Mavericks Rumors

Mavs Sign Josh Reaves To Two-Way Contract

The Mavericks have officially signed free agent shooting guard Josh Reaves to a two-way contract, the team announced late Monday night in a press release.

Reaves, who played for the Mavs’ Summer League team earlier this month after going undrafted out of Penn State, averaged 10.6 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 2.5 SPG on .426/.356/.656 shooting in his senior season for the Nittany Lions. He was named the Big 10’s Defensive Player of the Year for 2018/19.

ESPN’s Jonathan Givony first reported after the draft that Reaves had agreed to sign a two-way deal with Dallas, though a subsequent report later indicated that he’d get an Exhibit 10 contract instead. Ultimately, after some roster shuffling, Reaves and Antonius Cleveland will occupy the Mavs’ two-way contract slots, displacing Kostas Antetokounmpo and Daryl Macon, both of whom were waived in recent weeks.

[RELATED: 2019/20 NBA Two-Way Contract Tracker]

Using their open two-way slot on Reaves mean the Mavericks won’t use it to officially add 2019 second-round pick Isaiah Roby to the roster. The No. 45 overall selection remains unsigned, so unless the team plans to stash him overseas or in the G League, a standard contract now seems likely.

Dallas currently has 14 players on guaranteed deals for 2019/20, so the club would be giving up some roster flexibility if it signs Roby to fill its 15th and final regular season roster spot.

Mavs Waive Two-Way Player Daryl Macon

The Mavericks have waived guard Daryl Macon, according to a team press release.

The 6’3” Macon spent all of last season with Dallas on a two-way contract. He played in eight games for the Mavericks as a rookie and averaged 3.6 PPG  in 11.2 MPG.

He also appeared in 41 games, including 37 starts, for the Mavericks’ G-League affiliate, the Texas Legends. He averaged 19.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG and 6.2 APG in 34.5 MPG.

Macon started all five games for the Mavericks’ Las Vegas summer league team and averaged 12.6 PPG and 4.0 APG.

Dallas’ two-way slots have been in a state of flux. The team recently waived forward Kostas Antetokounmpo, then signed shooting guard Antonius Cleveland  to fill that opening.

Unsigned second-rounder Isaiah Roby is one of the potential candidates to take Macon’s spot, Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News speculates.

Mavericks Sign Dakota Mathias

The Mavericks have officially signed free agent guard Dakota Mathias to a contract, the team announced today in a press release. Terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed, but it figures to be a non-guaranteed camp deal.

Mathias went undrafted in 2018 after spending four years at Purdue, where he was a two-time Big Ten All-Defensive Team selection and briefly held the school’s record for total three-pointers made (Carsen Edwards surpassed him in 2018/19).

In his first professional season, Mathias joined the Cavaliers for Summer League play, then signed with Joventut in Spain, appearing in 12 games overseas before an ankle injury ended his stint with the club.

The former Boilermaker returned stateside to play for the Lakers’ Summer League team in Las Vegas this month. Although he struggled with his shot in five games for the Lakers, going just 9-for-33 from the floor (27.3%), the Mavs apparently like him enough to bring him to camp.

Mathias looks like a good bet to ultimately end up playing for the Texas Legends, Dallas’ G League affiliate.

Mavs Sign Antonius Cleveland To Two-Way Deal

JULY 25: The signing of Cleveland is now official, the Mavs announced today in a press release.

JULY 24: After recently waiving two-way player Kostas Antetokounmpo, the Mavericks have signed shooting guard Antonius Cleveland to fill the vacant two-way spot left behind by Antetokounmpo’s departure, per Tim Cato of The Athletic. This will be Cleveland’s second stint with Dallas as a two-way player.

Cleveland last played in the NBA during the 2017/18 season with both the Mavs (two-way) and Hawks (15-man roster). He was waived by Atlanta last summer as a cap casualty when the Hawks needed the cap space to take on the contract of Carmelo Anthony. He was claimed by the Bulls but waived before the 2018/19 season began.

Last season, Cleveland played for the G League’s Santa Cruz Warriors, where he averaged 11.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 26.5 minutes per contest.

Cleveland, 25, will join guard Daryl Macon as the Mavericks’ two-way players for the 2019/20 season. One of the spots was originally thought to be earmarked for rookie Josh Reaves, but he ended up agreeing to sign an Exhibit 10 contract instead.

Mavericks Sign Boban Marjanovic

JULY 23: The Mavericks have officially signed Marjanovic, per NBA.com’s transactions log.

JULY 3: The Mavericks will sign Boban Marjanovic, sources tell Marc Stein of the New York Times (Twitter link). Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets that the deal will be for two years and $7MM.

Marjanovic, who is entering his age-31 season, averaged 7.3 PPG and 4.6 RPG in 58 games (11.7 MPG) last season, with his 7’3″ frame allowing him to dominate certain matchups while struggling in others.

Marjanovic was traded to the Sixers in the Tobias Harris deal at this past season’s trade deadline. Philadelphia owned his Bird rights but needed to renounce his cap hold ($13.3MM) in order to accommodate the Al Horford signing.

Dallas has been active thus far in free agency, reaching a four-year deal with Seth Curry and re-signing many of their own guys. Dallas is also rumored to be in the mix for veteran Danny Green.

The Mavs’ projected cap room (upwards of $23MM) may not be impacted by their deal with Marjanovic, since he could theoretically fit within their room exception, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter).

J.J. Barea Will Skip The World Cup

  • Mavericks guard J.J. Barea has decided not to play for Puerto Rico in the FIBA World Cup tournament, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN. It has been less than eight months since Barea had surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles, and although he is encouraged by his progress, he believes it’s too soon to risk playing competitively.

Mavs Waive Kostas Antetokounmpo

The Mavericks have waived forward Kostas Antetokounmpo, according to a team press release.

The brother of league Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo had a two-way contract with the Mavs.

Daryl Macon holds the other two-way deal with Dallas. With Antetokounmpo out of the picture, Penn State alum and shooting guard Josh Reaves may have his contract converted a two-way deal. He agreed to sign an Exhibit 10 deal earlier this summer.

The 6’10” Antetokounmpo was chosen by the 76ers late in the second round of the 2018 draft. Dallas acquired him in a draft-night deal. He saw action in two games last season, making his NBA debut on March 20 in Portland.

“We are excited for Kostas to pursue other professional opportunities,” Mavs GM Donnie Nelson said in a statement. “Kostas worked very hard to improve his game and we are proud to have been a step in his development.”

Antetokounmpo played in five summer league games in Las Vegas this month, averaging 5.8 PPG and 2.8 RPG in 13.5 MPG.

The brothers are expected to play for Greece in the FIBA World Cup.

Cuban Fined For Board Of Governors' Leak

  • Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has been fined $50K by the league for leaking information from the Board of Governors meeting, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reports. Cuban revealed the vote to allow coaches to challenge an official’s ruling next season.

Latest On Andre Iguodala

The Rockets and Clippers continue to be the two teams most seriously pursuing Grizzlies swingman Andre Iguodala, Shams Charania of Stadium reports (video link). However both Houston and Los Angeles “seem to be at a standstill” in talks with Memphis, per Charania.

According to Charania, the Rockets aren’t entirely comfortable with the idea of going deep into luxury-tax territory for Iguodala. While Charania doesn’t specify what exactly Houston’s package would look like, he refers to “a potential sign-and-trade” — that would likely involve Iman Shumpert attached to a draft pick, as I wrote last Friday.

Currently, Houston’s team salary is below the tax line, but taking on Iguodala’s $17MM+ salary without sending out any guaranteed money could bump the Rockets’ projected tax bill up to about $20MM, says Charania.

As for the Clippers, Maurice Harkless‘ expiring contract is the most logical salary-matching trade chip for L.A. in any deal involving Iguodala. However, Charania hears that the Clips don’t want to part with Harkless in an Iguodala trade.

Both the Rockets and Clippers have explored three- or four-team scenarios that might work for Iguodala, per Charania, but that’s probably a long shot. Meanwhile, the Mavericks and Nuggets have also engaged with the Grizzlies on Iguodala, but neither team has really gained any real traction in trade discussions.

Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link) previously suggested there’s a belief in league circles that the Grizzlies may be leaning toward keeping Iggy on their roster into the season unless they receive a trade offer that includes a first-round pick. We’ll see if that ends up being the case if no potential suitors meet their asking price.

Curry Chose Mavericks Because Of Familiarity

The Rockets believe Russell Westbrook‘s talents will overcome what could be an awkward fit alongside James Harden in their backcourt, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Houston and Oklahoma City agreed to terms on this offseason’s latest blockbuster Thursday night, swapping the spectacular but inefficient Westbrook for steady veteran Chris Paul.

Westbrook is only two years removed from an MVP season, but his explosiveness doesn’t always make up for poor perimeter shooting and questionable decisions in the open court. He has shot below 30% from 3-point range in four of the past five seasons and is joining a team that relies on the long ball more than anyone in league history. However, Rockets officials are confident that he can reach the 33% to 35% range because he’ll be surrounded by shooters who’ll spread the floor and will be playing with an elite passer in Harden.

Feigen adds that Harden has reportedly agreed to play off the ball more often to help Westbrook succeed. Harden will continue to operate as the point guard in many possessions, but Westbrook will also be allowed to run the offense, similar to their relationship in Oklahoma City.

There’s more tonight out of Texas:

  • Rockets center Isaiah Hartenstein has agreed to extend his guarantee date beyond Monday, tweets Kelly Iko of The Athletic. July 15 was the original deadline for his $1,416,852 deal for next season to become fully guaranteed.
  • Seth Curry said in a radio interview this week (transcribed by The Dallas Morning News) that familiarity and his respect for coach Rick Carlisle were factors in his decision to return to the Mavericks. Curry signed a four-year deal this week that brings him back to Dallas after two years away. “I played some of my best basketball when I was there a couple of years ago, so I’m excited to rejoin the team and help get them back to the playoffs,” Curry said. “… I wanted to get back to playing with guys like Luka (Doncic) and (Kristaps Porzingis). Unselfish guys. Luka’s one of the best passers in the league right now. … I’m excited about the opportunity.”
  • DeMarre Carroll talked with the Bucks before joining the Spurs, but Milwaukee’s cap situation limited what the team could offer, relays Jabari Young of The Athletic. Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer, a former assistant in San Antonio, highly recommended the organization to Carroll, as did Nets GM Sean Marks, a former Spurs executive.