Mavericks Rumors

Injury Notes: Hart, Gafford, Ball, Cancar

February 11th, 2025 at 1:18pm CST by Luke Adams

Josh Hart hasn’t had to miss any time due to right knee soreness, but he has continually shown up on the Knicks‘ injury report as a result of the issue, notes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. The 29-year-old forward said on Monday that he isn’t sure whether or not he’ll need to undergo an offseason procedure on the knee.

“We’ll see what it calls for at the end of the season,” Hart said. “But, like I said before, I’m a servant to (my teammates) this year. I want to make sure I put these guys in the best situation. It’s not just for them. It’s also for (head coach Tom Thibodeau). I want to make sure that I’m available to him, I want to make sure when I’m out there, I’m playing at a high level and playing the game the way I know how to play. If I’m out there, I’m healthy enough. And I’m good.”

Hart has certainly achieved his goal of playing at a high level this season. Appearing in 51 of 52 possible games, he has scored 14.4 points per game, with career-best marks in rebounds (9.6 per game), assists (5.7), steals (1.5), field goal percentage (55.4%), and free throw percentage (80.6%).

Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

The Mavericks‘ frontcourt situation went from bad to worse on Monday night, as starting center Daniel Gafford exited the game vs. Sacramento and didn’t return due to what the team called a right knee sprain (Twitter link). Dallas big men Dereck Lively (fracture in ankle) and Anthony Davis (adductor strain) are already expected to be unavailable for at least the next few weeks, so the club would be extremely shorthanded up front if Gafford has to miss time too.
Hornets guard LaMelo Ball, who has battled ankle issues for multiple seasons and just recently returned from a left ankle sprain, sat out the final three quarters of Monday’s loss to Brooklyn due to right ankle soreness (story via ESPN.com). While Ball said after the game that he didn’t think the injury was serious, the Hornets could hold him out of their final game before the All-Star break on Wednesday in order to give him an extra week to rest.
Nuggets forward Vlatko Cancar, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in early December, will remain on the shelf through the All-Star break, but there’s a chance his return isn’t too far off, according to head coach Michael Malone (Twitter link via Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette). Malone said over the weekend that Cancar might make it back to the court before Peyton Watson does — Watson was ruled out for at least four weeks on February 3 due to a right knee sprain.

Luka Doncic Discusses ‘Special’ Lakers Debut

February 11th, 2025 at 7:59am CST by Luke Adams

Playing for the first time since suffering a left calf strain on Christmas Day, Luka Doncic made his Lakers debut on Monday, helping to guide the team to a comfortable 132-113 victory over Utah. It wasn’t the best game of Doncic’s career – he had just 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting in 24 minutes – but he told reporters after the victory that it was a “special” one, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

“The way they received me, everybody, it was amazing to see,” Doncic said. “I was a little bit nervous before. I don’t remember the last time I was nervous before the game. But once I stepped on the court, it was fun. And just being out there again felt amazing.”

As Buha and Dave McMenamin of ESPN write, the Lakers went out of their way to make their newest addition comfortable in his debut. Every fan in attendance received a Doncic t-shirt jersey, the Lakers played Serbian music during pregame warmups (a staple during Doncic’s days in Dallas), and he was the last Lakers starter introduced, temporarily taking the spot typically reserved for LeBron James.

In a pregame huddle captured on ESPN’s broadcast, James told Doncic, “Luka, be your f—ing self. Don’t fit in, fit the f— out. Be yourself.” Doncic said it felt “amazing” to hear that and added that the speech gave him “chills.”

“I didn’t play in a long time, first of all,” Doncic said. “It’s a new team. New everything. But like the way they helped me, teammates, (general manager) Rob (Pelinka), (owner) Jeanie (Buss), it was just a lot of support for me. You could see when I came to the arena, I saw all the Luka jerseys. It was just a surreal feeling.”

The Lakers’ victory, their sixth in a row and 10th in 11 games, moved them into fourth place in the Western Conference standings.

Meanwhile, in Dallas, the Mavericks lost for the 15th time in their last 23 games and are now clinging to a play-in spot, just one game ahead of the 11th-seeded Suns. As Tim MacMahon of ESPN details, multiple Mavericks fans – upset about the trade that sent Doncic to Los Angeles in a package headlined by Anthony Davis – were ejected in the second half of a one-point overtime loss to Sacramento and team governor Patrick Dumont was loudly booed by fans.

At one point in the game, former Mavs majority owner and current minority stakeholder Mark Cuban yelled at two fans to “shut the f— up and sit the f— down,” MacMahon reports. Cuban told ESPN the fans were chanting “fire Nico” (ie. general manager Nico Harrison) while the Mavs were shooting free throws and again during a critical late-game possession. They were later ejected.

Head coach Jason Kidd didn’t speak to reporters after Dallas’ loss, a violation of NBA rules.

“I mean, yeah. I saw,” Doncic said on Monday when asked about the reaction in Dallas to the trade that ended his Mavs tenure. “Obviously, I saw the fans. Obviously, I really appreciate it. I’ve been there seven years — almost seven years — and it was amazing to experience those fans — the love for me. I’ll always appreciate that. But now I think we should focus on the next step. And the way Lakers fans received me here was amazing.”

Kyrie Irving Replaces Injured Anthony Davis In All-Star Game

February 10th, 2025 at 5:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving has been named by NBA commissioner Adam Silver as the All-Star injury replacement for new teammate Anthony Davis, the league announced in a press release.

Irving will play for Team Shaq in the 2025 NBA All-Star Game.

It’s the ninth NBA All-Star selection for Irving, who is averaging 24.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game in his first 42 outings this season. His shooting slash line is .475/.407/.901.

Davis is expected to miss multiple weeks after suffering a left adductor strain in his Dallas debut on Saturday. Injuries to Davis and Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo necessitated two injury replacements for next weekend’s event — the NBA announced earlier today that Hawks guard Trae Young would take Antetokounmpo’s spot.

The All-Star Game, which is debuting a four-team, three-game mini-tournament format, will take place on Sunday at the Warriors’ Chase Center.

NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots

February 10th, 2025 at 7:37am CST by Luke Adams

A number of free agent signings have been finalized in the days since last Thursday’s trade deadline, but there are still many teams around the NBA with one or more open spots on their respective rosters.

For clubs with just a single standard or two-way opening, there’s not necessarily any urgency to fill those spots, especially ahead of the All-Star break. But the clock is ticking for teams who have two or more openings on their standard rosters to make a move, since clubs are only permitted to carry fewer than 14 players on standard contracts for up to two weeks at a time.

With the help of our roster count tracker, here’s where things stand for all 30 teams around the NBA as of Monday morning. As a reminder, teams are typically permitted to carry up to 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals.

(Note: Teams marked with an asterisk have a player on a 10-day contract.)

Teams with multiple open roster spots

Cleveland Cavaliers
Golden State Warriors
Philadelphia 76ers *
Sacramento Kings *

The Cavaliers dipped to 13 players on standard contracts as a result of Thursday’s De’Andre Hunter trade, so their situation is fairly straightforward — they’ll have to re-add a 14th man by February 20.

The Warriors‘ four-for-one Jimmy Butler trade dropped them to just 11 players. They quickly got back to 12 by promoting Quinten Post from his two-way contract to a standard roster spot and now have three openings on their standard roster, along with one open two-way slot.

Golden State doesn’t have to fill all those openings, but the team does have to get back to at least 14 players on standard contracts by Feb. 20. Assuming Post got a prorated rookie minimum salary on his new deal, the Warriors – by my count – have $1,372,306 in breathing room below their first-apron hard cap.

If the Warriors were to sign a pair of veterans to rest-of-season minimum deals on Feb. 20, they would each count for $635,853 against the cap, leaving the team with $100,600 in breathing room below the hard cap. It’s possible Golden State will go that route. It’s also possible the club will sign a couple players to 10-day contracts, then go another 14 days in March with just 12 players under contract in order to create a bit of extra wiggle room below that hard cap. That would allow the Warriors to sign a 15th man a little earlier in the second half.

The Sixers briefly dropped to 12 players on standard contracts at the trade deadline, but they’re back to 14 now, having promoted Justin Edwards to a standard contract and given Chuma Okeke a 10-day deal. They’re expected to sign David Roddy to a 10-day contract too, which will give them a full standard roster.

For now then, no roster moves are necessary in Philadelphia, but the team does have a two-way slot open and could drop back to 13 players on standard deals after Okeke’s and Roddy’s 10-day contracts expire, which would necessitate a least one addition within 14 days.

The Kings are currently carrying 12 players on full-season standard contracts, with Daishen Nix on a 10-day deal. They’ll have to get back to 14 players by Feb. 20.

Teams with one open roster spot

Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics
Brooklyn Nets
Charlotte Hornets *
Dallas Mavericks
Indiana Pacers
Los Angeles Clippers
Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Pelicans
New York Knicks
Toronto Raptors
Utah Jazz

The Hawks, Celtics, Nets, Mavericks, Bucks, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Knicks, Raptors, and Jazz are all carrying 14 players on full-season standard contracts and three on two-way deals, with no reported signings pending. They’re each free to carry that open roster spot for as long as they want to, though some figure to fill it sooner rather than later.

Two teams that can’t fill their openings sooner rather than later are Dallas and New York. The Knicks are just $540,126 below their second-apron hard cap, while the Mavericks have a mere $171,120 to operate below their first-apron hard cap. Based on my math, New York would be able to sign a veteran free agent as a 15th man as of February 28 (that date moved up a day as a result of the Knicks trimming $4,825 from their cap in the Delon Wright/Jericho Sims swap), while Dallas will have to wait until March 31.

The Hornets are in this group because they have a two-way slot open, but their standard roster is full for now. In fact, it’s more than full — as a result of having been granted a hardship exception, they’re temporarily carrying 16 players instead of the usual maximum of 15. Elfrid Payton, on a 10-day deal, is the 16th man.

The Pacers and Clippers, meanwhile, each technically have an open roster spot for now, but they reportedly have deals in place with prospective 15th men. Indiana will sign center Alex Len once he clears waivers, while L.A. will add three-time All-Star Ben Simmons. Both players are on track to clear waivers on Monday.

Teams with no open roster spots

Chicago Bulls
Denver Nuggets
Detroit Pistons
Houston Rockets
Los Angeles Lakers
Memphis Grizzlies
Miami Heat
Oklahoma City Thunder
Orlando Magic
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers
San Antonio Spurs *
Washington Wizards *

The Bulls, Nuggets, Pistons, Rockets, Lakers, Grizzlies, Heat, Thunder, Magic, Suns, and Trail Blazers are all carrying 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals. If they want to make a free agent addition during the season’s final two months, they’ll have to cut a player to do so.

That won’t necessarily be the case for the Spurs and Wizards though. Both clubs have just 14 players on full-season standard contracts, with one on a 10-day deal — Bismack Biyombo for San Antonio and Jaylen Nowell for Washington. Once those contracts expire, the Spurs and Wizards could open up a roster spot if they opt not to retain Biyombo and Nowell, respectively.

Anthony Davis Expected To Miss Multiple Weeks

February 9th, 2025 at 8:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks fear newly acquired big man Anthony Davis could be sidelined for an indefinite period after he was injured during his Dallas debut on Saturday, Marc Stein tweets. Davis is expected to miss multiple weeks and it could be a month-long absence, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (Twitter link).

Davis is listed as out for Monday’s game against Sacramento due to a left adductor strain, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon tweets. There will be internal discussions on Monday as to whether Davis can avoid surgery to address the injury, Stein adds in another tweet.

Davis posted 26 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists in 30 minutes of action on Saturday as Dallas defeated Houston to improve to 28-25. He also had three blocks, helping the Mavs set a franchise record with 18 total.

It was the first game action in more than a week for Davis, who suffered a strained abdomen while he was still with the Lakers. The 31-year-old had downplayed the injury to the media afterward.

“My leg got tight, like a little spasm,” Davis said after Saturday’s win. “I came back to try to get it loose while still dealing with the abdominal strain. But I managed to loosen it up, and it’s nothing serious. I’m fine.”

Davis appeared in 76 games last season for the Lakers but had an extensive injury history prior to that season. He didn’t appear in more than 62 games in any of the previous five seasons.

It’s a disastrous development for the Mavericks, who have been heavily criticized for the deal that sent superstar Luka Doncic to Los Angeles. The deal has been extremely unpopular with Dallas fans and their anger could only increase with Davis out of action while Doncic is poised to make his Lakers debut.

Davis was chosen as a Western Conference All-Star and he’ll obviously need to be replaced.

Cuban Tried In Vain To Talk GM, Owner Out of Doncic Deal

February 9th, 2025 at 5:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban was stung by the lack of advance warning he had on the Luka Doncic blockbuster and tried to talk general manager Nico Harrison out of making the deal with the Lakers, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack article.

Cuban had privately told Doncic that he wanted him to be the organization for as long as Dirk Nowitzki’s NBA-record 21 seasons with one team, according to Stein. However, by the time Cuban tried to convince Harrison and current majority owner Patrick Dumont to retain Doncic, the deal with the Lakers had already been verbally agreed upon.

It was an example of Cuban’s reduced role in the organization, despite the belief that he’d continue retain oversight of basketball operations when he sold his majority share.

Here’s more from Stein:

Harrison was indeed the driving force behind the trade. He increasingly believed since last season’s NBA Finals that Doncic would not improve his commitment to conditioning or his off-court dietary discipline, not would he improve as a leader or culture-setter. Harrison also felt Doncic would continue to struggle to stay healthy and was weary of the star’s constant battles with game officials.
Harrison’s fondness for Anthony Davis within the organization was well-known but it was speculated that he’d try to pair Davis with Doncic, rather than swap the two stars for each other. The GM also believes Davis remains one of the league’s top 10 players.
Harrison did not show up at the arena for Davis’ Mavs debut on Saturday due to security concerns. There has been a major fan backlash since the deal became public. Dumont also did not attend.

Mavericks Governor Stands By Luka Doncic Trade

February 9th, 2025 at 12:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Mavericks team governor Patrick Dumont is sympathetic toward angry fans, but passionate in his defense of the controversial Luka Doncic trade.

Speaking to Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News in his first public comments since the deal was completed last Sunday, Dumont talked about the need to “make tough decisions and stand by them.” That’s what led the organization to part with the 25-year-old mega-star who may just be entering him prime after five years as a first-team All-NBA selection.

The reaction from Dallas fans has been intensely negative, capped by a “Rally for Luka” held outside American Airlines Center prior to Saturday afternoon’s game. Dumont said the backlash was expected, but he stands by his belief that the team has improved by adding Anthony Davis, Max Christie and the Lakers‘ 2029 first-round pick.

“Look, it’s been an emotional week for everyone. It really has. I clearly understand that, and I really appreciate that,” Dumont said. “I’m a big Luka fan. My family are big Luka fans. I have a really deep appreciation for what he brought to this team, what he brought to Dallas, and the excitement he brings. He’s an electrifying player. I want you to know I really sympathize with all of our fans who feel hurt. Look, as far as I’m concerned, Luka is a Mav for life and I really wish him nothing but happiness and success in his career as he continues in LA.”

Dumont expressed confidence in general manager Nico Harrison, who put the deal together in virtual secrecy through a series of talks with Lakers GM Rob Pelinka. Dumont and L.A. owner Jeanie Buss were reportedly the only other people who were aware that negotiations were occurring.

At a press conference last Sunday, Harrison took ownership of the decision to trade Doncic, but Dumont said he signed off on the deal as well.

“I’ve said it all along: In Nico we trust,” Dumont said. “You have to respect the track record. You have to respect his intellect. You have to respect his relationships and his judgment and his point of view and the way he communicates. I respect that. Our whole family respects it.”

Harrison also talked about “culture” and the need to acquire players who reflect the organizational philosophy. Although Dumont didn’t directly address concerns about Doncic’s weight and conditioning, he implied that the Slovenian star was no longer a good fit.

“If you look at the greats in the league, the people you and I grew up with — [Michael] Jordan, [Larry] Bird, Kobe [Bryant], Shaq [O’Neal] — they worked really hard, every day, with a singular focus to win,” he said. “And if you don’t have that, it doesn’t work. And if you don’t have that, you shouldn’t be part of the Dallas Mavericks. That’s who we want. I’m unwavering on this. The entire organization knows this. This is how I operate outside of basketball. This is the only way to be competitive and win. If you want to take a vacation, don’t do it with us.”

Dumont denied that the decision to part with Doncic was motivated by finances. If he had stayed in Dallas, Doncic would have been eligible to receive a record-breaking $345MM extension this summer, which would have affected other roster decisions moving forward. Dumont also cited a motivation to keep improving after losing to the Celtics in five games in last year’s NBA Finals.

“You don’t know how I felt when we lost the Finals and I was standing there with confetti falling on my head in Boston,” he said. “I was pretty unhappy. I’ll never forget that.”

That Finals run came after Harrison retooled the roster at last year’s deadline, adding Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington in separate trades. The new combinations clicked, and Dallas became one of the best teams in the league over the second half of the season.

The organization remained aggressive during the summer, adding Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall and Quentin Grimes while re-signing Spencer Dinwiddie. Injuries played a role — especially to Doncic, who was only available for 22 games — but there was disappointment with the 26-23 start when the Doncic deal was made.

Dumont said Harrison and the player personnel staff were comparing the Mavericks to their Western Conference rivals and the top teams in the East and weren’t satisfied with how they matched up.

“Not only do we have to fight a Western Conference, where a lot of teams got better through the trade deadline, we also, in order to get to our ultimate goal, have to survive the East,” Dumont said. “We looked at this season to see, ‘Did we get better since The Finals last year?’ And we’d play this season to see where we were. If you look at our record up until the trade deadline, we were not there.”

Dumont also addressed rumors that trading Doncic was the first step in a plan to eventually move the Mavericks out of Dallas. The Dumont and Adelson families issued a formal denial this week, and Dumont amplified that position.

“I’m not sure where this is coming from,” he said. “I appreciate people asking. Our family happens to live in Las Vegas, but we have investments all over the world. And the Dallas Mavericks is the team we bought. We had options to buy other teams in the past, but Dallas was the city that we wanted to be in, and that’s where it’s going to be.”

Anthony Davis Downplays Injury That Shortened Mavs Debut

February 8th, 2025 at 6:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

Anthony Davis had a dominant performance during his Mavericks debut Saturday afternoon, but he also suffered an injury that prevented him from finishing the game, writes Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News.

Davis posted 26 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists in 30 minutes of action as Dallas defeated Houston to improve to 28-25. He also had three blocks, helping the Mavs set a franchise record with 18 total.

However, as Curtis relays, the crowd let out a loud groan late in the third quarter when Davis grabbed his groin area while defending Rockets center Alperen Sengun. He signaled to the Dallas bench for a substitution and spent the rest of the contest in the locker room.

It was the first game action in more than a week for Davis, who suffered a strained abdomen while he was still with the Lakers. He told reporters, including Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (Twitter link), that he doesn’t believe today’s injury scare is a cause for concern.

“My leg got tight, like a little spasm,” Davis explained. “I came back to try to get it loose while still dealing with the abdominal strain. But I managed to loosen it up, and it’s nothing serious. I’m fine.”

Davis added that the pain was in the “groin-quad kind of area.” He is “very confident” that he didn’t suffer a setback in his recovery from the abdomen issue, per Marc Stein (Twitter link).

There’s no word yet on his status for Monday’s home game against Sacramento or how the injury might affect his availability for next weekend’s All-Star Game.

Davis’ outstanding start seemed to lift the spirits of a crowd that was still angry about the surprise trade that sent Luka Doncic to L.A. last weekend, Curtis adds. The Mavericks gave him the ball on the first play of the game, and he responded to a double team by throwing a lob pass to Daniel Gafford for a dunk. A few seconds later, he blocked Sengun’s shot and fired an outlet pass to P.J. Washington for a breakaway slam.

He described his first quarter showing as “a friendly reminder of who Anthony Davis is,” according to Stein (Twitter link). It was a message to fans that Dallas didn’t get taken in the Doncic trade, even though Curtis reports that more than 100 of them held a pregame protest outside the arena with calls to sell the team and fire general manager Nico Harrison. Even so, Davis got a rousing reception when his name was announced during introductions.

Davis was also asked about his relationship with the Adelson and Dumont families, who own the Mavericks and signed off on the controversial deal, per Christian Clark of The Athletic (Twitter link).

“I know they have a vision and a plan for the team,’ Davis responded. “I heard some things from coaches about their casino thing they are trying to bring to Dallas. They have some really big ideas. Probably in the near future, will have dinner with them and just talk.”

The uproar over the Doncic trade led to a conspiracy theory that the Adelsons and Dumonts want to move the team to Las Vegas or some other location where it might be easier to get approval for a casino. Those rumors became so widespread that ownership issued a statement of denial, according to Tim Cato of DLLS Sports (subscriber only).

“The Adelson and Dumont Families have already started and are committed to investing and building in Dallas/Ft. Worth,” the statement reads. “The families have absolutely no plans to move the team out of North Texas.”

Knicks’ Quiet Deadline Indicates Full Confidence In Roster

February 8th, 2025 at 9:51am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Knicks made their biggest move of the year right before the season began, acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns in a blockbuster at the start of training camp. That move has paid major dividends for a team that currently has its best regular season winning percentage since 1997.

Of course, making a move of that magnitude — Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo were sent to Minnesota — meant the Knicks were likely to have a quiet trade deadline.

New York did make one minor trade, sending Jericho Sims to the Bucks in exchange for guard Delon Wright. As James L. Edwards III of The Athletic writes, the Knicks have a history of sending players to situations where they can potentially thrive, like with Obi Toppin, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, and this was the latest in the series.

The Mavericks, Spurs, and Pelicans were among the teams who had talks with the Knicks about Sims before he was sent to Milwaukee, according to Edwards.

As for Wright, he signed with the Bucks this past summer after closing out last season with the Heat. However, his role has been modest this season — he averaged just 2.5 points per game and shot 26.8% from the field across 26 appearances in Milwaukee.

There’s reason to believe Wright can turn his season around with the Knicks, according to the New York Post’s Bryan Fonseca. The veteran guard was a playoff contributor just last season with the Heat, and Fonseca notes that health issues affected him during his time in Milwaukee.

Knicks big men Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa stuck with the team through the deadline after both having their names floated in rumors for much of the season. Edwards writes that Robinson will be New York’s biggest midseason acquisition when he returns from injury, giving the Knicks a superb defender to add to the rotation. As a first-apron team, the Knicks won’t be eligible to sign anyone who made over the mid-level exception ($12.8MM) on the buyout market.

“You guys can read the tea leaves,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said of the team’s quiet deadline, per the New York Post’s Peter Botte. “We like our team a lot. Obviously, we are excited about Mitch. But we also feel Ariel [Hukporti] has done a good job, and [Achiuwa] has done a good job. That’s really how we approach it.

“[Team president] Leon [Rose] and his staff, they are on it all year long. I think there’s a tendency to think this happens a couple days before [deadline]. They are always looking if they can improve the club. If there’s something that makes sense, they explore it. Then, you go from there. But we like our team a lot.”

As Botte opines in another story, it will be interesting to monitor whether the gambit of relying on health will pan out for the Knicks after a couple key East rivals made moves to shore up their teams, including the top-seeded Cavaliers acquiring De’Andre Hunter.

Southwest Notes: Davis, Mavs, Rockets, Fox

February 7th, 2025 at 7:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Star big man Anthony Davis is on track to return from his abdominal strain and make his Mavericks debut on Saturday, having been officially listed as probable to play in Dallas vs. the Rockets.

As Tim MacMahon of ESPN details, it’s expected to be a charged environment in Dallas, where a protest is planned from fans angry about the decision to trade away franchise player Luka Doncic. Davis said on Friday that he “can’t control” how fans will react, but that he understands why they’re upset about the trade.

“Obviously it’s a business, and I get who Luka was to this franchise, to the city,” Davis said. “I’m never going to downplay that — just how I know what I meant to the city of L.A. So I’m not surprised by the fans’ reaction and the city’s reaction, but it’s my job to come in and play basketball and do what I’m supposed to do and give the fans hope and reassurance on why [general manager] Nico [Harrison] brought me here.

“…I understand who Luka is and what he’s able to do and what he’s already done for our game. He’s a phenomenal player, going to be one of the best to ever play the game of basketball. But to have Nico trade for me just shows his belief in me and what I can do on the floor. It’s my job to produce every night and have Mavs nation believe that as well. So I’m excited for the challenge.”

While it’s no surprise that some Mavs fans have handled news of the Doncic/Davis trade poorly, “lines have been crossed,” according to MacMahon, who said during a TV appearance (Twitter video link) that Harrison has received threats and faced racial epithets.

Sources tell MacMahon that the team has beefed up security for Saturday’s contest and that Harrison – who has employed his own personal security – won’t be in his usual seat for the game.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said on Thursday that he envisions a starting lineup that features P.J. Washington at small forward and Davis at power forward alongside a center (Twitter link via Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News). When Dereck Lively is healthy, he may be the team’s starting five, but until then, Daniel Gafford will likely get that assignment. Washington, who has missed the past three games due to right knee soreness and personal reasons, is off the injury report and should be available on Saturday.
Rockets officials expressed for months leading up to Thursday’s deadline that they planned to stick with their current roster making than making any major in-season deals and they stuck to that plan this week, as Kelly Iko of The Athletic writes. Reports have suggested Houston wants to see how its young core performs in the postseason before making any major roster decisions — head coach Ime Udoka reiterated that point on Thursday. “We like what we have,” Udoka said. “We’ve been doing OK and feel we can do a lot better. (We) want to continue to grow as a group, watch our young guys develop, play in big situations and see what we have.”
Citing team and league sources, Iko reports that the Rockets received calls this week on Jae’Sean Tate, Jock Landale, Aaron Holiday, and Steven Adams, all of whom are on expiring or pseudo-expiring contracts. However, Houston didn’t feel compelled to make any move that would compromise the team’s depth, according to Iko, who says Tate generated the most interest of those four players.
De’Aaron Fox‘s 24-point, 13-assist Spurs debut on Wednesday in a tight win over Atlanta provided a compelling case for the star guard’s fit in San Antonio, writes ESPN’s Michael C. Wright. “Selfishly, as a coach, I think that’s probably about as complete of a game you’d hope for the first game,” acting head coach Mitch Johnson said. “You saw the potential. It’s tantalizing. He’s dynamic. He’s going to unlock a whole different element for our team.”

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