Dallas Mavericks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Celtics Emerging As Kemba Walker Suitor

June 25th, 2019 at 2:53pm CST by Luke Adams

2:53pm: Updating his earlier report, Stein indicates that Boston is no longer a “stealth” suitor for Walker, tweeting that the Celtics and Mavericks will be at the front of the line for Kemba when free agency begins.

12:03pm: With the Celtics‘ roster and cap situation in a state of flux, the team is emerging as a “stealth suitor” for All-NBA point guard Kemba Walker, reports Marc Stein of The New York Times (via Twitter).

The Celtics’ situation is a fluid one, according to Stein (via Twitter), who acknowledges that the team will weigh a number of options to address both its backcourt and frontcourt. Kyrie Irving and Al Horford are expected to sign elsewhere and Aron Baynes is heading to Phoenix, while Terry Rozier and Marcus Morris are also free agents.

If the Celtics renounce all those players, they should have enough cap room to make a maximum-salary offer to a player like Walker, adding him to a core that features Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart. However, it sounds like that’s just one of the options that president of basketball operations Danny Ainge will consider.

The Mavericks and Lakers are among the teams believed to be eyeing Walker, who has also been frequently linked to the Knicks. For his part, Kemba has said that the Hornets remain his first priority and has indicated he’s open to accepting less than the super-max to return to Charlotte.

That super-max deal would be worth a projected $221MM+ over five years. A standard max with the Hornets projects to be worth just shy of $190MM over five seasons, while a rival suitor could offer Walker up to about $141MM for four years.

Mavs Interested In Patrick Beverley, Nikola Mirotic

June 25th, 2019 at 10:55am CST by Luke Adams

Free-agent-to-be guard Patrick Beverley is “very much in play” for the Mavericks next week, writes Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. Sources tell Townsend that Beverley and the Mavs view one another as a “perfect fit.”

It remains to be seen how much of their projected cap room the Mavs will be willing to commit to Beverley, who figures to be in line for a sizable raise. The veteran point guard is also expected to draw interest from teams like the Lakers, Clippers, and Sixers. Still, a source tells Townsend that Beverley and the Mavs plan to meet near the start of free agency.

Nikola Mirotic is another free agent receiving consideration from the Mavericks, a source tells Townsend, though the veteran power forward is further down on the team’s wish list than Beverley. Mirotic appears unlikely to re-sign with the Bucks, since they’ll also be trying to bring back Khris Middleton, Malcolm Brogdon, and Brook Lopez.

Meanwhile, Nikola Vucevic has long been viewed as a potential target for Dallas, but Townsend hears that the Magic center will be seeking a starting salary in the $25MM range, which would likely price the Mavs out of the bidding. The Magic, Celtics, and Kings could be among the teams in play for Vucevic, Townsend adds, noting that Al Horford appears to be a more likely target for Dallas if the club decides to spend big on a center.

The Mavs project to have about $29-30MM in cap space this summer if they keep the cap holds for Kristaps Porzingis, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Maxi Kleber on their books. They could create a little extra flexibility by renouncing Finney-Smith and/or Kleber, but wouldn’t be able to carve out significantly more space without moving a player like Tim Hardaway or Courtney Lee.

Luka Doncic Claims Rookie Of Year Honors

June 24th, 2019 at 8:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Mavericks guard Luka Doncic was named Rookie of the Year at the league’s annual awards show on Monday.

The flashy Euro playmaker held off a late charge by Hawks point man Trae Young. Suns center Deandre Ayton, the top pick in the 2018 draft, was the other finalist for the prize.

Doncic was a triple-double threat on a nightly basis, posting averages of 21.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG and 6.0 APG in 32.2 MPG. Doncic and Young, who averaged 19.1 PPG and 8.1 APG in 30.9 MPG, will forever be linked since they were essentially traded for each other in last year’s draft.

Dallas moved up to the No. 3 pick to select Doncic. Atlanta moved down two slots and chose Young and also got the Mavs’ first-rounder this year, which it used to select Duke forward Cam Reddish.

Doncic was also Hoops Rumors’ unanimous choice for the award.

Mavericks Reach Summer League Agreement With Wael Arakji

June 23rd, 2019 at 10:02pm CST by JD Shaw

The Mavericks have reached a summer league commitment with guard Wael Arakji, a promising young star from Lebanon who recently impressed at a free agent mini-camp with the team, a league source told Hoops Rumors. Arakji, 24, also hired agent Scott Nichols of Rize Management as representation to continue his pursuit of an NBA deal, quickly becoming a fan-favorite overseas and impressing Mavs officials during his workout.

Horford Won't Get Max Offer From Mavs

June 21st, 2019 at 7:22pm CST by Dana Gauruder

While numerous teams and agents believe Celtics big man Al Horford will receive a four-year, $112MM offer in free agency, it won’t be coming from the Mavericks, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. Horford will decline his $30.1MM player option and has broken off negotiations with Boston.

Draft Rumors: Trades, Knicks, Celtics, Warriors

June 20th, 2019 at 4:22pm CST by Luke Adams

There’s an “ongoing flurry” of trade talks involving draft picks in the 20-23 range, league sources tell Jake Fischer of SI.com (Twitter link). According to Fischer, teams like the Warriors, Nets, Kings, Mavericks, and Spurs have expressed interest in moving up into that range of the draft.

The Celtics hold the 20th and 22nd overall picks, and are unlikely to use all three of their first-rounders (they also have No. 14), so it makes sense that they’d be listening to inquiries. The Thunder are picking at No. 21 and have reportedly explored moving their pick in an effort to reduce team salary. The Grizzlies are acquiring No. 23 overall in the Mike Conley trade and are said to be listening to offers for the selection, which is their second of the first round.

Here are a few more draft-related notes and rumors:

The Knicks are interested in buying another second-round pick, league sources tell Michael Scotto of The Athletic (Twitter link). New York, which currently holds the No. 55 overall pick to go along with No. 3, hasn’t sent out any cash in trades so far this season, so the team has flexibility to make a move.
League sources tell Fischer and Jeremy Woo of SI.com (Twitter links) that the Celtics brought in six players for last-minute workouts on Wednesday: Darius Bazley, Jalen Lecque, Tremont Waters, Jordan Bone, Chris Clemons, and Jared Harper. It was the second workout with Boston for all six prospects.
People around the NBA are wondering how early the Warriors would be willing to draft Serbian power forward Alen Smailagic, tweets Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com. Smailagic played in the G League for Santa Cruz in 2018/19 but wasn’t draft-eligible until this year. He was shut down early in the pre-draft process and was “hidden” in Serbia from the rest of the NBA, according to Givony, who wonders if Golden State would use its newly-acquired No. 41 pick on Smailagic.
There are about 35 players whom various sources feel confident will be first-round picks, tweets Sam Vecenie of The Athletic. In other words, it’s tough to determine exactly which players will come off the board in the back half of the first round tonight.

Mavericks, Pacers Interested In T.J. Warren?

June 20th, 2019 at 2:33pm CST by Arthur Hill

2:33pm: A source confirms to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that the Mavs have interest in Warren and adds the Pacers to the list of interested teams. However, Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link) has his own source downplaying Dallas’ interest in the Suns wing.

12:58pm: The Mavericks have reached out to the Suns about a trade involving forward T.J. Warren, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.TV. Rival teams believe Phoenix is willing to deal both Warren and Josh Jackson, Begley adds.

Warren, 25, has developed into a reliable scorer for the Suns, averaging 18.0 points per game last season and shooting a career-best .428 from 3-point range. However, he missed 33 games due to issues with his right ankle. He has an affordable contract that stretches over the next three years at $10.81MM, $11.75MM and $12.69MM.

Dallas could use some more scoring punch to team with Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis and is able to fit Warren into cap space if necessary.

Earlier this week, Suns officials told Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic that they aren’t trying to trade Warren, Jackson or the No. 6 pick in tonight’s draft.

Mavericks Considered Favorites For Al Horford?

June 19th, 2019 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

4:01pm: Asked by Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News if the report on Horford and the Mavericks is accurate, a league source replied, “Not really.” However, that source didn’t offer any further clarification, tweets Townsend.

1:40pm: Al Horford is expected to leave the Celtics for a new team in free agency, and according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, league sources consider the Mavericks the favorites to land the veteran big man.

As O’Connor writes, the Lakers and Clippers are also said to have interest in Horford, but they’ll likely be setting their sights on higher-end targets such as Kawhi Leonard. The Nets have also been cited as a potential suitor for Horford.

Dallas would be an intriguing landing spot for the 33-year-old center. The Mavericks have the cap flexibility necessary to make a competitive offer to Horford without compromising their ability to extend Dwight Powell or lock up Kristaps Porzingis to a long-term contract. Those three bigs would provide balance and versatility at both ends of the floor for the Mavs.

Horford will reportedly seek a four-year contract on the open market, and one report indicated that he may even be looking to surpass $100MM on his new deal. That’d be a significant investment for a player entering his mid-30s who battled some nagging health issues last season, but the Mavs have shown in the past that they’re not shy about committing big money to second-tier free agents. They signed Wesley Matthews and Harrison Barnes to four-year, maximum-salary contracts in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

Dwight Powell Exercises 2019/20 Player Option

June 18th, 2019 at 4:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Mavericks big man Dwight Powell has officially exercised his player option for the 2019/20 season, reports Marc Stein of The New York Times (via Twitter). As a result of the move, Powell will earn a $10,259,375 salary next season, per Basketball Insiders.

There were conflicting reports earlier this spring on whether Powell would opt in or out. After a May report suggested that he was expected to hit the open market, a June update confirmed that an opt-in was anticipated instead.

The Mavericks have long indicated that they plan to lock up Powell to a longer-term deal, which could’ve been done whether or not he exercised his player option. The conflicting reports on his option decision may have stemmed from confusion over whether he’d sign a brand-new deal with Dallas after opting out or sign an extension after opting in.

Powell, who will turn 28 next month, averaged a career-high 10.6 PPG to go along with 5.3 RPG, 1.5 APG, and a .597 FG% in 77 games (21.6 MPG) last season for the Mavs. The former second-round pick has spent the last four seasons in Dallas, and team management wants to ensure he sticks around a little longer.

Team owner Mark Cuban spoke at season’s end about a three-year extension for Powell, though it’s not clear if he meant three new years or three years in total. Either way, I’d expect Dallas to work on completing that deal in the coming weeks.

Even with Powell’s salary on their books, the Mavs should enter the free agent period with at least $29MM in cap room available, as we detailed in April. Meanwhile, Powell would be eligible to sign an extension that takes effect in 2020/21 with a starting salary worth up to 120% of his previous salary.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Draft Updates: Oni, Langford, Bitadze, Bone, Harris

June 15th, 2019 at 7:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Yale wing Miye Oni returned to the Bucks’ practice facility for a second workout on Saturday, ESPN’s Jordan Schultz tweets. Oni averaged 17.1 PPG, 6.3 RPG and 3.6 APG during his junior season. The 6’6” Oni is hoping to become the first Ivy Leaguer drafted since 1995, Schultz adds.

We have more draft info:

Indiana freshman swingman Romeo Langford is meeting with the Heat this weekend, Schultz reports in another tweet. Miami possesses the No. 13 pick and Langford is ranked No. 14 overall by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
International prospect Goga Bitadze is visiting the Celtics, Pistons and Hornets in the days leading up to Thursday’s draft. according to a tweet from Hawks website writer Kevin Chouinard. The 6’11” Bitadze, 19, led the EuroLeague and Adriatic League in blocks on both a per-game and per-minute basis. He is ranked No. 17 overall by Givony.
The Wizards worked out Tennessee guard Jordan Bone on Saturday, according to a team press release. The point guard is No. 56 on Givony’s list.
Forward Terry Harris worked out for the Knicks on Thursday, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News tweets. He also visited the Nets this week and will work out for the Mavericks and Jazz, Bondy adds in another tweet. He played for North Carolina A&T in his senior year, averaging 8.1 PPG. He is the younger brother of Sixers free agent forward Tobias Harris.