Dallas Mavericks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Notes: Vonleh, Smith Jr., Tanking, Prospects

January 20th, 2019 at 11:41am CST by Arthur Hill

Noah Vonleh has achieved his goal of re-establishing himself with the Knicks, but their partnership may not last beyond the February 7 trade deadline, writes Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. Vonleh was looking for playing time when he chose New York last summer instead of the Spurs, Bucks or Cavaliers. He joined the Knicks on a one-year, partially guaranteed contract and has turned in his best NBA season, averaging 8.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game while shooting better than 40% from 3-point range.

“A lot of talented players in the NBA don’t get to showcase certain things because that’s not how the team views them — they already got guys that can do that,” Vonleh said. “So the opportunity and the role is here, so I’m able to showcase some of the things. Coach (David Fizdale) said he has confidence in me, and that’s a big part. If your coach has confidence in you, ain’t no telling where you can go in this league. Sky’s the limit.”

However, Vonleh’s contract status brings some uncertainty to his situation. The Knicks don’t have his Bird Rights, so there’s no advantage to keeping him for the rest of the season. They will have the cap space to bid on him in free agency, although they are hoping to use that money on a top-level talent. A few teams have expressed interest in dealing for Vonleh, sources tell Vorkunov, although the Knicks haven’t said if they’re open to a trade.

There’s more out of New York:

It doesn’t appear the Knicks are interested in a second chance at Dennis Smith Jr., according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. New York bypassed Smith in the 2017 draft to take Frank Ntilikina and hasn’t pursued him despite rumors that he might be available in the midst of a troubled second season in Dallas. A source tells Berman that the Knicks asked about the Mavericks about Smith before the season, but “not recently.”
Despite reforming the rules for the draft lottery, the NBA is still faced with a four-team tanking race for the rest of the season, Berman notes in a separate story. The teams with the three worst records will have an equal shot at landing the top pick, and the Knicks are in that competition with the Cavaliers, Suns and Bulls. New York has dropped 17 of its past 19 games to move into third place in our latest Reverse Standings, but all four teams are separated by just two games.
In another piece, Berman examines the top five prospects the Knicks will be looking at if they land a high lottery pick. He places the Duke trio of Zion Williamson, Cam Reddish and R.J. Barrett and as the top three, followed by Murray State guard Ja Morant and Virginia forward De’Andre Hunter.

Texas Notes: Smith Jr., Barea, Nene, Gasol

January 19th, 2019 at 10:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle is willing to welcome Dennis Smith Jr. back to the team whenever he’s ready, relays Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Smith hasn’t played in the past four games — officially because of back soreness and an illness — and didn’t join the Mavs for their current road trip. He also didn’t report for Friday’s practice.

“This is just my feeling, is that he’s being told to stay away for whatever reason,” Carlisle said on his weekly radio show. “I just don’t want people out there to think he is snubbing the Mavs or anything like that. This is just my opinion, I believe there’s business stuff going on, and he’s being told to stay away. Listen, if that’s what they feel is in his best interests, he should trust his advisers. But it’s unlike him not to want to be with his teammates. I do feel strongly that people should not look at Dennis in this situation now and judge him harshly, that he’s doing something against his teammates or the Mavs or anything like that. I just think this is a business-type situation, and this is what he’s being advised to do.”

Sources told MacMahon that Smith is frustrated over changes to his role on the team with the arrival of Luka Doncic, but the Mavericks remain hopeful for a reconciliation. Smith’s agent, Glenn Schwartzman, didn’t return text messages and phone calls seeking a comment. Carlisle said he also reached out to Smith and Schwartzman.

There’s more NBA news out of Texas:

Mavericks guard J.J. Barea expects to be out of action for six to nine months after surgery to fix a torn right Achilles tendon, tweets Dwain Price of Mavs.com. The 34-year-old, who suffered the injury last week, will be a free agent this summer.
The Rockets won’t ask Nene to play more minutes with starting center Clint Capela sidelined after thumb surgery, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. The team expects to bolster its frontcourt by signing Kenneth Faried once he clears waivers Monday. “Coach has a plan,” Nene said. “We have other big men. We have young big men, too. They will get those minutes. Coach will decide when I am going to play.”
Pau Gasol has been back in the Spurs‘ starting lineup in four of the past five games, but the move hasn’t resulted in more playing time, notes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express News. He has averaged just 11 minutes per game during that stretch. “At this point, I’m just doing my best with the opportunity and the conditions I am playing under,” Gasol said.

Mavs Awarded Disabled Player Exception

January 18th, 2019 at 6:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The NBA has awarded the Mavericks a Disabled Player Exception of $1.85MM due to J.J. Barea‘s Achilles injury, Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

The Mavericks have until March 11 to use the exception.

Unlike mid-level, bi-annual, or trade exceptions, the disabled player exception can only be used on a single player. However, a team can use it in a variety of ways — the DPE can be used to sign a free agent, to claim a player off waivers, or to acquire a player in a trade. Because it’s designed to replace an injured player for a single season, a DPE can only be used to sign or acquire a player on a rest-of-season contract.

A disabled player exception doesn’t provide a team with an extra roster spot, so the Mavs – who are carrying a full 15-man roster – must create an opening in order to use it.

The veteran guard underwent season-ending surgery on his torn right Achilles on Monday after suffering the injury a week ago.

If a player is seriously injured, his team can request a disabled player exception to replace him. In order for the exception to be granted, an NBA-designated physician must determine that the player is “substantially more likely than not” to be sidelined through at least June 15. If granted, the disabled player exception allows a club to sign a replacement player for 50% of the injured player’s salary, or for the amount of the non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception, whichever is lesser.

In Barea’s case, the exception is modest — 50% of his $3,710,850 salary.

Deveney’s Latest: D. Smith Jr., Nuggets, J. Parker

January 18th, 2019 at 1:21pm CST by Arthur Hill

Teams that might otherwise be interested in trading for the Mavericks‘ Dennis Smith Jr. may prefer to try their luck with a talented crop of point guards in free agency, writes Sean Deveney of Sporting News. The Magic and Suns, who have been mentioned in trade rumors involving Smith, will both have cap room available this summer and could try to upgrade at the position without giving up any assets.

Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker will headline this year’s class, which will also feature D’Angelo Russell and Terry Rozier. They are all more traditional point guards than Smith, who was bumped out of that position in Dallas when the Mavericks drafted Luka Doncic.

“He is very athletic, but he’s not a playmaker and not a great shooter,” a front office executive said of DSJ, per Deveney. “If you have money under the cap this offseason, there are other guys you can pursue who fit better, who can pass and score.”

There are also concerns that Smith is already clashing with management midway through his second season in the league, Deveney adds. Dallas is reluctant to give up on such a talented young player a year after taking him with the No. 9 pick, but another source says he will eventually be traded, whether it happens before the February 7 deadline or sometime in the future.

Deveney shares a couple more trade-related rumors:

The Nuggets may be willing to use their trade exceptions to help improve their defense. After some early-season progress, Denver has been allowing 115.3 points per 100 possessions over the past 15 games, placing the team 29th in the league. The Nuggets have three active trade exceptions, worth $13.7MM, $12.8MM and $5.9MM. They can’t be combined, but any of them could be enticing for teams looking to get rid of salary before the deadline.
Jabari Parker‘s return to the Bulls‘ rotation came more out of need than coach Jim Boylen’s declaration that he has displayed more effort in practice. Deveney claims that Chicago’s front office hasn’t made any progress in its effort to trade Parker and needs him back on the floor to help spark some interest. The former No. 2 overall pick has responded by averaging 14.7 PPG in 18.0 minutes per night over past three games.
The Bulls have no desire to accept salary beyond this season, so Deveney speculates that in order to move Parker, a three-team deal might be necessary with an under-the-cap team involved. Deveney also notes that the Knicks and Pelicans have expressed interest, but Chicago doesn’t want Courtney Lee or Solomon Hill, who are both signed through next season.

DSJ Absent For Practice; Mavs Unlikely To Offer Jordan Long-Term Deal

January 18th, 2019 at 10:59am CST by Luke Adams

Mavericks guard Dennis Smith Jr. didn’t report to the team’s facility for practice this morning, a source tells Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com (Twitter link). According to MacMahon, that wasn’t an unexpected development, since Smith isn’t expected to join the Mavs on their upcoming road trip, as we relayed on Thursday night.

While the relationship between Smith and the Mavericks doesn’t appear to be in a great place, the club is – at least for now – willing to be patient and to do the work necessary to mend fences, MacMahon writes. Smith’s camp seems to prefer a trade, but it may be in the 21-year-old’s best interests to try to work things out with Dallas in the short term. The Mavs are unlikely to receive any favorable trade offers for him right now, so getting back on the court and accepting the role Rick Carlisle envisions for him could help Smith rebuild his value.

NBA sources don’t believe that the Mavericks will offer DeAndre Jordan the multiyear contract that he and his agent will be seeking during the 2019 offseason, reports Mac Engel of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. As Engel observes, it would be much easier for Dallas to let Jordan walk in the offseason if the team could acquire his potential replacement in a Smith deal.

Kings Interested In Harrison Barnes

January 17th, 2019 at 10:39pm CST by JD Shaw

The Kings have interest in Harrison Barnes ahead of the February 7 trade deadline, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (hat tip RealGM).

Barnes is currently in the third season of a four-year, $94MM deal with the Mavericks. His contract contains a $25.1MM player option for the 2019/20 season, with the 26-year-old averaging 18.1 points per game on 41% shooting this year.

“I know the Kings would love to have Harrison Barnes,” Windhorst stated on the Hoop Collective Podcast. “Whether or not that can work out? I don’t know.”

Sacramento was on a three-game win streak entering Thursday’s loss to Charlotte, holding a 23-22 record just over the halfway point of the season. The team sports a young, dynamic core of De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Marvin Bagley lll and others.

The Kings were also said to be eyeing Wizards forward Otto Porter Jr. back in November, according to The Athletic’s Jason Jones. Porter is set to make $26MM this season and $27.2MM next season.

Dennis Smith Jr. Hasn’t Requested Trade From Mavs

January 17th, 2019 at 7:57pm CST by JD Shaw

The Mavericks and Dennis Smith Jr. have held positive discussions in recent days, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who also adds that Smith hasn’t requested a trade to this point.

ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported earlier in the day that Dallas hopes to reconcile and move forward with Smith on the roster, despite shopping the 2017 lottery pick in recent weeks. Teams have yet to give the Mavericks a tempting trade package for Smith, with the 21-year-old expressing interest in moving on from the team and finding a new situation, according to MacMahon.

The fractured relationship between Smith and coach Rick Carlisle is partially to blame for this mess, with team officials characterizing the relationship as a veteran coach being demanding of a young player to ultimately help his development, MacMahon added.

Smith missed the Mavs’ game on Wednesday due to an illness, sitting out the previous three games with what the team listed as a “sore back”. The Mavericks don’t expect him to join them for their two-game road trip against the Pacers on Saturday and Bucks on Monday, MacMahon reports (Twitter link).

Dallas has other contracts that could be used in trades — particularly Wesley Matthews, Salah Mejri and the injured J.J. Barea — but is clearly motivated to keep Smith on the roster and see how the pairing of him and young star Luka Doncic pans out in the longterm.

The NBA’s annual trade deadline falls on Feb. 7 at 3:00 pm ET this season.

Mavericks Notes: Smith Jr., Trades, Doncic

January 17th, 2019 at 5:32pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The struggle between Dennis Smith Jr. and Rick Carlisle continues, though the Mavericks still hold hope that they can reconcile the situation. Smith is reportedly unhappy with his in-season role change and the push for appears to be coming from DSJ’s camp.

The Mavs want the former No. 9 overall pick, who hasn’t played in over a week because of back issues and an “illness,” to return to the court on their terms but it’s not as if the team is making DSJ sit in the corner on every play. Carlisle has attempted to call specific plays with the intent of getting Smith in rhythm and the combo guard would break off the play and improvise, a scout tells Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Both sides are clearly frustrated. Luka Doncic has certainly outshined Smith and there isn’t room for both of them to be the primary play-maker. As we wait to see if a resolution occurs, let’s take a look at more notes from Dallas:

Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com examines what the market would look like for Smith. Pelton believes a high lottery pick would be too much to give up for a point guard with years of progress to go before becoming a top player.
Doncic has been a more effective scorer this season when spending more time off the ball and next to Smith, Pelton explains in the same piece. Doncic has a higher true shooting percentage in those situations and with Carlisle’s propensity to play multiple point guards at the same time, concerns about the two fitting together may be overblown. Pelton argues that if the Mavericks trade Smith and use the Doncic-Smith fit as a scapegoat, it could in fact simply be a cover for a decision that the Mavericks would have made regardless of how the two meshed.
In the same piece, Pelton takes a look at all the former top-10 picks since 2012 that have switched teams before the end of their second season. Outside of Buddy Hield in Sacramento, it’s easy to argue that no team was thrilled with the production it received when trading for a former top-10 pick. Thomas Robinson, Anthony Bennett, Nik Stauskas, Noah Vonleh, and Kris Dunn conclude the list.

Mavs Hope To Reconcile With Dennis Smith Jr.

January 17th, 2019 at 2:51pm CST by Luke Adams

2:51pm: The trade issue is being pushed from Smith’s side rather than the Mavs’ side, multiple sources tell Townsend, who confirms (via Twitter) that DSJ isn’t thrilled by the change in his role this season.

2:36pm: After reports earlier this week suggested that the Mavericks were ramping up their efforts to trade Dennis Smith Jr., the team is now hoping to reconcile with its frustrated second-year guard and move forward with Smith on its roster, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com.

As MacMahon details, the Mavs have explored the trade market for Smith for much of the season, and still sound open to making a move if they get good value for him. However, the team believes the 2017 lottery pick can develop into a star and won’t move him without getting a significant return, sources tell MacMahon.

“Plan A is still to fix this,” one Mavs source told ESPN.

Those reports from earlier in the week indicated that Smith’s uncertain fit alongside Luka Doncic and his relationship with head coach Rick Carlisle were among the reasons why the Mavericks were pursuing a trade. In his latest report, MacMahon confirms that both of those issues have been frustrating for Smith, who has “recently expressed that he hopes to be traded.”

Multiple team sources downplayed the friction between Smith and Carlisle, according to MacMahon, who writes that the club chalks it up to typical growing pains for a young player. Carlisle would welcome the opportunity to continue coaching the 21-year-old, MacMahon adds. Still, Tim Cato of The Athletic notes (via Twitter) that the Mavs want to retain Smith on their own terms, playing the role Carlisle envisions for him.

If Smith’s camp isn’t on board with that plan or if the Mavs receive a favorable offer, the trade chatter surrounding the guard could increase once again. In fact, one league source suggests to Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link) that the club isn’t necessarily convinced that fences can be mended with Smith.

Nonetheless, the Mavs don’t want to be forced into a bad deal, so for now it looks like the franchise will try its best to make things work with one of its top young prospects.

Latest Dennis Smith Jr. Trade Rumors

January 15th, 2019 at 11:06am CST by Luke Adams

Trade discussions involving Dennis Smith Jr. have “accelerated” to the point that it would be surprising if the Mavericks don’t make a deal, a team source tells Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported on Monday that the Mavs’ trade talks for Smith had ramped up.

According to Townsend’s source, neither Smith nor his agent has requested a trade out of Dallas. “[But] if something is out there, they wouldn’t be opposed to it,” the source said of Smith’s camp. “I think this is kind of figuring out what the win-win is.”

Townsend writes that three primary factors are contributing to the Mavericks’ efforts to find a possible new home for Smith. Luka Doncic‘s rapid ascension is an important factor, as is the fact that trade offers for Smith have “escalated” recently, per Townsend. The third factor is Smith’s relationship with head coach Rick Carlisle. In his Monday report, Wojnarowski wrote that Carlisle and Smith “have struggled to find a common ground,” adding that the head coach has “often been frustrated” with the second-year guard’s decision-making.

“On a scale of one-to-10, it’s certainly not a zero,” one Mavericks source told Townsend, referring to the Carlisle-Smith relationship. “It not a zero with any player. But I wouldn’t say it’s a 10, either. It’s a factor, but it’s not something that can’t be figured out if we end up moving forward with what we have, which is honestly what we want to do.”

Wojnarowski’s initial report cited the Magic and Suns as two teams in the mix for Smith. Townsend agrees that Orlando is “heavily” involved, but suggests Phoenix is not. That echoes a report from John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7, who said on Monday night that the Suns don’t have any real interest in Smith.

A subsequent report identified the Pistons as another potential suitor for Smith, and Rod Beard of The Detroit News confirms (via Twitter) that there’s at least some “mild” interest from Detroit. However, Beard notes that the cost may be a first-round pick, plus other assets, and it’s not clear if the Pistons would be willing to surrender their 2019 first-rounder and more in a deal for the 2017 lottery pick.