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Mavericks Promote Brandon Williams To Standard Contract

April 10th, 2025 at 3:35pm CST by Arthur Hill

April 10: Williams’ promotion to the standard roster is official, the Mavericks announced today (via Twitter). He’s now eligible to appear in Dallas’ final two regular season games and the play-in tournament, as well as the playoffs (if the Mavs qualify).

Since the move was finalized on Thursday, Dallas won’t have enough room under its hard cap to complete a second signing before season’s end, so it appears Edwards and Jones will remain on their two-way deals.

April 8: Two-way guard Brandon Williams will get a two-year standard contract later this week when the Mavericks are able to add another player to their 15-man roster, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The upcoming move was confirmed by Williams’ agents, Derek Lafayette and Fess Irvin of Skyward Sports.

Dallas has been shorthanded for the last several weeks because of hard-cap restrictions that prevent the team from signing another player until April 10. Williams, who recently reached his 50-game limit on the active roster as a two-way player, has been a standout as the Mavs try to hold onto a spot in the play-in tournament.

Williams appeared in 31 games, averaging 8.3 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 14.8 minutes per night with .511/.379/.857 shooting numbers. His production increased sharply after Kyrie Irving was lost for the season in early March with a torn ACL, as Williams delivered 16.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists per night in 11 games after Irving’s injury.

Williams began his NBA career with Portland in 2021/22 and spent the following season in the G League. He signed a two-way contract with Dallas in 2023 and another one last summer. He figures to have a featured role in the postseason with the Mavericks low on guards, and he may be counted on as a starter next season considering the projected timeline for Irving’s recovery.

Dallas was reportedly giving consideration to all three of its two-way players to fill the roster opening, as Kessler Edwards, who also reached his 50-game limit, and Kai Jones, who has one game remaining, have been impressive as well.

Dallas could fit two of them on the roster by waiting until Friday instead of Thursday to sign Williams, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link), but a current member of the standard roster would have to be waived to create another opening.

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Final Check-In On Open NBA Roster Spots

April 10th, 2025 at 2:30pm CST by Luke Adams

With just four days left in the NBA’s regular season, there are still a few teams around the league with open 15-man roster spots, and there’s little downside to filling those openings before the regular season ends.

For playoff teams, adding one more player would create a little extra depth in the event of postseason injuries or garbage-time minutes. For non-playoff teams, it makes sense to try to convince a young player to accept a multiyear deal that includes little or no guaranteed money beyond this season, since it gives those teams another option for next year’s roster.

Even clubs over the luxury tax line or right up against it shouldn’t have a problem paying one more player a prorated minimum salary for the last day or two of the season — the prorated minimum for a veteran on a rest-of-season deal is just $11,997 per day, which is a drop in the bucket for NBA franchises.

With all that in mind, it’s safe to assume that some – if not all – of the teams with open roster spots should fill them by Sunday. Here are those teams:

  • Boston Celtics
  • Dallas Mavericks
  • Golden State Warriors
  • New Orleans Pelicans
  • Toronto Raptors (2)

The Mavericks‘ plans for their open 15-man roster spot have already been reported. They intend to promote two-way player Brandon Williams to a standard contract and likely would’ve done it much sooner if they’d had enough room under their hard cap to do so.

The Pelicans technically have 16 players on standard contracts as of today, but two of those players – Elfrid Payton and Kylor Kelley – are on 10-day contracts that will expire this weekend. I’d expect New Orleans to look to sign Payton, Kelley or someone else to a multiyear contract that gives the club some roster flexibility beyond this season.

The Raptors opened up a pair of roster spots on Thursday by waiving Orlando Robinson and Cole Swider, both of whom were on rest-of-season contracts. Their reported plan is to fill those two spots in the coming days with players on multiyear deals — Robinson and/or Swider may even return, though Colin Castleton is reportedly also on Toronto’s radar, and a promotion of two-way player A.J. Lawson is a possibility too.

The other two teams here – the Celtics and Warriors – are either assured of a playoff spot (in Boston’s case) or are well positioned to make it (in Golden State’s case). But that doesn’t necessarily mean each of those teams will sign a win-now veteran as a 15th man. They already have enough depth on their respective rosters that they may prefer to add a younger prospect – perhaps a two-way player or someone from the G League – on a multiyear deal.

While there are only five teams with open spots on their 15-man rosters, that doesn’t necessarily mean those five clubs are the only candidates to make roster moves in the next few days.

Teams without an open roster spot could waive one of their current 15 players in order to make room for a new addition or a promoted two-way player. They’ll likely have to make that decision very soon though — 4:00 pm Central time on Thursday is the deadline to waive a player on an expiring contract in order to ensure he clears waivers before the final day of the regular season, as Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets.

The Cavaliers (Chuma Okeke), Kings (Terence Davis), and Knicks (P.J. Tucker) are among the teams who had been carrying an open 15-man roster spot but who have filled that opening this month.

Finally, it’s worth noting that there are a handful of clubs with two-way contract slots available, but the deadline for two-way signings passed in early March, so those roster spots will remain open.

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Dallas Prepares To Welcome Back Luka Doncic

April 9th, 2025 at 6:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA’s most eagerly anticipated homecoming in several years is about to take place as Luka Doncic gets ready for his first game in Dallas since the shocking trade that sent him to the Lakers in early February.

The Mavericks are planning a tribute video highlighting Doncic’s accomplishments during his six and a half years with the team, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Team sources tell MacMahon that the Mavs contacted several companies that Doncic endorses to set up sponsorship deals for the game, but those fell apart when Doncic’s camp refused to provide its support, pointing out that he’s now a Laker.

The teams have gone in sharply different directions since news of the deal first leaked on the weekend before the trade deadline. The addition of Doncic, who’s averaging 27.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game since changing teams, helped L.A. rise into third place in the West at 48-31, while Dallas is holding on to the final play-in spot at 38-41.

“I know it’s been two months or something, but still adapting a little bit,” Doncic said recently. “It was a big change. But it’s getting better.”

The trade also created a lot of ill will among Mavericks fans, and team sources told MacMahon it will probably result in a nine-figure loss in revenue over the next few years. He adds that the franchise is projected to lose “dozens of millions” this season because of smaller crowds, a sharp drop in merchandise sales, and sponsors who decided to end their relationship due to the intense public reaction to the deal.

There’s more on Doncic’s return to Dallas:

  • Doncic and his support staff were “stunned” when they learned about the trade and angered by leaks from Mavericks management that he didn’t work hard enough to stay in shape, writes Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. Doncic snapped back at the accusations, which he believes are an attack on his character. “They have no idea,” Doncic said. “… I didn’t end up here by mistake. You know? I worked my ass off to be here. So it’s kinda, I would say disrespectful, just sad that people say that.”  Woike adds that people close to the Lakers had been impressed by Doncic’s work ethic since he joined the team, noting that he always attends optional workouts and he was able to get back into shape fairly quickly after missing 22 games with a strained calf.
  • After the Mavericks lost in the NBA Finals, general manager Nico Harrison challenged all the players to come back “10% to 15% better,” NBA insider Marc Stein states in a Substack column (subscription required). The message was believed to be aimed at Doncic, and Stein describes Harrison as “seething” when his star player was knocked out of action by the calf strain on Christmas Day. The front office was also upset that Doncic isolated himself after each of his injuries this season and insisted that all rehab work would be conducted by his personal “body team.”
  • Former owner Mark Cuban and franchise legend Dirk Nowitzki, who served as a special advisor to Cuban, both lost their influence when the franchise was sold to Miriam Adelson and Patrick Dumont in November 2023, Stein adds. With two of his top supporters gone, rifts eventually developed between Doncic and management over several issues.
  • Mavericks coach Jason Kidd put the trade in historic context during a session with reporters before tonight’s game, tweets Christian Clark of The Athletic. “This is a business. Trades happen. This won’t be the last trade,” Kidd said. “Some are comparing it to Babe Ruth, which is kind of cool. But when you look at the business of sports, change happens. When change happens, it’s the ones who carry on and keep moving forward. Those are the special people.”
  • Doncic embraced Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington and assistant coach God Shammgod when he came out for pregame warm-ups (Twitter video link from Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News).
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And-Ones: Luka Trade Offers, Coaches, Lithuania, Howard

April 9th, 2025 at 8:50am CST by Rory Maher

In an article for ESPN.com (Insider link), Bobby Marks examines what the other 28 NBA teams could hypothetically have offered the Mavericks for Luka Doncic, who was sent to the Lakers in February in arguably the most stunning trade in NBA history.

Marks’ exercise comes with a couple of caveats. The first is that a Doncic trade may have fallen apart had every team been able to make a bid for the superstar guard, which is why Dallas was so determined to keep its talks with Los Angeles quiet. The second is that the hypothetical offers are based on each team’s financial restrictions as of February 1, the day before the trade.

Which teams could have offered the Mavericks the most compelling combinations of win-now players and draft assets? According to Marks, the Cavaliers (Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland, 2031 unprotected first-round pick) and Rockets (Dillon Brooks, Jabari Smith, Reed Sheppard, unprotected first-round picks in 2025 and 2027 via Phoenix) could have put the best packages together for Doncic (Cleveland would have been required to take back Maxi Kleber as well for salary-matching purposes, Marks notes).

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • In a story that was released before the Nuggets fired Michael Malone, Zach Harper of The Athletic listed four other head coaches who could be on the hot seat, with Mike Budenholzer of the Suns considered the most likely to be dismissed.
  • Confirming a report from BasketNews.com, Linas Kleiza said on his podcast (YouTube link) that Domantas Sabonis is unlikely to compete in this summer’s EuroBasket due to personal reasons (hat tip to EuroHoops.net). Kleiza, a former NBA player who is now general manager of the Lithuanian national team, also said that Jonas Valaniunas and Matas Buzelis are expected to compete in this year’s tournament.
  • Georgia businessman Calvin Darden Jr. was recently sentenced to more than 12 years in prison for cheating former NBA star Dwight Howard out of $7MM in a phony scheme to purchase the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream, reports Philip Marcelo of The Associated Press. Darden was also convicted of stealing $1MM from former NBA forward Chandler Parsons in a separate scam. Darden was found guilty in October of wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering charges.
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Southwest Notes: Exum, Paul, Edey, Reeves

April 8th, 2025 at 9:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Dante Exum could make a surprise early return from his left hand surgery. The Mavericks guard has been upgraded to questionable for their game against the Lakers on Wednesday, Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News tweets. Exum was expected to miss the remainder of the season after fracturing his left hand in mid-March.

Anthony Davis (adductor strain) is listed as probable to play in Wednesday’s game.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

  • Chris Paul isn’t sure if he’ll continue to play beyond this season. Paul, who will be a free agent again this summer, said he’s enjoyed his time in San Antonio, he told Mike Monroe of The Athletic. “You never know where your career, your journey, is going to take you,” said Paul, who is averaging 8.8 points and 7.6 assists per game with the Spurs. “I would never have imagined I would be here in San Antonio and have my career end with never coming here.”
  • Lottery pick Zach Edey has been on a nice run as the season winds down. The Grizzlies‘ rookie center has averaged 16.7 rebounds in three April outings. He had a double-double against the Lakers late last month. Edey doesn’t mind doing the dirty work. “That’s always been my favorite type of game,” he told Michael Wallace of Grind City Media. “These are games when refs let you play, let you bang, and it gets physical. That’s always been the kind of game I thrive in.”
  • Rookie Antonio Reeves led the Pelicans with 23 points in a loss to Milwaukee on Sunday. The second-round pick out of Kentucky is averaging 13.7 points over the last six games. He’s signed to a three-year, $5.41MM deal.
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Mavericks Notes: Play-In Race, Davis, Powell, Harrison, Cuban

April 7th, 2025 at 5:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Back-to-back losses to the Clippers pushed the Mavericks down to 10th place in the Western Conference standings. They were blasted in the second of those games, 135-104, on Saturday night.

“The biggest message is we got to stay hungry,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said, per Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com (Substack link). “We haven’t achieved anything, even though we’ve been able, with all the injuries and restricted minutes, to keep ourselves in the play-in race. And so, we have to stay hungry.

“We had a big win at home against Atlanta. Unfortunately, we didn’t play up to par here against the Clippers. We have to go back home now, and we have games with the Lakers and Toronto. Hopefully, we can protect home court and we can get a little rhythm going into the play-in.”

Dallas will be fresh for the matchup with the Lakers — they don’t play until Wednesday night.

We have more on the Mavericks:

  • One of the positives out of Saturday’s game is that Anthony Davis produced 27 points and nine rebounds, Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com notes. Davis sat out the first matchup with the Clippers on the front end of the back-to-back. “You look at AD at (power forward), you’d say that we’re going to have the advantage on most nights,” Kidd said. “And that’s going to create the double team or if they play straight up we can win that matchup. He’s always wanted to play the four. And the plan is to keep him at the four, but at the end of the day, you want your best five out there to win the game so sometimes that might mean he slides over to the five (center). He’s a special talent because he can guard one through five. So I believe that him at the four defensively and offensively gives us an advantage to win.”
  • With the team getting some key pieces back in recent weeks, Dwight Powell is eager to see how well former Lakers Davis and Max Christie blend with their new teammates, he told Afseth in an RG.org interview. “Competitors. They’re here for the right reasons, and they want to help us be successful,” Powell said. “That’s all you can ask for in this league. So I’m excited to get everybody kind of get the chemistry going, and I think we’ve seen glimpses and I think we’ll continue to see more. Just excited for everybody to continue to grow together.”
  • In his latest Substack article, Marc Stein describes how the Luka Doncic trade was crafted and examines its aftermath. Stein details how general manager Nico Harrison gained so much power in the front office and why Mark Cuban’s influence on personnel decisions waned.
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Mavericks Notes: Davis, Dinwiddie, Hardy, Gafford

April 6th, 2025 at 9:02am CST by Arthur Hill

The spotlight will be on Luka Doncic‘s return to Dallas when the Lakers meet the Mavericks on Wednesday, but Anthony Davis will also be facing his former teammates. The All-Star big man, who spent five and a half years in L.A. and helped deliver the 2020 NBA title, downplayed the upcoming event after Saturday’s loss to the Clippers.

“No emotions,” Davis responded when asked how he feels about taking on the Lakers (Twitter video link from Melissa Rohlin of Fox Sports).

General manager Nico Harrison’s desire to rebuild his team around Davis was among the motivations for the shocking trade that sent Doncic to L.A. two months ago. Harrison envisioned a tall, talented team that could overpower opponents, but injuries to Davis, Kyrie Irving and others, along with a lack of manpower due to hard cap restrictions, have prevented that from happening.

Instead, Dallas is trying to hang onto a play-in tournament spot with one week left in the regular season. Back-to-back lopsided losses to the Clippers this weekend left the Mavs at 38-41, percentage points better than Sacramento and two games ahead of Phoenix. Aside from Doncic’s homecoming, Wednesday’s game will be important for the Lakers as they try to hold onto the third seed in a crowded Western Conference playoff race.

“It should be electric,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said, per Christian Clark of The Athletic (Twitter link). “I think the fans will be excited to see Luka. We will be excited to figure out how to protect home court.”

There’s more on the Mavericks:

  • Spencer Dinwiddie has surprisingly become the team’s leader in minutes played this season, notes Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. The veteran guard, who was the last player the team signed to a standard contract before the campaign began, has appeared in 77 games and logged 2,071 minutes. “It’s adjustment on the fly,” Dinwiddie said. “My task changes game to game, and sometimes, within the game.”
  • Dinwiddie was the only point guard available on Saturday after as Jaden Hardy was ruled out shortly before tip-off with a right ankle sprain, Curtis adds in a separate story. When Dinwiddie rested, Dallas ran its offense through Davis, Naji Marshall and Caleb Martin, which resulted in 16 turnovers that led to 19 Clippers points. There’s no word on how long Hardy might be sidelined.
  • Daniel Gafford who returned this week from a knee sprain, told Mark Medina of Sportskeeda that the addition of Davis gives the Mavericks a “top-tier defense and top-tier offense.” “With how much gravity he absorbs, he can stretch the floor out,” Gafford said. “So I just have to make plays on the back end. That’s all I got to do, pretty much pick up where he leaves off.”
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Mavericks’ Dereck Lively To Play For First Time In 36 Games

April 2nd, 2025 at 6:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Mavericks center Dereck Lively II is set to return to action for a Wednesday night tilt against Atlanta, per a team press release (via Twitter).

Lively has missed 36 consecutive contests for the Mavericks. The second-year pro has been on the shelf since January 14 with a right ankle stress fracture.

Dallas head coach Jason Kidd told reporters that the 7’1″ big man will be operating on a 15-minute restriction, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link).

Ahead of the postseason, several previously ailing Mavericks are healing. Beyond Lively, fellow big men Anthony Davis and Daniel Gafford recently returned to the lineup.

Among the Mavs’ core rotation, only nine-time All-Star guard Kyrie Irving — arguably the team’s most important player — is out long-term, as he recuperates from surgery to address an ACL tear. Forward P.J. Washington is also out, for now, due to an undisclosed illness.

Before his injury, the Duke alum had taken over starting duties at the five from Gafford early in the season. It remains to be seen how Kidd will ultimately deploy his big man rotation with Davis, Lively and Gafford all having started at center for the team this year.

In his 32 healthy games for the team, including 25 starts, Lively has averaged 9.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.7 blocks per night.

At present, the Mavericks occupy the No. 9 seed in the competitive Western Conference. They’re just a half-game ahead of the No. 10 Kings and two games up on the No. 11 Suns.

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NBA Announces Finalists For Sportsmanship, Teammate Of The Year Awards

April 2nd, 2025 at 2:28pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA announced the 2024/25 finalists for a pair of awards on Wednesday, naming the six players who are eligible to win the Sportsmanship Award for this season, as well as the 12 players who are in the running to be named Teammate of the Year.

The Sportsmanship Award honors the player who “best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court,” per the NBA. Each of the league’s 30 teams nominated one of its players for the award, then a panel of league executives narrows that group to six finalists (one from each division) and current players voted for the winner.

The trophy for the Sportsmanship Award is named after Joe Dumars, the Hall-of-Fame guard who won the inaugural award back in ’95/96. This season’s finalists are as follows (via Twitter):

Holiday is the only one of this year’s finalists for the Sportsmanship Award who has earned the honor in the past — he won it in 2021. Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey won the award last season.

Meanwhile, the NBA also announced its finalists for the Teammate of the Year award for 2024/25. According to the league, the player selected for the honor is “deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on- and off-court leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and commitment and dedication to team.”

The voting process is similar to the Sportsmanship Award — a panel of league executives selects 12 finalists (six from each conference) for the award, then current players vote on the winner.

Holiday is a three-time Teammate of the Year, while Timberwolves guard Mike Conley has also won the award twice, including in 2024. However, neither of those veterans is a finalist this season.

The Teammate of the Year finalists are as follows (via Twitter):

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Mavs’ Gafford Back In Action, Lively Close To Returning

April 1st, 2025 at 12:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Mavericks big man Daniel Gafford returned to action on Monday night against Brooklyn after missing 21 straight games due to a sprained knee and showed no signs of rust in his first game since February 10. In just under 19 minutes on the floor, Gafford racked up 17 points, seven rebounds, and a pair of assists.

It wasn’t all good news for Dallas, as the team dropped a very winnable game against a lottery-bound Nets team. Gafford also wasn’t entirely thrilled with his performance, though he said it felt good to be back in action, adding that he thought he improved over the course of the night.

“It was real important to me (to get back in the lineup). I’ve got a big heart for the game,” Gafford said, per Greg Riddle of The Dallas Morning News. “There were times when I was down, and the people around me kept me motivated. It was a bunch of mess-ups from me early on, but throughout the course of the game, it just started to feel kind of natural again.”

As dispiriting as the Mavericks’ loss was, it didn’t hurt them much in the play-in race, since Sacramento also lost on Monday. The Suns gained a half-game as a result of having the night off, but they have the NBA’s most difficult remaining schedule and will be without their top scorer for at least the next three games.

The 37-39 Mavs currently hold the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference, with a half-game lead on the No. 10 Kings and a 1.5-game cushion on No. 11 Phoenix. And after getting Gafford back on Monday, they should have another key contributor available soon — big man Dereck Lively, sidelined since January 14 with a stress fracture in his ankle, was listed as questionable vs. Brooklyn before being ruled out. Head coach Jason Kidd said the second-year center is “trending” toward returning this week, according to Riddle.

Assuming they have Anthony Davis, Gafford, and Lively available during the home stretch of the regular season, the Mavericks figure to lean pretty heavily on lineups featuring multiple big men. As Christian Clark of The Athletic writes, Davis said after Monday’s loss that it was the first time he has been part of a two-big lineup for an entire game and that he still needs to get used to it. However, he and Gafford are both excited about the possibilities.

“It’s an advantage we have, having two bigs,” Davis said, according to Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com. “They’re going to switch or blitz and with his ability to jump and put pressure on the rim, it’s going to be open.”

“The thing that excites me is when it comes to certain parts of the game defensively, we are going to go through the roof,” Gafford added, per Clark. “Offensively, I need to be in the right spot at the right time. It makes my job easier. I just have to get better at guarding guys on the perimeter.”

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