- After a two-week absence from the Mavericks‘ lineup, Dennis Smith Jr. returned on Tuesday and had head coach Rick Carlisle raving about his performance, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com writes. Carlisle said Smith gave the Mavs “everything we needed,” while Luka Doncic was happy to see his teammate back in the lineup, writes Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. Despite the positive vibes, Tim Cato of The Athletic doesn’t believe much has changed about how the two sides feel, writing that DSJ would probably still welcome a trade and Dallas will likely continue to probe the market.
The Cavaliers have begun searching for a permanent head coach for 2019/20 and beyond, and Larry Drew isn’t believed to be a serious candidate, according to a report from Joe Vardon and Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. While Drew has served as Cleveland’s interim coach since Tyronn Lue‘s dismissal earlier this season, he’s unsure he’d want to return next season and doesn’t appear likely to be asked, per Vardon and Lloyd.
“I don’t know if I ever want to be a head coach again after this year,” said Drew, who has dealt with a constant stream of injuries since Lue’s ouster, guiding the Cavs to a 9-34 record.
According to Vardon and Lloyd, the Cavaliers will likely seek a first-time NBA head coach who has experience developing players and/or coaching in the G League. The club hasn’t yet begun reaching out to candidates or their agents, since the search is still in its infancy. However, The Athletic duo identifies six candidates who have ties to the Cavs or GM Koby Altman and could be fits. Those six candidates are:
- Nuggets assistant Jordi Fernandez
- Hornets assistant Steve Hetzel
- Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin
- Hawks assistant Chris Jent
- Mavericks assistant Jamahl Mosley
- Jazz assistant Alex Jensen
It’s not entirely clear whether Vardon and Lloyd are just speculating based on the criteria outlined by the Cavs and Altman’s history with those coaches, or if they have inside info on the club’s wish list. Either way, it seems safe to assume that at least a few of those assistants will receive consideration from Cleveland.
For now, Drew is still running the show and the 60-year-old coach admits that he’s happy Lue was let go early in the season — not because he wanted to supplant Lue, but because he believes the Cavs’ struggles this year would have been hard on the team’s former head coach, who battled stress and health issues last season.
“I wouldn’t want to see him go through this,” Drew said. “I wouldn’t want him to go through it from a physical and mental standpoint after some of the things that he went through. He deserves better after having won a championship. He deserves much, much better.”
When the Cavs initially replaced Lue with Drew, he resisted taking on the title of interim head coach until the team gave him a raise and a small financial guarantee for next season. Several months later, he still doesn’t sound like someone who wanted the job to begin with, as Vardon and Lloyd relay.
“I wasn’t looking to do this. I was not looking to do this at all,” Drew said. “But it happened. Ain’t a whole lot you can do about it.”
It’s unclear how serious the Dennis Smith Jr. trade talks between the Magic and Mavericks have gotten, writes Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. However, at least one rival NBA front office official believes Smith would make a lot of sense as a target for Orlando.
“Their priority should be a starting point guard,” the official said of the Magic. “Those guys don’t grow on trees, and Dennis Smith is pretty alluring because when are you going to get (a starting point guard otherwise)?”
As Robbins observes, there will be a couple intriguing point guard prospects – Murray State’s Ja Morant and Vanderbilt’s Darius Garland – near the top of the draft, but it’s not clear if the Magic will pick high enough to have a shot at either one — and the point guard class isn’t particularly strong after those two. Currently, Orlando ranks seventh in our 2018/19 Reverse Standings.
Robbins doesn’t go too in-depth on potential free agent targets for the Magic, but suggests it seems “unrealistic” that the team will land a marquee point guard in free agency. Most of 2019’s top free agent point guards are either restricted free agents (like D’Angelo Russell and Terry Rozier) or aren’t expected to consider Orlando (Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker).
Here’s more on the Magic from Robbins:
- Within his discussion of the DSJ rumors, Robbins notes that the Mavericks were interested in Jonathan Isaac in 2017, but Orlando remains “strongly disinclined to give him up.” The Magic also haven’t shown any signs that they’re willing to trade Aaron Gordon, sources tell Robbins.
- Exploring the possibility of a Nikola Vucevic trade, Robbins wonders what sort of impact a Vooch trade would have on the long-term development of Isaac, Gordon, and Mohamed Bamba. Robbins also questions whether the Magic would trade Vucevic in a deal for a first-round pick that falls outside of the lottery and wouldn’t necessarily change the club’s long-term outlook significantly.
- In a separate story on the Magic, Robbins posits that the franchise hasn’t found a “star-quality player” to replace Dwight Howard since losing him back in 2012. Head coach Steve Clifford drew attention to the star-shaped hole on Orlando’s roster after Wednesday’s loss to Brooklyn, pointing out that the Magic don’t have a player who can be relied upon to score a basket or make a play in crunch time. “It’s the most important thing that you can have in any NBA game: a guy that can go get a shot or create help so his teammate gets a shot,” Clifford said. “It’s the No. 1 thing that you want.”
Enes Kanter‘s frustration with his diminished role in the Knicks‘ rotation reached a boiling point on Wednesday night after he received his first DNP-CD of the season in the team’s loss to Houston. As Marc Berman of The New York Post relays, Kanter said that what the Knicks are doing to him is “pretty messed up.”
“They told me this morning that I’m starting,” Kanter said of the Knicks’ coaching staff. “Now I come to the game and I didn’t even play. I’m trying to be a good teammate, but I want to play basketball. If you’re going to play me here, play me. If not, just get me out of here.”
With his minutes fluctuating over the last month or so as the Knicks focus more on developing their young players, Kanter has already expressed annoyance about his role multiple times. However, he took it to a new level on Wednesday by calling on the club to “get me out of here” if it doesn’t plan to play him.
With Luke Kornet sidelined due to an ankle injury, Kanter appeared set to return to the starting lineup and play regular minutes going forward. However, New York instead opted to start Noah Vonleh at center, with Mitchell Robinson backing him up. The duo handled all the center minutes during Wednesday’s tough four-point loss to the Rockets, leaving Kanter to vent to reporters after the game.
“It’s so frustrating,” Kanter said, per Berman. “In the meeting, [head coach David Fizdale] said I was starting. Now it’s coming here and coming to the game ready to go and I sit on the bench. … I deserve way better. They didn’t explain me anything. I’m just going to let my agent handle it. I love the Knicks, don’t get me wrong. I love the crowd and MSG and have love for this city, but I want to play basketball. Either play me or just let me play someplace.”
Although Kanter is on an expiring contract, he’s earning $18.6MM+ this season, which will make him difficult to move, since the Knicks don’t want to take on any extra 2019/20 money. The Knicks and Bulls have reportedly discussed a deal involving Kanter and Jabari Parker, who has a $20MM expiring contract of his own, but they’ve been unable to find a third team willing to take Kanter.
The Mavericks were among the teams that turned down the chance to be the third team in such a deal, tweets Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Presumably, Wesley Matthews‘ expiring salary – which is identical to Kanter’s – would have been included in that proposal.
Asked today about the report that the Grizzlies are open to listening to trade inquiries on them, Marc Gasol and Mike Conley told reporters, including David Cobb of The Memphis Commercial Appeal, that they’re in wait-and-see mode since those discussions are out of their hands. Conley also confirmed that he received a phone call from owner Robert Pera on Tuesday confirming that the team is listening to offers, as Cobb notes.
“When I signed back a couple years ago, that’s a thought that goes through your head that, ‘Man, I could play in the same place for 14 or 15 years,'” Conley said. “That’d be awesome, and hopefully retire one day as a Grizzly. You also understand that in three, four years a lot can happen and a lot can change. Memphis is all I know. This is my home. I love everybody here and my teammates and the organization. I don’t know any better. This is new grounds for me, so we’ll just see how it plays out.”
Gasol, who also expressed a love for Memphis and said that being traded wouldn’t change how he feels about the city and the fans, was surprised to hear that Conley’s name was being mentioned in trade rumors alongside his own, since the veteran point guard remains under contract for multiple seasons.
“I don’t understand why Mike is in those talks either,” Gasol said, per Cobb. “Mike is one heck of a player, and we’re going to need good players moving forward. I don’t understand why Mike is in this.”
Let’s round up a few more notes on Gasol, Conley, and the Grizzlies…
- Chris Mannix of SI.com writes that the Grizzlies may have waited too long to make Gasol and Conley available, and suggests – based on a survey of NBA team executives – that the duo’s trade value probably won’t be all that high. “Marc, defensively, is pretty limited,” an Eastern scout told Mannix. “Physically, he can’t stay in front of a lot of switches.” A Western exec offered a more optimistic assessment of Conley’s stock: “They could get something for Conley. He’s healthy, and there are a lot of teams desperate for a point guard. They play it right, he could get them a lottery pick.”
- Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian identifies a series of hypothetical trade partners for the Grizzlies in a Gasol or Conley trade, arguing that the Mavericks look like the “cleanest” fit for Conley, since Dennis Smith Jr. and Wesley Matthews‘ expiring contract would be a good starting point. That’s just Herrington’s speculation though.
- Omari Sankofa II of The Athletic takes an in-depth look at the Grizzlies’ trade deadline options, proposing some hypothetical swaps involving Conley and Gasol and identifying Garrett Temple and JaMychal Green as possible trade chips.
- Earlier today, Shams Charania of The Athletic passed along some Grizzlies-related trade rumors, reporting that the team has attempted to engage the Hawks on a deal involving Chandler Parsons and that Green is expected to generate interest around the league.
As Shams Charania of The Athletic details in his latest round-up of trade rumors from around the NBA, there still aren’t many clear-cut sellers out there, which may limit activity leading up to the February 7 deadline. However, clubs like the Wizards and Magic still haven’t made any decisions one way or the other and could end up being sellers if they’re trending downward a couple weeks from now, says Charania.
The Wizards have made it “adamantly clear” the Bradley Beal isn’t going anywhere, league sources tell Charania. Otto Porter could be more available though, according to Charania, who hears that the Jazz are among the clubs to show interest in Porter.
The Hornets are another team competing for one of the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spots and – like the Wizards – have made it clear that they don’t intend to move their star guard. Nonetheless, teams have tested the Hornets on Kemba Walker, says Charania, citing sources who say that the Mavericks recently inquired on Walker and were told Charlotte wants to keep him.
Charania’s article includes many more rumors on the trade market, so let’s round up some of the highlights…
- Despite indicating they’re willing to listen to inquiries on Marc Gasol and Mike Conley, Grizzlies officials told players on Tuesday that the team remains committed to winning and to tune out any trade noise, writes Charania. Elsewhere on the Memphis front, JaMychal Green is expected to attract significant trade interest and the Grizzlies have attempted to engage the Hawks about a Chandler Parsons deal, Charania reports.
- Charania adds the Knicks and Lakers to the list of teams that discussed a possible Dennis Smith Jr. trade with the Mavericks. The Magic are also on that list.
- In addition to discussing deals involving veterans like Kent Bazemore and Dewayne Dedmon, the Hawks may also consider moving younger players such as Taurean Prince and Tyler Dorsey, says Charania.
- According to Charania, the Thunder plan to explore ways to use their traded player exception, which is worth nearly $11MM. Oklahoma City is reportedly seeking a forward who can shoot, though acquiring a player without sending out any salary would increase the club’s tax bill exponentially.
- The Sixers are seeking a wing shooter and a center, sources tell Charania.
- Cavaliers swingman Rodney Hood has emerged as a “targeted” trade asset, according to Charania, who identifies the Pelicans, Thunder, and Bucks as some of the teams that have scoured the market for wing help.
The Carmelo Anthony trade between the Rockets and Bulls is still expected to get done at some point soon, but the trade call has yet to take place, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times. According to Stein, the deal may have to be amended due to a discrepancy involving the rights to a draft-and-stash player.
In addition to receiving Anthony and cash in the trade, the Bulls are also expected to receive the rights to Marko Todorovic, while the Rockets receive Tadija Dragicevic‘s rights, per Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. However, according to Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), the NBA has made an effort to crack down on swaps that include a player who aren’t expected to ever come stateside. It’s not clear if those efforts will impact what the Rockets/Bulls swap ultimately looks like.
Let’s round up a few more items from out of the Southwest…
- Within an article about DeMarcus Cousins‘ free agency and his debut with Golden State, the big man admits to Shams Charania of The Athletic that he hasn’t forgotten about how his time with the Pelicans playing alongside Anthony Davis ended. “I think about our pairing all the time,” Cousins said. “Me and A.D. talk about it. It’s f—ed up. It could’ve been something great, something special, but other people had different things in mind. That’s out of our control, and you never know what’ll happen later on down the line.”
- After sitting on the bench in Denver and Brooklyn, Kenneth Faried is happy to have an opportunity to play an actual role for the Rockets, as Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle details. “The coaches and team believe in me,” Faried said. “They want me to come out and do what I do. I’m excited to be here.”
- The Mavericks are listing Dennis Smith Jr. as a probable starter for his return game tonight, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, who tweets that the club never discussed a possible move to the bench with Smith before his sabbatical.
- Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic has been fined $10K for kicking the game ball into the stands during Saturday’s game, the NBA announced today in a press release.
For a second consecutive season, the NBA’s trade deadline will fall earlier in the calendar year than it has in the past. The February 7 deadline arrives well before the All-Star break, whereas as recently as 2017, the All-Star Game took place several days before the deadline.
As Danny Leroux of The Athletic writes, the earlier deadline could have some unintended consequences. For one, the buyer/seller ratio is one-sided — so many teams are still within striking distance of the top eight in their respective conferences that there may only be a handful of full-fledged sellers, while most of the rest of the league’s teams will be buyers.
Leroux points to the Magic as one example of a team that could be impacted significantly by the early deadline. Despite an underwhelming 19-27 record, Orlando is still just three games out of the No. 8 seed in the East. With a couple extra weeks to evaluate their playoff odds, perhaps the Magic would be more inclined to sell off pieces like Nikola Vucevic, Terrence Ross, and Jonathon Simmons. If the team is still in the postseason hunt by February 7 though, those players may stay put.
If trade activity is somewhat tepid at this season’s deadline, the NBA should consider re-evaluating its calendar for future seasons, Leroux writes.
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Which teams will have cap room during the summer of 2019? In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Bobby Marks previews the market, identifying the clubs that figure to have the most flexibility – like the Mavericks, Pacers, Hawks, and Kings – along with a few teams that could be “wild cards” (the Pelicans, Jazz, and Bucks).
- Elsewhere in ESPN’s Insider-only section, Jonathan Givony recently published a two-part feature examining several of the top international draft prospects, including Georgian big man Goga Bitadze and Lithuanian forward Deividas Sirvydis, among others. Bitadze and Sirvydis rank 31st and 33rd on Givony’s most recent big board for 2019.
- In the wake of the NBA’s annual trip to London last week, Mark Woods of ESPN.com explores the effect that a homegrown British basketball star might impact the perception of the NBA in the United Kingdom. As Woods outlines, British basketball is still waiting for its first high-profile star, while other European countries like Germany (Dirk Nowitzki), France (Tony Parker), and Spain (the Gasol brothers) have had major NBA success stories over the last couple decades.
- Dennis Smith Jr.’s decision to rejoin Mavericks on Tuesday was mostly about damage control and protecting his future value, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Smith realized after talking to coach Rick Carlisle it was in his best interests to return, rather than the club making up excuses about him being ill, MacMahon said. It’s unlikely that the Mavs will find a palatable deal before the deadline but those talks can be revisited and new suitors could emerge during the offseason if he finishes strong, MacMahon adds (Twitter links).
- Wesley Matthews has heard the trade chatter about getting thrown into a potential deal involving Smith but he’s handling it professionally, as he explained to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News. Matthews has an expiring $18.6MM contract and the Mavs are reportedly searching for deals with his contract as bait. “I don’t want anybody to feel sorry for me,” Matthews said. “No one’s supposed to feel sorry for me. I didn’t get into this business with people feeling sorry for me. No one felt sorry for me when I wasn’t drafted. No one felt sorry for me when I tore my Achilles. … There’s bigger things than trade rumors and hater fans and all that [expletive]. That’s never going to affect me.”
Amidst reports of tension in the Mavericks‘ locker room between head coach Rick Carlisle and Dennis Smith Jr. – which led to reports that Smith was being put on the trading block – it appears that tension has subsided.
Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium is reporting (via Twitter) that Carlisle and Smith spoke on the phone and were able to have productive conversations. Smith will, in turn, report back to the team on Tuesday. Charania also tweeted that Carlisle apologized to Smith and expressed his remorse over the situation.
The Mavericks play the Clippers on Tuesday and the plan is for Smith to play in that game, which will be his first game since January 7.
For the season, Smith is averaging 12.6 points and 3.9 assists per game while shooting 37.5% on 3-pointers, a significant improvement from last season. While the Mavericks may continue to look for possible trades involving Smith, it appears tensions have calmed down for now.