Dallas Mavericks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southwest Notes: Mosley, Mavs Front Office, Kidd, Vaughn, Pelicans

June 26th, 2021 at 2:11pm CST by Eli Cohen

Assistant coach Jamahl Mosley is expected to leave the Mavericks, writes Tim Cato of the Athletic. Mosley is a respected coach around the league, and had a particularly close relationship with star Luka Doncic. Mosley had expected to receive serious consideration for the head coach position, but felt that failed to materialize as the team zeroed in on its preferred candidate, Jason Kidd. He will likely be an in-demand assistant coach, even if a head coaching position isn’t offered to him this summer.

In the same article, Cato examines the Mavericks’ front office power structure. The most striking thing, Cato writes, is that despite the overhaul, the structure feels exactly the same. The organization is surrounding new head of basketball operations Nico Harrison with former Mavericks players familiar with the team’s dealings, such as special advisor Dirk Nowitzki, vice president of basketball operations Michael Finley, and head coach Kidd, who is expected to bring on J.J. Barea and possibly Jason Terry as assistant coaches. Team owner Mark Cuban is expected to continue acting as the ultimate decision-maker.

We have more from around the Southwest Division:

Kidd’s contract with the Mavericks will be for four years, tweets Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. The exact amount of the contract is still unclear, but this deal will run until Doncic is 26 years old, a critical period in the All NBA guard’s career.
Jacque Vaughn is gaining traction to become the head coach of the Pelicans, as Brian Windhorst reported this week. William Guillory of The Athletic examines how Vaughn – a current Brooklyn assistant and former Orlando head coach – could fit in New Orleans, as well as potential question marks for the coach, including the Magic’s lack of success with him at the helm, as well as the question of if he would continue to utilize star Zion Williamson as a point forward or rely more on the traditional guards.
Next season will mark the third coach in three years for the Pelicans, and Scott Kushner of the New Orleans Times-Picayune writes that it could be president of basketball operations David Griffin‘s last chance to get it right for a while. It will be crucial for Griffin to examine where and why Alvin Gentry and Stan Van Gundy couldn’t succeed in New Orleans, or else the team will be forced into another reset that it cannot afford. “The real issue moving forward is finding somebody who you’re in lockstep with,” Griffin said. “And that includes ownership as well. That has to be something we’re moving with together and moving with the same spirit and same energy. I don’t know how else to put it.”

Barea Has Had Preliminary Talks About Role On Kidd's Staff

June 25th, 2021 at 1:50pm CST by Luke Adams

Jason Kidd, who has reached a deal to become Dallas’ new head coach, may not be the only former Mavericks point guard patrolling the team’s sidelines in 2021/22. According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link), J.J. Barea has had preliminary discussions about the possibility of joining Kidd’s coaching staff.

Barea has no formal coaching experience, having played in the NBA up until last year and in international leagues during the 2020/21 season. However, as MacMahon observes, the veteran guard has strong relationships with many members of the Mavericks’ organization – including Luka Doncic – and the team missed his presence this past season.

Another member of that 2011 Mavericks title team is also a candidate to join Kidd’s staff, according to Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News, who tweets that Jason Terry is in the mix for a role.

Coaching Rumors: Wizards, Morrison, Cassell, Pelicans, Vaughn, Carlisle

June 25th, 2021 at 9:09am CST by Luke Adams

We haven’t heard about many candidates linked to the Wizards‘ head coaching job since the team announced Scott Brooks wouldn’t be returning for the 2021/22 season. However, it sounds like Washington’s search is moving forward.

Celtics assistant Scott Morrison told Peter Yannopoulos of RDS (Twitter link) that he has interviewed for the Wizards’ head coaching job. Morrison also interviewed for the open position in Boston before the team decided to hire Ime Udoka. With Udoka likely to bring in some new assistants, Morrison’s future with the C’s is unclear.

Meanwhile, Brian Windhorst of ESPN said on his Hoop Collective podcast that Sam Cassell and Wes Unseld Jr. are considered two of the leading candidates for the Wizards’ job (hat tip to RealGM). Cassell is currently an assistant with the Sixers, while Unseld – who has previously been mentioned as a contender for the Washington job – is a Nuggets assistant.

Here are a few more coaching-related updates and notes from around the NBA:

Windhorst also said on his latest Hoop Collective podcast that Nets assistant Jacque Vaughn has emerged as a legit contender for the Pelicans‘ head coaching vacancy. “I’m not saying he’s going to get (the) job, because Charles Lee on the Bucks‘ staff is also going to be a strong candidate,” Windhorst said, per RealGM. “The word coming out of Chicago at the draft combine is that Jacque Vaughn, who is close to (Pelicans GM) Trajan Langdon… Jacque Vaughn is going to get a real serious look.” ESPN reported earlier in the week that both Vaughn and Lee were interviewing with New Orleans.
On that same Hoop Collective podcast, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon suggested that former Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle may have felt threatened in Dallas by assistant Jamahl Mosley‘s close relationship with Luka Doncic (hat tip to RealGM). Carlisle’s endorsement of Jason Kidd for the job could be viewed through that lens. “I think Rick understood the perception of how (the endorsement of Kidd) might impact who he didn’t endorse,” MacMahon said, adding of Carlisle and Mosley: “I don’t think those guys will necessarily send each other Christmas cards.”
Carlisle spoke to other teams with coaching openings before finalizing a deal with the Pacers, but Indiana was where the mutual interest was strongest, says J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star (subscriber-only article). According to Michael, Carlisle and the Pacers didn’t even meet face-to-face, completing their four-year deal over the phone.

Kidd Emerges As Top Candidate For Mavs’ Coaching Job

June 24th, 2021 at 7:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

7:45pm: The Mavs have had discussions with longtime Nike executive Nico Harrison about joining the front office, MacMahon tweets. Harrison has been pursued for front office jobs by other teams, MacMahon adds. He would work in tandem with current front office exec Michael Finley.

6:35pm: The Mavericks have begun contract negotiations with Kidd, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets.

6:00pm: Jason Kidd has emerged as the strong frontrunner for the Mavericks’ head coaching job, Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon of ESPN tweet. Dallas is also close to hiring a new president of basketball operations, Woj adds.

The New York Times reported earlier in the day Kidd was a prime candidate to replace longtime coach Rick Carlisle.

The Mavs are expected to name a replacement for former president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson before hiring a head coach. Owner Mark Cuban and his unnamed choice to replace Nelson have held in-depth discussions about the coaching job and Kidd’s candidacy is supported by Dirk Nowitzki and others advising Cuban, MacMahon tweets. Nowitzki was recently named a special advisor to Cuban.

Kidd received an endorsement on Thursday from Carlisle, who coached Kidd from 2008-12. Carlisle, who was named the Pacers’ head coach on Thursday, believes there are many similarities between Kidd during his playing days and current star Luka Doncic.

Kidd interviewed for the Magic head coaching job after pulling himself out of the running for the Trail Blazers’ job.

Kidd’s record as a head coach — one season with the Nets and three-plus seasons with the Bucks — is 183-190. He was fired by Milwaukee midway through the 2017/18 campaign. He’s been one of the Lakers’ top assistants under Frank Vogel the last two seasons.

Jason Kidd Will Be Prime Candidate For Mavs’ Coaching Job

June 24th, 2021 at 1:15pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Mavericks star and current Lakers assistant Jason Kidd will be a “prime” candidate for Dallas’ open head coaching position, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link).

As Stein notes, the Mavs are focusing for now on replacing former president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson, so the head coaching search isn’t in full swing yet. But once the team’s front office is set, Kidd figures to be high on the list of contenders for the coaching job.

Kidd received an endorsement today from an interesting source: former Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle. Carlisle, who coached Kidd from 2008-12 in Dallas and recently stepped down after 13 years as the club’s head coach, told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon that he’d love to see Kidd get the opportunity to coach star point guard Luka Doncic.

“My hope is that Jason Kidd will be the next coach of the Mavs because he and Luka have so many things in common as players,” Carlisle said. “I just think that it would be a great situation for Luka, and I think it would be an amazing situation for Jason. I’m the only person on the planet that’s coached both of those guys and that knows about all of their special qualities as basketball players. To me, that just would be a great marriage, but that’s just an opinion.”

Although Kidd had a “somewhat messy” departure from Dallas during his playing days, things have been smoothed over since then, tweets Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. Townsend suggests that Kidd has two key allies in Mavs owner Mark Cuban and newly-hired special advisor Dirk Nowitzki, which could help bolster his candidacy for the coaching job — assuming he’s interested in it.

Kidd has also been linked to the head coaching vacancies in New Orleans and Orlando. He was initially viewed as a strong candidate for the Portland job, but withdrew from consideration following a public endorsement from Damian Lillard. We’ll have to see if Carlisle’s comments have any impact on his potential pursuit of the Mavs job.

2021 NBA Draft Picks By Team

June 23rd, 2021 at 10:06am CST by Luke Adams

It wasn’t a great night for the Thunder at Tuesday’s draft lottery. The team had about a two-in-three chance that its own first-round pick would land in the top five and nearly a 50-50 chance that Houston’s pick would slide to No. 5, allowing OKC to swap the No. 18 selection for it. Instead, the Rockets kept their own pick and the Thunder’s selection slipped to No. 6.

Still, no NBA team has more draft picks in 2021 than the Thunder, who control three first-round selections and three more second-rounders.

The Pelicans, Pistons, Knicks, and Nets join them as teams that hold at least four draft picks this year. Those five clubs currently control 23 of the 60 picks in the 2021 draft, so it’s probably safe to assume they’ll be active on the trade market before or during the draft.

To present a clearer picture of which teams are most – and least – stocked with picks for the 2021 NBA draft, we’ve rounded up all 60 picks by team in the space below. Let’s dive in…

Teams with more than two picks:

Oklahoma City Thunder (6): 6, 16, 18, 34, 36, 55
Brooklyn Nets (5): 27, 29, 44, 49, 59
Detroit Pistons (4): 1, 37, 42, 52
New Orleans Pelicans (4): 17, 35, 43, 51
New York Knicks (4): 19, 21, 32, 58
Houston Rockets (3): 2, 23, 24
Toronto Raptors (3): 4, 46, 47
Orlando Magic (3): 5, 8, 33
Charlotte Hornets (3): 11, 56, 57
Indiana Pacers (3): 13, 54, 60
Philadelphia 76ers (3): 28, 50, 53

Teams with two picks:

Golden State Warriors: 7, 14
Sacramento Kings: 9, 39
San Antonio Spurs: 12, 41
Memphis Grizzlies: 10, 40
Atlanta Hawks: 20, 48

Teams with one pick:

Cleveland Cavaliers: 3
Washington Wizards: 15
Los Angeles Lakers: 22
Los Angeles Clippers: 25
Denver Nuggets: 26
Utah Jazz: 30
Milwaukee Bucks: 31
Chicago Bulls: 38
Boston Celtics: 45

Teams with no picks:

Dallas Mavericks
Miami Heat
Minnesota Timberwolves
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers

Mavs Notes: Finley, Front Office Search, Carlisle

June 23rd, 2021 at 8:24am CST by Eli Cohen

Former Mavericks champion Michael Finley has emerged as a strong candidate to be named the team’s new head of basketball operations, writes Marc Stein of the New York Times. Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News also believes Finley is likely to become Dallas’ new president of basketball ops.

Finley spent eight seasons in Dallas as a player and was a two-time All Star for the Mavs. He’s currently the team’s VP of basketball operations, and Stein and Townsend both suggest that team owner Mark Cuban is more likely to stay in-house to replace longtime executive Donnie Nelson than to bring in someone new with the draft and free agency around the corner.

Stein also reports that the Mavs aren’t pursuing veteran executives such as Danny Ainge and Masai Ujiri for their front office opening. There’s an expectation that – even if Finley is promoted – the team would make at least one outside addition to its front office, but execs like Ainge and Ujiri would likely expect more autonomy than Cuban is willing to cede, Stein writes.

We have more on the Mavs:

Tim Cato of the Athletic provides a post-mortem on the Rick Carlisle era with the Mavericks, highlighting the coach’s adaptability as a tactician and thinker of the game, as well as his abrasive personality, including his rocky relationship with star Luka Doncic. Both star and coach seemed at times to bristle at each other, as Carlisle felt Doncic publicly showed him up and Carlisle was known for lashing out at players verbally, including several Doncic was close with. The piece also discusses more about his contentious give-and-take towards the end with Mavericks executive Haralabos Voulgaris. Cato concludes that the era was a successful one, culminating in a championship with longtime Mav Dirk Nowitzki, but in the end, it was time for both sides to move on.
The Mavericks will not seek any compensation from the team that hires Carlisle, tweets ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. Carlisle still had two years on his deal when he stepped down, but MacMahon writes that owner Cuban has no interest in complicating Carlisle’s job search and drawing out what has already been an ugly process. Carlisle and Cuban have a long-standing relationship and Cuban has expressed nothing but gratitude to Carlisle for his time as Mavericks head coach.
In case you missed it, a report earlier this week indicated that the Mavericks kicked the tires on Kelly Oubre at the trade deadline and could have interest in the forward again in free agency.

Warriors Rumors: Wiseman, Payroll, Oubre, Curry

June 22nd, 2021 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

There’s an expectation among league personnel that the Warriors will consider shopping one or both of their lottery picks if they receive the Timberwolves’ first-round selection in tonight’s lottery, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. However, Fischer says the club has had no serious internal talks about the possibility of trading young center James Wiseman.

Appearing on The TK Show with Tim Kawakami of The Athletic, Warriors owner Joe Lacob confirmed that the Dubs aren’t looking to move Wiseman, stating that it’s “very unlikely” the club will entertain offers for the 20-year-old this offseason. While Lacob didn’t close the door entirely on the possibility, he said it would “take a lot” for Golden State to consider such a move, adding that the team would have to be blown away.

Discussing the decision to select Wiseman at No. 2 in last year’s draft over LaMelo Ball, among others, Lacob acknowledged that Ball had a great rookie season in Charlotte, but said that he remains confident Wiseman can be an “All-Star level player,” noting that nothing he saw in 2020/21 diminished that belief.

Here’s more on the Warriors:

In his interview with Kawakami, Lacob repeatedly mentioned the repeater tax penalties facing the Warriors going forward, stressing that it’s impractical for the team to continue increasing its payroll indefinitely. However, he didn’t rule out using Golden State’s taxpayer mid-level exception this offseason, and Fischer says there aren’t internal concerns about the club’s growing tax bill.
The Warriors have interest in retaining Kelly Oubre, but a sign-and-trade remains a viable possibility, according to Fischer, who reports that multiple Spurs players seem eager to add Oubre. Fischer also identifies the Mavericks as a team that may have interest in the veteran forward, citing sources who say Dallas approached the Warriors prior to the trade deadline about a deal involving Oubre and Kristaps Porzingis. It’s unclear whether the Mavs’ front office shakeup would affect their level of interest in Oubre, Fischer adds.
Asked by Kawakami about the possibility of a Stephen Curry extension this offseason, Lacob declined to speculate on whether a deal will get done, but stated that he expects the two-time MVP to spend the rest of his career with the Warriors, noting that both sides want that to happen.

Exploring How Mavericks' Week Of Upheaval Good Bring Positive Aspect

June 20th, 2021 at 8:55pm CST by JD Shaw

Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News explores whether the Mavericks‘ week of upheaval could turn out to be a good thing. While the team no longer has a general manager or head coach, it does have a special advisor in Dirk Nowitzki. Nowitzki committed to help the franchise last week after Donnie Nelson and Rick Carlisle‘s departures. “Mark Cuban approached me about a role as special advisor and I am happy to support my Mavs,” Nowitzki said. “Donnie Nelson and Rick Carlisle were both mentors and played huge roles in my career and the success of this franchise, and I am going to miss them. It is important for me now to join Mark and contribute as much as I can as we move forward.”

Southwest Notes: Green, Grizz, Holt, Silas

June 20th, 2021 at 1:55pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Despite a disappointing Game 7 first-round elimination, rookie Mavericks shooting guard Josh Green learned plenty during his first NBA playoff experience, writes Dwain Price of Mavs.com.

Green, the No. 18 pick in the 2020 draft out of Arizona, only made a brief cameo in the series, logging four minutes during a 106-81 Game 4 blowout.

“I’ve got a whole experience the last three weeks of watching five of the best players in the NBA,” Green said during his media exit interview for the season. “I think it’s just one of those things where, obviously you want to be on the court playing. But at the same time, just try to take away as much as you can from being around great veterans on your team and just in general just watching games and just taking in as much as you can.”

Green will represent his native Australia in the Olympics next month, where he hopes to soak up more NBA knowledge from veteran teammates like Ben Simmons, Joe Ingles and Patty Mills.

There’s more out of the Southwest Division:

After the Grizzlies returned to the playoffs for the first time in three seasons, Evan Barnes of the Memphis Commercial Appeal pinpoints three key elements the club needs to focus on during the 2021 offseason. Barnes notes that the club could use upgrades in bench scoring, veteran leadership out of a new player who sees rotational minutes, and long-range shooting. When it comes to the latter category, Barnes notes that the Grizzlies connected on 35.6% on of their three-point attempts during the 2020/21 season, just the 20th-best percentage in the league.
The Spurs have promoted chairman Peter J. Holt to a managing partner position, the team has announced in a statement. Holt’s father, Peter M. Holt, bought the franchise in 1996, and his mother, Julianna Hawn Holt, succeeded Peter M. Holt as company chairwoman from 2016-2019. In the same press release, the Spurs also announced that Austin billionaire Michael Dell and global investment firm Sixth Street have joined the club as strategic partners. Tom Orsborne of the San Antonio Express-News opines that adding Dell and Sixth Street strengthens the team’s long-term commitment to staying in San Antonio.
Rockets head coach Stephen Silas spoke with Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle about how growing up around the NBA as the son of former player and coach Paul Silas informed his appreciation of the game. “Being Paul Silas’ son has always been great for me, and it obviously comes with challenges for me but I never shied away from that,” Stephen said.