Mavericks Rumors

Harrison Barnes May Miss Preseason

A hamstring injury could force Mavericks forward Harrison Barnes to sit out the entire preseason, tweets Tim Cato of The Athletic. Barnes tweaked the hamstring in practice and will be sidelined “for a while,” head coach Rick Carlisle confirmed.

Barnes definitely won’t play in Saturday’s preseason opener or on the upcoming trip to China, adds Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). His condition will be re-evaluated in seven to 10 days, adds Dwain Price of Mavs.com (Twitter link).

Barnes was among the Mavericks’ most important players last season, posting 18.9 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 2.0 assists in 77 games. He can become a free agent next summer by opting out of a $25.1MM salary for 2019/20.

Jimmy Butler Rumors: Taylor, Thibodeau, Mavs

As ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported earlier today, there has been some confusion among potential Jimmy Butler suitors who have spoken to the Timberwolves, since it’s not clear if Minnesota’s ownership and management groups are on the same page when it comes to a Butler trade. Over at The Athletic, Jon Krawczynski’s latest report on the Butler situation touches many of the same bases that Wojnarowski’s did, with a few new details included.

After Tom Thibodeau met with Butler in the hopes of convincing him to report to the Timberwolves, Butler sought out owner Glen Taylor to receive assurances that the club was actually making “good faith efforts” to trade him, sources tell Krawczynski.

According to Krawczynski’s report, Butler’s camp has conveyed his dissatisfaction with the situation in Minnesota throughout the offseason — his representatives talked to Thibodeau in July about the 29-year-old’s unwillingness to re-sign long-term with the franchise, and Butler conveyed that same message to the head coach in August when Thibodeau visited him in California. However, there’s no indication that Butler requested a trade until last week.

Here are a few more of the latest items on Butler:

  • Asked again today about Butler, Thibodeau sounded more open than ever to the idea of moving on from his All-NBA swingman. “We’re going to honor his request,” Thibodeau said, per Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (video link). “But we’re not going to do a bad deal. … We’re trying to make the best deal for the Timberwolves. … That’s what my job is. That’s what [GM] Scott [Layden]‘s job is. Obviously, a move of this magnitude, Glen’s involved in it too.”
  • Despite Thibodeau saying the right things about Butler publicly, Chris Hine of The Star Tribune hears from a source that the Timberwolves‘ head coach and president of basketball operations remains reluctant to make a deal.
  • It’s probably safe to cross the Mavericks off the list of possible suitors for Butler, according to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News, who hears from a high-ranking Mavs official that “he’s not coming here.”
  • Thibodeau took a risk on Butler and got burned, writes Chip Scoggins of The Star Tribune, noting that the “clock is ticking” on Thibs to prove that he can make Plan B work for the Timberwolves.

Dirk Nowitzki's Role In Potential Last Season

  • While Mavericks big man Dirk Nowitzki has made no clear indications that this upcoming season will be his last, Rick Carlisle told Dwain Price of Mavs.com (Twitter link) that he believes there’s a real chance Nowitzki will call it quits after this campaign. If Nowitzki does indeed retire after the 2018/19 season, he will join another future Hall-of-Famer in Dwyane Wade, who announced that this upcoming season will be his last.

2018 Offseason In Review: Dallas Mavericks

Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2018 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2018/19 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Dallas Mavericks.

Signings:

Trades:

Draft picks:

  • 1-3: Luka Doncic — Signed to rookie contract.
  • 2-33: Jalen Brunson — Signed to four-year, $6.11MM contract. First three years guaranteed. Signed using cap space.
  • 2-56: Ray Spalding — Signed to four-year, minimum salary contract. First year guaranteed. Signed using cap space.
  • 2-60: Kostas Antetokounmpo — Signed to two-way contract.

Departing players:

Other offseason news:

  • Sanctioned by NBA for workplace misconduct by former and current employees.

Salary cap situation:

  • Used cap space; now over the cap.
  • Carrying approximately $104.8MM in guaranteed salaries.
  • Full room exception ($4.45MM) still available.

Check out the Dallas Mavericks’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.


Story of the summer:

The future has arrived in Dallas, and the Mavericks were willing to be aggressive on draft night to make it happen. The team traded up to the No. 3 spot to nab European star Luka Doncic, who is the reigning EuroLeague MVP at age 19. It cost Dallas the No. 5 pick plus next year’s first-rounder [top five protected], but the price will be well worth it if Doncic develops into what the Mavericks expect.

Team officials, including normally reserved coach Rick Carlisle, are already raving about Doncic’s potential as both a scorer and a creator for the offense. He will team with last year’s star rookie, Dennis Smith, to create one of the NBA’s best young backcourts and provide a foundation for the Mavericks to rebuild around.

The Dallas media expect Doncic to become a strong candidate for Rookie of the Year honors, comparing him to last year’s winner, Ben Simmons, but with a better shooting touch. Doncic tied for third in a Rookie of the Year poll among his fellow draftees and is the current favorite to win the award in odds set by the sportsbook company Bovada.

Read more

NBA Concludes Investigation Into Mavs’ Workplace Misconduct

The investigation into alleged workplace misconduct within the Mavericks‘ business offices, which began seven months ago, has concluded. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter), the Mavs and the NBA have come to an agreement that team owner Mark Cuban will donate $10MM to organizations that “promote women in leadership roles and combat domestic violence.”

As Wojnarowski observes, the maximum fine that the NBA could have levied upon Cuban and the Mavs was $2.5MM. The agreement between the two sides will ensure that four times that amount will go to organizations dedicated to preventing what happened in the Mavs’ business offices from happening elsewhere.

In addition to the $10MM in donations from Cuban, the Mavericks will also be required to provide the NBA office with quarterly updates, report any significant employee misconduct to the NBA, and implement more extensive training programs related to sexual harassment and misconduct, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Investigators also recommend the Mavs increase the number of women on their staff, expand their HR department, and institute clear protocols for investigating workplace misconduct.

As for the investigation’s actual findings, Wojnarowski says (via Twitter) that the Mavs were found to have “serious workplace misconduct by former and current employees,” along with “improper or ineffective management.”

Claims that former Mavs president and CEO Terdema Ussery was responsible for inappropriate comments and/or touching were substantiated by 15 current or former employees, Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter). Ussery was described in SI.com’s initial report as having earned a reputation as a “serial sexual harasser.”

According to Brandon George of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link), investigators found no evidence that Cuban was aware of Ussery’s misconduct, as none of the 215 witnesses interviewed during the probe said they informed Cuban of Ussery’s behavior.

The NBA’s statement on the investigation is available here, while the full report can be found here.

Maverick Notes: Playoffs, Jordan, Frontcourt Minutes

The additions of rookie Luka Doncic and DeAndre Jordan have the Mavericks thinking about the playoffs in a crowded Western Conference, Dwain Price of Mavs.com writes.

“I think we have a good team, but the West is loaded,” said Dirk Nowitzki. “Now LeBron came over to the West as well, so there are a lot of great, great players in the West. It’s going to be a fight every game, but I think we’re up for it.”

Here’s more from Dallas:

  • The team isn’t holding Jordan’s infamous 2015 decision to not sign with the Mavs against him, as Price relays in the same piece. “I think we’re going to all make him feel welcome,” Nowitzki said of Jordan. “He’s from Texas, so he’s going to love the community. I think he’s going to be great, I think he’s going to fit in great with coach’s system. The [center] is always running and rolling and protecting the rim, so we’re looking forward to him really fitting in.”
  • Jordan will start at center and likely average around 32 minutes per game, but the frontcourt rotation outside the former Clipper is up in the air, Eddie Sefko of Sports Day explains. Nowitzki will likely see slightly over 20 minutes per contest, though it’s uncertain as to how many of those will come alongside Jordan. The Mavericks have Dwight Powell, Salah Mejri, and Harrison Barnes among their options for the remaining frontcourt minutes.
  • Wesley Matthews, who will be a free agent after the season, wants to deliver a playoff run to the Mavs‘ fan base, as he tells Sefko in a separate piece. “I don’t want another long offseason,” Matthews said. “I don’t. I want a postseason [after the 2018/19 season]. We deserve it – this organization, these fans, us players – we deserve to be in the postseason competing.”

Harris Returns To Crowded Backcourt; Expectations For Barnes

Luka Doncic Faces Pressure But Will Have Support

It’s not fair to saddle a 19-year-old rookie with the responsibility of turning the Mavs‘ franchise around. Fortunately, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News writes, Luka Doncic won’t have to.

Although Doncic will face pressure as a highly touted European charged with the task of at least symbolically replacing Mavs legend Dirk Nowitzki, he’ll get substantial help from incoming veteran DeAndre Jordan.

Jordan, along with young players like Dennis Smith Jr. and Harrison Barnes, should give the Mavs considerably more bite in 2018/19 after a down season last year.

Sefko writes that he thinks Mavs fans can expect the Doncic trade to pay dividends but they may not come for a year or two.

Mavericks Notes: Jordan, Smith, Doncic

The success of the DeAndre Jordan signing will be determined by how well he can work in the pick and roll with Dennis Smith and Luka Doncic, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Adding Jordan on a one-year, $22.9MM contract and moving up in the draft to take Doncic were the major offseason moves for a team that finished 23 games out of the playoff race.

Jordan not only solves the Mavericks’ rebounding problem — he’s led the league twice in that category and averaged a career best 15.2 boards per game last season — he adds an extra dimension to coach Rick Carlisle’s offense. Jordan has shot better than 60% from the field in each of his 10 NBA seasons and mastered the pick and roll with Chris Paul in Los Angeles.

There’ more today out of Dallas:

  • Improving his 3-point shot is the best way for Smith to avoid a sophomore slump, Sefko writes in a separate player profile. Smith shot just 31% from long distance last season, and defenders figure to give him more space as they try to cut off his drives to the basket. Sefko notes that Smith didn’t wear down during his first season in the league, with his scoring, assists and shooting percentages over the final 15 games all rating better than his season averages.
  • The Mavericks insist Doncic can be a difference maker, but it’s going to be a while before we know for sure, Sefko writes in another profile. Dallas made a bold move to trade up to the No. 3 spot in the draft to acquire Doncic and team him with Smith in its backcourt of the future. Although he cautions it will take at least another year, Sefko expects Doncic and Smith to develop into the foundation of a playoff team.
  • Doncic will be a strong candidate for Rookie of the Year honors, though he’ll get noticed more for his passing than scoring, writes Matt Mosley of The Dallas Morning News. He compares Doncic to Sixers guard Ben Simmons and suggests that the Knicks’ Kevin Knox may be a surprise winner of this year’s ROY honors.