Dallas Mavericks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Mavericks Preparing Offer Sheet For Delon Wright

July 6th, 2019 at 10:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Mavericks are targeting Grizzlies restricted free agent Delon Wright and could have his signature on an offer sheet by the end of the night, a league source tells Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). Memphis will have 48 hours to decide whether to match the offer once it’s submitted to the league office.

The 27-year-old point guard took advantage of increased playing time after he was shipped from the Raptors to the Grizzlies in February as part of the Marc Gasol trade. In 26 games with Memphis, Wright posted career highs with 12.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.3 assists.

Earlier in the night, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told Townsend that the team was virtually done in free agency outside of an “opportunistic” situation, which turned out to be Wright (Twitter link). ESPN’s Tim MacMahon tweeted that the Mavs are waiting to finalize their deals from the past week while they search the trade market for ways to utilize their cap space, which goes away when all the transactions become official. That doesn’t include the Seth Curry signing, which is being done with cap room, and the extension for Dwight Powell, which doesn’t take effect until next season.

The Grizzlies have been making an effort to clear salary to better position themselves to keep Wright without going into tax territory. Their latest move came earlier today when they waived Avery Bradley.

Lakers To Sign Danny Green To Two-Year Deal

July 6th, 2019 at 1:29am CST by Luke Adams

While his longtime teammate Kawhi Leonard heads to the Clippers, free agent shooting guard Danny Green had opted to sign with Los Angeles’ other team, announcing on Twitter that he’ll join the Lakers.

Shams Charania of The Athletic confirms (via Twitter) that the Lakers have reached a deal with Green, while ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski provides the financial details, tweeting that it’ll be a two-year, $30MM contract.

Green, 32, was part of the trade package last summer that sent Leonard to the Raptors, and enjoyed one of his best seasons as a pro in Toronto. Green averaged 10.3 PPG and knocked down a career-best 45.5% of his attempts from beyond the arc in 80 games (all starts), establishing a career high with 2.5 made threes per game. He also nearly earned a spot on the NBA’s All-Defensive team for his work on perimeter scorers, and helped Toronto win its first-ever championship.

Although he generated plenty of interest on the open market within the last week, Green opted to wait out Leonard’s decision before deciding on his own team. If Kawhi had chosen to re-sign with the Raptors, Green likely would have had interest in running it back and trying to defend their title.

However, with Leonard on track to become a Clipper, Green’s decision came down to the Lakers and Mavericks, both of whom put big offers on the table, tweets David Aldridge of The Athletic. The Clippers were also believed to be in the mix for Green earlier in the week, but landing Kawhi reduced their ability to offer the veteran shooting guard a market-value deal.

The Lakers, who had earmarked $32MM in cap room for Leonard, will now use that space on Green and other players, adding some depth to a roster headlined by LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Kyle Kuzma.

The club has already reportedly reached new deals with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and JaVale McGee in addition to agreeing to terms with Green.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Mavs Pushing Danny Green To Make Decision

July 5th, 2019 at 11:06am CST by Luke Adams

When he reported on Thursday that the Mavericks were planning on offer sheet for Wright, Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News said it wouldn’t affect the team’s pursuit of Green. Today, Townsend clarifies (via Twitter) that’s because the Mavs hope to have an answer from Green by the time the moratorium ends at noon on Saturday, so they should have an idea of how much cap space they’d have left for Wright at that point.

On the latest episode of his “Inside the Green Room” podcast, free agent shooting guard Danny Green confirmed that the Clippers, Lakers, and especially the Mavericks are among the teams trying to pry him away from the Raptors.

“I’ve known [Mavericks owner] Mark Cuban and [head coach] Rick Carlisle for a long time. They have a really good interest in me,” Green said (link via SportsDayDFW.com). “I like what they have to offer. They’re coming on strong. Mark Cuban is a strong bidder. He’s putting the pressure on me to make a decision soon.”

The Mavericks could have up to about 23MM in cap room available, so it makes sense that they’d want a decision from Green soon, with the July moratorium set to end on Saturday. That cap room could be used on other targets, including perhaps restricted free agent Delon Wright.

When he reported on Thursday that the Mavericks were planning on offer sheet for Wright, Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News said it wouldn’t affect the team’s pursuit of Green. Today, Townsend clarifies (via Twitter) that’s because the Mavs hope to have an answer from Green by the time the moratorium ends at noon on Saturday, so they should have an idea of how much cap space they’d have left for Wright at that point.

Mavs Planning Offer Sheet For Delon Wright

July 4th, 2019 at 7:24pm CST by JD Shaw

The Mavericks have increased their interest in restricted free agent Delon Wright and plan to give the 27-year-old an offer sheet, according to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).

Wright could sign an offer sheet with Dallas or another interested team before the moratorium period ends on July 6, although Memphis’ two-day window to match the offer sheet wouldn’t technically start until the moratorium is officially lifted.

The Grizzlies are expected to match any “reasonable” offer sheet for Wright, sources tell ESPN’s Tim MacMahon (Twitter link). Memphis has a lot of moving pieces in play, as trades with Utah, Golden State, and Phoenix still need to be made official. Once the dust settles, the Grizzlies would likely have to waive Avery Bradley‘s non-guaranteed contract, flip Andre Iguodala, or make another salary-shedding move to avoid going into tax territory to retain Wright.

Wright, a 6-foot-5 combo guard, appeared in 75 total games with the Raptors and Grizzlies this season. He was traded to Memphis as part of a deal centered around Marc Gasol in February, holding per-game averages of 12.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.3 rebounds in 26 games for the Grizzlies to end the regular season.

The Mavs’ decision to pursue Wright won’t change the team’s stance on free agent Danny Green, Townsend adds. Dallas projects to have up to about $23MM in cap room, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), so the team could theoretically make eight-figure offers to both players. Green remains undecided on where he’ll play next season, as he and agent Joe Branch wait for Kawhi Leonard to make his own free-agent decision.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Grizzlies Exploring Trade Market For Iguodala; No Buyout Planned Before Season

July 4th, 2019 at 12:35am CST by Luke Adams

Once they officially acquire Andre Iguodala from the Warriors after the July moratorium ends, the Grizzlies won’t buy him out right away, reports ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.

According to MacMahon, Memphis is actively exploring the potential trade market for the veteran forward, with the Rockets and Mavericks among the interested teams. The Grizzlies don’t intend to give Iguodala a buyout before the season begins, MacMahon adds.

The fact that the Grizzlies will receive a lightly-protected future first-round pick from Golden State in their deal for Iguodala doesn’t suggest that he has significant value, but that trade was a necessity for the Warriors, who had to clear salary to accommodate D’Angelo Russell‘s new maximum-salary deal under a hard cap of $138.9MM.

With no similar cap crunch of their own, the Grizzlies will have far more leverage in their own trade discussions involving Iguodala. They shouldn’t expect a huge return, given his age (35) and his cap charge ($17.2MM), but there’s reason to believe that the former Finals MVP would appeal to contending teams. According to MacMahon, he has drawn “significant interest.”

Whether they use cap room or remain an over-the-cap team and retain their $21MM+ trade exception, the Mavericks would have the ability to acquire Iguodala without sending out any salary. The capped-out Rockets would have to get more creative, particularly if they don’t want to part with one of their current starters in a trade.

While MacMahon doesn’t mention the Lakers as a team with trade interest in Iguodala, they’d also have the cap room necessary to make a play for him if Kawhi Leonard decides to sign elsewhere. As MacMahon notes, Rob Pelinka was Iguodala’s agent before he became the Lakers’ general manager.

Latest On Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green

July 3rd, 2019 at 9:18pm CST by Luke Adams

9:18pm: Leonard won’t make a decision tonight and may not announce his intentions for a few days, a source tells Jabari Young of The Athletic (Twitter link). Leonard plans to thoroughly review his options with his representatives before choosing one. Contrary to reports, Young states that Leonard hasn’t discussed a two-year deal with any of the three teams involved.

5:11pm: Cris Carter of Fox Sports 1 provides an update on the situation, emphasizing that Leonard hasn’t reached a decision and the Raptors, Lakers and Clippers all remain under consideration (Twitter link). He also cautions not to expect a quick answer.

4:39pm: Day four of the Kawhi Leonard Watch took an unusual turn today, as word leaked out that the private plane belonging to MLSE – the group that owns the Raptors – was bound for Toronto from Los Angeles.

While there was no official confirmation that Leonard himself was on board, Canadian news network CP24 captured video of the plane touching down in Toronto, with its occupants piling into a pair of SUVs and driving downtown to a hotel where president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri had reportedly been spotted earlier in the day — and where a crowd of Torontonians gathered hoping to catch a glimpse of the Finals MVP (video link via James Wattie of CBC Toronto).

We still don’t have any formal updates on whether Leonard will choose the Raptors, Lakers, and Clippers, but if Kawhi’s camp traveled to Toronto for its meeting with the defending champs rather than hosting the team in Los Angeles, that doesn’t seem like a bad sign for the Raptors’ chances.

ESPN basketball analyst Jalen Rose added some fuel to that fire today by declaring during an episode of Get Up (video link) that he has heard with “99%” certainty that Leonard will be re-signing with the Raptors on a two-year deal that would put him in line to reach free agency again when he has 10 years of experience and qualifies for a higher maximum salary.

While Rose has been right about Leonard in the past, he’s not typically a news-breaker, so it’s probably not safe to treat his latest report as gospel quite yet. Leonard’s camp has been tight-lipped throughout the process — until they make an official announcement or leak word of Kawhi’s decision to a trusted reporter, we’re not jumping to any conclusions.

Meanwhile, Danny Green‘s free agent decision will likely be impacted by Leonard’s, since the shooting guard has interest in running it back with the Raptors if his longtime teammate stays in Toronto. Green’s podcast co-host Harrison D. Sanford offered an update in the wake of Rose’s pronouncement, tweeting that the best offer that Green has received so far – in terms of years and money – has been from the Mavericks.

However, Sanford added that Green would strongly consider a return to Toronto – likely on a two-year deal – if Kawhi stays. Green also wouldn’t rule out going to the Lakers, according to Sanford, who notes that the Lakers’ offer could increase if they don’t land Leonard.

Free Agent Rumors: Mavs, Morris, Knicks, Wizards, Wolves

July 2nd, 2019 at 8:27pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks have interest in free agent forward Marcus Morris, tweets Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News, confirming a report from Mike Fisher of DallasBasketball.com (Twitter link). However, Dallas has “a few [players] ahead” of Morris on their wish list, according to Townsend.

Danny Green is one of those names believed to be ahead of Morris. The Mavericks have been linked to the veteran sharpshooter since the start of free agency, and a tweet from the account for Green’s podcast today listed the Mavs, Raptors, and Lakers as the teams still in play for the veteran shooting guard. The Mavs aren’t expecting an answer from Green until tomorrow at the earliest though, says Townsend.

Here’s more on the NBA’s remaining free agents:

The Knicks project to have one slot open on their 15-man roster for next season, and Lance Thomas is the favorite to fill it, a source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post (Twitter link). New York recently waived Thomas to avoid guaranteeing his 2019/20 salary, but could bring him back on a more modest deal.
The Wizards haven’t circled back to free agent forward Jabari Parker so far, according to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington (Twitter link), who says that the market is “still developing” for the former No. 2 overall pick.
The Timberwolves have kicked the tires on free agent forward Jake Layman, tweets Darren Wolfson of SKOR North. Layman received a qualifying offer from the Trail Blazers, so he’s a restricted free agent.

Latest On Kawhi Leonard

July 2nd, 2019 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

After seemingly all of the rest of the top NBA free agents came off the board on Sunday night, the basketball world continues to wait on Kawhi Leonard, who is mulling whether to sign with the Raptors, Lakers, or Clippers. Here’s the latest on Kawhi:

Leonard has completed his meetings with the Lakers and Clippers, and is meeting with the Raptors today, a league source tells Jordan Schultz of ESPN (Twitter link).
Team officials for the Lakers and Clippers “appear determined” to say as little as possible about the process to avoid upsetting Leonard or his reps, since Kawhi’s camp has “insisted on total silence,” tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times.
Despite that apparent insistence on silence, much of the Leonard-related chatter this week has focused on the Lakers. Stein tweets that the Lakers believe they’re “firmly in the lead” for the Finals MVP based on LeBron James‘ and Magic Johnson‘s recruiting efforts. An earlier report suggested that no frontrunner has emerged.
The Raptors haven’t backed off at all in their efforts to re-sign Leonard, according to Stein, who tweets that rapper – and Raptors global ambassador – Drake may be “mounting his own recruiting campaign” outside of Toronto’s formal pitch.
The general belief throughout free agency has been that Danny Green will wait on Leonard’s announcement before making his own free agency decision. However, Green’s podcast co-host Harrison D. Sanford said on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas today that Green is “considering not waiting” on Kawhi (Twitter link via Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News). Green and his agent are scheduled to discuss things tonight, Sanford added. The Mavericks, Raptors, Lakers, and Clippers are believed to have interest in the veteran sharpshooter.

Free Agent Rumors: Kawhi, Bender, Cousins, Mejri

July 2nd, 2019 at 2:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Despite some buzz on social media that Kawhi Leonard is leaning toward the Lakers, the reigning Finals MVP hasn’t reached a decision, tweets Cris Carter of Fox Sports 1. Carter – who has been an unexpectedly plugged-in source on Leonard since the forward’s days in San Antonio – adds that anyone thinking the Lakers have an edge on the Clippers or Raptors would be “wrong.”

Leonard is the last big star available in free agency, and his decision will have a long-lasting impact on all three franchises. Whichever club lands him will be a contender for the NBA title, while the other two teams will be scrambling to fill out their rosters. Leonard still hasn’t given any indication of when he plans to announce his choice.

Here are some more notes on the third day of free agency:

Now that the Suns have added Frank Kaminsky, they will part ways with Dragan Bender, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link). Bender had a disappointing three years in Phoenix after being selected with the fourth pick in the 2016 draft. He is an unrestricted free agent because the Suns declined his fourth-year option before the start of the season.
The Warriors can’t make an offer similar to the $6.4MM MLE that landed DeMarcus Cousins last summer, notes Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link). Golden State is so close to the hard cap that it cannot go much above minimum deals to complete its roster.
Salah Mejri was working out today with the Mavericks‘ Summer League players and remains a possibility to re-sign, tweets Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News.
As cap space dries up, restricted free agents such as Kelly Oubre, Delon Wright and Tyus Jones may benefit by accepting their teams’ qualifying offers and becoming unrestricted next summer in a weaker free agent class, suggests Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link).

Free Agent Rumors: Cousins, Kawhi, D. Green, Ennis

July 2nd, 2019 at 8:07am CST by Luke Adams

Big man DeMarcus Cousins is perhaps the biggest name left among free agents besides Kawhi Leonard, but there doesn’t appear to be much of a market for him, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said during an appearance on the network (video link). According to Wojnarowski, it’s not even necessarily a lock that Cousins will exceed the one-year, $5.34MM deal he signed with the Warriors a year ago.

In a separate appearance on ESPN’s Get Up (video link), Woj suggested that a one-year deal below $10MM for Cousins appears to be the most likely scenario, while ESPN’s Tim Bontemps pointed to the Lakers as one team that might be a fit in terms of cap room — but only if they fail to land Leonard.

Here’s more on some of the remaining free agents:

Former NBA player Kendrick Perkins (Twitter link) hears that Kawhi Leonard met with the Clippers on Monday night, though Perkins believes the Lakers have the “upper hand” of the two L.A. teams. After meeting with the Clippers and Lakers, Kawhi is expected to give the Raptors the chance to make the final pitch before he finalizes his decision.
The Mavericks are in “strong position” to land free agent shooting guard Danny Green, regardless of what happens with Leonard’s free agency, tweets his podcast co-host Harrison D. Sanford. According to Sanford (via Twitter), Dallas views Green as a valuable floor spacer and locker-room presence.
With approximately $4MM in cap space and their $4.8MM room exception still available, the Knicks have checked in on free agent wing James Ennis, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv. According to Begley (via Twitter), the Lakers and Clippers are also among the clubs that have touched base with Ennis since free agency started.