next steps to take to treat his injured right foot, according to the team (Twitter link).

Lively was spotted in a walking boot during Wednesday’s shootaround, tweets Christian Clark of The Athletic.

The 12th overall pick in the 2023 draft, Lively last played on November 21 against New Orleans. He has been sidelined with swelling and discomfort in his right foot — the same foot which was surgically repaired over the summer.

Marc Stein reported last week that Dallas was concerned Lively could miss an extended period of time, with the team subsequently stating he would be out at least seven-to-10 days — this is the first update on his status since then.

Lively appeared in the first three games of the season before missing the next nine due to a right knee sprain. The third-year center suited up for four of Dallas’ next six contests, sitting twice during back-to-back sets, before the foot became an issue again.

Even when Lively has been available this season, he has been on a minutes limit. In seven outings (four starts), the 21-year-old has averaged 4.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.6 blocks in 16.4 minutes per night.

The right foot is the same one that Lively injured at the beginning of the year. He was diagnosed in January with a small fracture in his foot/ankle area, which sidelined him until April and limited him to 36 total games in 2024/25. He averaged 8.7 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 2.4 APG, and 1.6 BPG in 23.1 MPG in those 36 appearances.

Ryan Nembhard Making Strong Case For Promotion From Two-Way Deal

With Kyrie Irving still recovering from his ACL tear, the Mavericks and head coach Jason Kidd found themselves searching for an answer at the point guard position to open the season. No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg was miscast in that role this fall, while other options like offseason addition D’Angelo Russell and 2024/25 standout Brandon Williams struggled to produce as hoped.

As Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News wrote earlier this week, the Mavericks may have found their answer at point guard within the past week, with rookie Ryan Nembhard thriving in a starting role.

Nembhard, who is on a two-way contract, has started in each of Dallas’ past four games, including three victories. During that stretch, the younger brother of Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard has averaged 17.0 points, 7.5 assists, and just 1.3 turnovers in 28.3 minutes per game, with a scorching-hot 65.1% shooting percentage (66.7% on three-pointers).

After the younger Nembhard’s 15-point, 13-assist performance in a win over Miami on Wednesday, the team shared the historical context for his recent production, noting that he’s the first undrafted rookie to ever score at least 15 points and hand out 10 or more assists in back-to-back games. He also became the first rookie since turnovers were first recorded (1977/78) to register 40 or more points, 20 or more assists, and no more than one turnover in a two-game span (Twitter link).

A player on a two-way contract is eligible to be active for up to 50 regular season games, and Nembhard is only at 16, so there’s no rush for the Mavericks to promote him to a standard contract. There’s also no guarantee his recent hot streak will continue. But he has impressed his veteran teammates with his recent play, as Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal writes.

“He’s constantly asking questions,” star big man Anthony Davis said. “There’s been times where he’s talking to me in the middle of a play — ‘AD, roll right here.’ He’s taking big strides. … I don’t know if he’s gonna be a two-way too much longer. All the guys love playing with him. He makes the right plays.”

The Mavericks currently have a full 15-man roster, but one of those 15 players is guard Dante Exum, who has been ruled out for the season due to knee surgery. While waiving Exum to make room for Nembhard would make sense, the team can’t do it quite yet. With only about $1.29MM in breathing room below their second-apron hard cap, the Mavs are ineligible to add a prorated minimum-salary contract to their roster until January 6.

As a rookie, Nembhard’s prorated minimum salary would be just $950,995 if he were promoted to a standard contract today, but he would count for $1,715,607 for tax and apron purposes due to “tax variance,” since he was signed as an undrafted free agent instead of being drafted. That number would dip to $1,280,107 on Jan. 6, allowing Dallas to fit it below the hard cap.

Still, with 34 active games left before he reaches his limit, the Mavs may not rush to promote Nembhard as soon as they can next month — doing so would leave the team just $12K away from its hard cap. Dallas was in a similar situation last season and was unable to add reinforcements as the roster was decimated by injuries during the second half.

Nembhard still looks like a very good bet to be elevated to the standard roster later in the season. For his part, he indicated on Wednesday that he’s not stressing about it.

“I’ll let my agents and everybody figure that out,” Nembhard told Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. “Obviously that’s there, and obviously I’m on a two-way. But at the end of the day, if I go on the court and handle business and do my job at a high level, then that will take care of itself when the time comes. So I’m not too concerned about that. I’m just trying to win games and enjoy hooping.”

Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel Named Rookies Of The Month

Former Duke teammates Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel have been named the NBA’s October/November Rookies of the Month for the Western and Eastern Conference, respectively, the league announced today (via Twitter).

According to the league, it’s the first time since the NBA began handing out Rookie of The Month honors by conference in 2001/02 that the Western and Eastern winners were from the same college program.

The No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, Flagg got off to a bit of a slow start for the struggling Mavericks, but had a big November that he wrapped up by scoring a career-high 35 points in a win over the Clippers on Saturday.

In total, the 18-year-old forward averaged 16.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.4 steals in 34.0 minutes per game across 20 outings in October and November. Flagg made just 25.3% of his three-point tries, but posted solid field goal (46.2%) and free throw (80.3%) percentages.

Flagg beat out Grizzlies forward Cedric Coward and Pelicans teammates Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen, who were also nominated in the West, per the NBA (Twitter link).

In the East, Knueppel won the award over fellow nominees VJ Edgecombe of the Sixers and Hornets teammate Ryan Kalkbrenner. The fourth overall pick has immediately emerged as a go-to offensive option in Charlotte after starring alongside Flagg with the Blue Devils in his first and only college season.

In his first 20 games, Knueppel averaged 18.4 points per game on .470/.413/.898 shooting while also contributing 5.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest.

Flagg is currently the slight betting favorite for this season’s Rookie of the Year award. Both he and Knueppel are considered significant favorites over the rest of the field.

Mavs Notes: Nembhard, Davis, Marshall, Thompson

Rookie guard Ryan Nembhard, who is on a two-way contract with the Mavericks, submitted a historic performance on Monday in an upset win over the Nuggets in Denver. Appearing in just his ninth NBA game, Nembhard racked up 28 points on 12-of-14 shooting and handed out 10 assists without turning the ball over once.

According to the Mavs (Twitter link), Nembhard is the first undrafted rookie in the modern era (dating back to 1967) to have at least 25 points and 10 assists in a game without committing a turnover. He’s also the first rookie of any kind to post that stat line since Stephon Marbury did it in 1996.

“He kind of took over the game,” head coach Jason Kidd said of Nembhard, per Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal. “He’s been great since we put him in the starting lineup. Being able to find guys. Also his shot. To have 28 and 10, he controlled the game. The ball touches the paint and he finds Max Christie in the corner for a big three. He took what the defense had. He was really good tonight.”

After making just five brief appearances in Dallas’ first 18 games, Nembhard has appeared in each of the last four, starting three times and averaging 24.0 minutes per night. As a starter, he’s averaging 17.7 points and 5.7 assists per contest and has made 9-of-15 three-pointers (60.0%).

Here’s more on the Mavs:

  • As good as Nembhard was on Monday, it was Anthony Davis who led the team in scoring, with 32 points and 13 rebounds in his second game back from a calf strain. Davis, who on a minutes restriction in his return on Friday, exceeded 32 minutes on Monday despite battling the mile-high elevation in Denver. “I was tired for sure, but it’s mental,” he said after the win, according to Afseth. “Trying to push through the fatigue and physically and mentally lock in.”
  • Although the Mavericks struggled during the second half of last season and the first several weeks of this season, forward Naji Marshall has no regrets about signing with the team as a free agent during the 2024 offseason. Speaking to Mark Medina of Essentially Sports, Marshall referred to Dallas as a “beautiful city” and said he loves both his teammates and the Mavs’ coaching staff. “(Kidd) has helped my game in a tremendous way,” Marshall said of his head coach. “He showed me things on and off the court with his experience as being a Hall-of-Fame point guard. The coaching staff that he surrounds himself with are also great dudes. They know the game. So learning from them has been a plus.”
  • Veteran sharpshooter Klay Thompson got off to a brutal start this fall, averaging 7.4 points per game and making 26.7% of his three-pointers in his first 10 outings. In his last 11, he has looked more like himself, scoring 14.5 PPG and hitting 40.6% of his outside shots. “It felt like a relief,” Thompson said after scoring a season-high 23 points and making six three-pointers on Saturday, per Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. “I haven’t shot the ball well in these first 20 games or at least to my standard. When you have a night like that, after the tough start we’ve had. It just gives you relief to keep going and it really inspires me to be out there as much as I can.” Thompson was initially expected to miss Saturday’s game due to left knee stiffness, but managed to play through it.

Bulls Considered Unlikely To Trade For Anthony Davis

The Bulls’ front office has engaged in internal discussions about trading for Mavericks big man Anthony Davis, according to Jamal Collier of ESPN. Davis is viewed as a potential solution for the team’s poor interior defense, but sources tell Collier that Chicago is reluctant to make any move that involves giving up a portion of its young core until it becomes more competitive.

“I don’t think going out and chasing X megastar is the way to proceed — at least today,” one source said.

Collier points out that the Bulls have plenty of ammunition for such a deal. They own their first-round picks for the next seven years, along with a 2026 first-rounder from Portland that’s top-14 protected. The team could also have nearly $70MM in cap room for next summer’s free agent market.

Trade speculation surrounding Davis has increased amid Dallas’ 6-15 start to the season and the emerging stardom of rookie forward Cooper Flagg. The Mavs may decide to embrace a youth movement, but Davis’ injury history and his pricey contract make him a significant trade risk. He has only played six games this season and recently returned after an extended absence caused by a left calf strain.

Collier’s information on the Bulls’ interest in Davis is part of a larger story about what has caused the team to fall to 9-10 after a 6-1 start. There was an early-season belief that coach Billy Donovan’s up-tempo style had the team headed in the right direction, but opponents seemed to have adjusted to it over the past few weeks.

Donovan admits that he has patterned the approach after the Pacers after watching them reach the NBA Finals last season.

“That’s who we have to be,” he said. “We have to be better than the sum of our parts. … Everybody sees Indiana play, and the thing that everybody goes to right away is oh, their pace, their pace, their pace. The one thing that Indiana probably doesn’t get enough credit for is yes, they play really, really fast and (Tyrese) Haliburton‘s a unique play-maker back there, but the physicality of those guys defensively is where our evolution has to continue.”

The Bulls have entrusted Josh Giddey, who was acquired from Oklahoma City before the start of last season, to lead the team in the Haliburton role. However, there are questions about whether the rest of the roster is good enough to ever reach that level. Collier notes that Indiana has been much better defensively than Chicago, and it has a second star in Pascal Siakam to pair with Haliburton.

“They have Haliburton, who is an All-Star, and they have Siakam,” a Bulls source told Collier. “If Giddey can develop into an All-Star and be what Hali was, when do we pull the trigger to get our Siakam?”

Management still views Giddey, Coby White, Matas Buzelis and 2025 first-round pick Noa Essengue as its future core, team sources told Collier. Essengue, who won’t turn 19 until later this month, has been brought along slowly and didn’t make his season debut until November 22. Those same sources state that the Bulls understand they need to keep adding to that core to be successful and they plan to make moves in that direction.

Southwest Notes: Flagg, Washington, Morant, Vassell

Cooper Flagg made history for the Mavericks on back-to-back nights, writes Tim MacMahon for ESPN.

One day after becoming the youngest player to record 10 or more assists in a game, Flagg became the youngest player to score 35 points in a game, sneaking the record in five days earlier than LeBron James accomplished the same feat in 2003. Most importantly, Flagg’s 35 points came in a win, which have been few and far between for a struggling Mavericks team this fall.

He’s only 18 years old, but he seems like he’s been in this league before,” coach Jason Kidd said. “You can call it point guard or whatever, but he ran the offense for us. He drove the ball. The ball touched the paint. He got to the rim, got to the free throw line, stepped up and made free throws for us late.”

Veteran sharpshooter Klay Thompson, who had one of his best games of the season in the win, spoke highly of Flagg following Saturday’s game.

Cooper’s upside is limitless,” Thompson said. “He has every tool to be great. Sometimes I can’t believe he should be a freshman in college.”

Thompson also threw out a lofty comparison to his situation in relation to Flagg, according to The Athletic’s Christian Clark, making reference to the Lakers in the first year of Kobe Bryant’s career.

I feel like [Byron Scott] sometimes,” Thompson said. “The old, wise veteran. The future of the franchise to my side. It’s pretty cool to be a part of it. To be witnesses to what he’s going to do for a long time.”

We have more from around the Southwest Division:

  • Mavericks forward P.J. Washington was a late scratch on Saturday due to a right ankle sprain suffered when he slipped on a ball during warmups, Mike Curtis writes for the Dallas Morning News. Washington, who was still active for the game, was initially listed as questionable to return, but was ruled out around the end of the first quarter. His status for Dallas’ upcoming three-game road trip is unclear.
  • Ja Morant will be reevaluated next week once the Grizzlies return to Memphis on Tuesday following their four-game road trip, tweets Michael Wallace of Grind City Media. This update is in line with the timeline announced for Morant when he initially was diagnosed with the calf strain. Wallace notes that the point guard is currently engaged in light on-court warmup work.
  • Devin Vassell has been on a tear of late, scoring more points in the Spurs‘ past two games than in any other two-game stretch of his career, writes Jeff McDonald for the San Antonio Express-News. That run included a 35-point explosion in a win against the Nuggets on Friday night, in which his teammates were well aware of the zone he was in. “[Keldon Johnson] told me in the last two minutes if the ball comes to me, don’t think,” Vassell said. “Just be aggressive and shoot.” As impressive as Vassell’s scoring was, head coach Mitch Johnson was happy to see the intensity the 25-year-old brought on the defensive end of the court. “He’s becoming a winning player,” Johnson said. “We’ve got our arm around him and our foot up his backside to continue to do it. He’s a difference maker when he does that.”

Pacific Notes: Doncic, Reaves, LeBron, Schröder, Curry, Richard

Luka Doncic faced the Mavericks again Friday night, but the game lacked the drama of last season’s matchup, writes Dan Woike of The Athletic. Nearly 10 months have passed for Doncic to process the unexpected trade to the Lakers, and the man who made it, Dallas general manager Nico Harrison, has already been fired. So with the emotional stakes lowered, Doncic concentrated on business and delivered 35 points, five rebounds and 11 assists in L.A.’s 129-119 victory.

“I would say it’s a little bit easier now,” Doncic said. “But like I said, games against Dallas always have some special meaning to me. I still have a lot of friends there. It’s always special. It’ll always be special for me.”

The spotlight also belonged to Austin Reaves, who has become one of the NBA’s best offensive players in the midst of a contract year. He led all scorers with 38 points, and Woike suggests he might be headed for his first All-Star appearance.

“I think he’s been one of the best basketball players in this league, just the way he scores, he makes a place for others in the game,” Doncic said before taking a playful jab at his teammate. “It’s very good. I’m just happy he’s on my team. And that’s probably the last compliment I ever give him.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • The Lakers are listing LeBron James as questionable for Sunday’s game with New Orleans due to left foot injury management, relays Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link). It’s the first night of a back-to-back for L.A., which hosts Phoenix on Monday. Marcus Smart, who didn’t play Friday due to back spasms, is doubtful.
  • Kings guard Dennis Schröder underwent an MRI that showed he has a mild hip flexor strain, tweets James Ham of The Kings Beat. Schröder, who recently lost his starting job, is considered day-to-day and is questionable for Sunday’s game with Memphis.
  • The Warriors have the league’s worst offensive rating without Stephen Curry, who will miss at least a week with a right quad contusion. Anthony Slater of the Athletic shares comments from coach Steve Kerr about the challenges of scoring without his star guard.
  • Will Richard‘s low turnover rate has helped him claim a spot in the Warriors‘ starting and closing lineups, notes Scott Ostler of The San Francisco Chronicle. The 56th pick in this year’s draft has quickly earned a major rotation role as well as his coach’s confidence. “You can see it,” Kerr said, “he’s just in the right spot, the right time. He has a lot of confidence, he’s not afraid to let it fly. Never turns it over, just connects the game, he makes the game easier for everyone else. He’s kind of wise beyond his years. I’ve got 100% trust in him.”