Dallas Mavericks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Clippers Acquire Johnathan Motley From Mavs

July 23rd, 2018 at 7:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Clippers have acquired forward Johnathan Motley in a deal with the Mavericks, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Both Los Angeles and Dallas have confirmed the transaction via press releases.

The Clippers also received the rights to Renaldas Seibutis in exchange for the draft rights to Maarty Leunen, plus $50K. Motley is on a two-way contract. It’s the first-ever trade involving a two-way contract, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.

Dallas opened up a two-way contract slot via the transaction.

Motley, 23, averaged 8.7 PPG and 4.5 RPG in 11 games with Dallas last season. The 6’10” power forward went undrafted out of Baylor.

Seibutis was a second-round pick by Dallas all the way back in 2007. Siebutis, 33, is a 6’5” guard who currently plays in Lithuania and is also a member of that country’s national team.

Leunen was drafted in the second round by the Clippers in 2008. The 6’9” Leunen, 32, attended the University of Oregon and is currently playing in Italy.

Boucek Hired As Assistant Coach

July 23rd, 2018 at 6:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks have hired former WNBA head coach Jenny Boucek as assistant to the basketball staff/special projects, Tim McMahon of ESPN tweets. She spent last season as a player development coach with the Kings.

Mavericks Re-Sign Dirk Nowitzki

July 23rd, 2018 at 10:50am CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 23: The Mavericks have officially re-signed Nowitzki, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 19: Dirk Nowitzki will accept a one-year deal with the Mavericks worth $5MM, but the contract may not be finalized for a while, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. Charania states that neither side is in a hurry to sign the deal, but the news means Nowitzki, 40, will return for his 21st season in Dallas.

The Mavs declined Nowitzki’s $5MM team option in June, but wound up giving him the same figure, which will use up the last of their cap space. That will set the stage for several other signings, Bobby Marks posts on ESPN Now.

The team will go over the cap to re-sign Yogi Ferrell with his Early Bird rights, then Ryan Broekhoff and Salah Mejri with minimum exceptions. That will give Dallas 14 guaranteed contracts with the $4.4MM mid-level exception still available.

[UPDATE: Yogi Ferrell backs out of deal with Mavs, agrees to sign with Kings]

Nowitzki is the most prolific player in franchise history, making 13 All-Star appearances and ranking sixth on the NBA’s career scoring list. He started 77 games last season, averaging 12.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per night.

After two straight seasons out of the playoffs, Dallas could be back in contention after adding free agent center DeAndre Jordan and trading up to get EuroLeague MVP Luka Doncic in the draft. Team owner Mark Cuban recently suggested that Nowitzki could be persuaded to keep playing beyond the 2018/19 season if the team became competitive again.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Devin Harris To Return To Mavericks?

July 22nd, 2018 at 8:58pm CST by clarkcrum

According to Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News, the Mavericks are looking towards veteran free agent guard Devin Harris as a replacement signee for Yogi Ferrell, who reneged on a deal with Dallas to sign a more lucrative contract in Sacramento.

Harris, 35, was essentially drafted by the Mavericks with the No. 5 overall selection in the first round of the 2004 NBA Draft and played in Big D for three and a half seasons before being traded to the Nets in a deal that brought Jason Kidd to Dallas.

Harris returned to the Mavericks for the 2013/14 campaign and played an additional four and a half seasons in Dallas before being traded to the Nuggets midway through last season in a deal that brought Doug McDermott to the Mavs.

In his 14 NBA seasons, Harris has averaged 11.1 points and 4.1 assists per game with a career shooting line of .481/.327/.798.

FA Rumors: Ferrell, Goodwin, Muhammad

July 20th, 2018 at 12:55pm CST by Luke Adams

After having seemingly reached a two-year contract agreement with the Mavericks, Yogi Ferrell elected this morning to re-enter free agency. However, he doesn’t intend to drag out the process. According to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), Ferrell plans to make a decision within the next day or so.

Ferrell has received some interest from a handful of teams, including the Cavaliers and Pelicans, Charania reports, though a source tells Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that Cleveland’s interest came early in free agency. The Cavs haven’t had contact with Ferrell’s agent during the last couple weeks, says MacMahon.

As for New Orleans, the Pelicans used their full mid-level exception on Julius Randle and spent most of their bi-annual exception on Elfrid Payton. As such, the club couldn’t offer Ferrell more than the minimum. An offer that modest seems unlikely to win out, though it’s worth noting that a fully guaranteed two-year minimum contract would feature more guaranteed money than the Mavs’ offer did.

As we wait to see where Ferrell lands, here are a few more notes and rumors on free agents:

Multiple NBA teams have expressed interest in former first-round pick Archie Goodwin, tweets Michael Scotto of The Athletic. However, Goodwin is seriously considering a lucrative contract offer from a Chinese team and is expected to head overseas unless an NBA team offers him a fully guaranteed salary for 2018/19, per Scotto.
In a conversation with Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype, free agent wing Shabazz Muhammad – another former first-round pick – says he’s in the best shape of his life. Muhammed, who remains on the lookout for a new NBA home, is also trying to improve his outside shooting, telling Kalbrosky that he’s shooting hundreds of corner threes every day.
Veteran NBA point guard Tyler Ennis, who was waived by the Lakers in June, has signed a two-year deal with Fenerbahce Istanbul, according to the EuroLeague’s official site. Before heading to Europe, Ennis appeared in 186 NBA games over the last four seasons, spending time with the Suns, Bucks, Rockets, and Lakers.

Mavericks Sign Ray Spalding To Four-Year Deal

July 20th, 2018 at 12:51pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 20: The Mavericks have officially signed Spalding, the team announced today in a press release. The contract will include two guaranteed seasons, notes Michael Scotto of The Athletic (Twitter link).

JULY 19: The Mavericks have agreed to terms on a four-year contract for second-rounder Ray Spalding, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The deal will be worth at least $5.72MM, Spalding’s four-year minimum, though it’s unlikely to be fully guaranteed.

[RELATED: 2018 NBA Draft Pick Signings]

Spalding, a power forward out of Louisville, was the 56th overall pick in the 2018 draft. In his final college season, he averaged 12.3 PPG and 8.7 RPG in 27.7 minutes per contest for the Cardinals.

The Mavericks acquired the No. 56 pick – which they used to select Spalding – along with the No. 60 pick in a draft-night trade that sent the No. 54 selection to Philadelphia. The Sixers used No. 54 to draft Shake Milton, while Dallas used the 60th overall selection to nab Kostas Antetokounmpo. Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s younger brother has since signed a two-way contract with the Mavs.

It has been a busy day for the Mavericks, who also reached agreements with Dirk Nowitzki and Yogi Ferrell. Dallas will sign Spalding to his first NBA contract with some of their remaining cap room. If the Mavs had used up their cap space first before locking up the second-round pick, they would only have been able to offer him up to two years using the minimum salary exception or room exception.

Yogi Ferrell Changing Course On Mavs Deal

July 20th, 2018 at 8:17am CST by Luke Adams

8:17am: The Mavs hadn’t heard anything from Ferrell’s agent before seeing Charania’s report, a source tells Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

7:45am: After reportedly agreeing to a two-year, $5.3MM deal with the Mavericks on Thursday, Yogi Ferrell has changed course, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). According to Charania, Ferrell will re-enter free agency in search of a better contract.

“We felt uncomfortable and will weigh our options,” agent Cervando Tejeda said.

Ferrell’s $5.3MM agreement with the Mavs included a non-guaranteed second season, so he was only assured of receiving about half that money. As cap expert Albert Nahmad observes (via Twitter), that means that the point guard would have been in line for a smaller guarantee than his initial $2.9MM qualifying offer, so it makes sense that he wouldn’t be thrilled with the arrangement.

If Dallas wants to lock up Ferrell, the team could increase its offer. The Mavs still hold Ferrell’s Early Bird rights, allowing them to go over the cap all the way up to the mid-level range to re-sign him. However, it remains to be seen how aggressive the club will be in attempting to bring back the 25-year-old.

It’s the second time this offseason that a player and team have seemingly reached a contract agreement, only for the player to have second thoughts — Nemanja Bjelica did the same with the Sixers. Of course, DeAndre Jordan‘s about-face in 2015 free agency is the most infamous example of this in recent years, but the Mavs were able to officially secure Jordan early in this year’s free agency.

Yogi Ferrell Backs Out Of Deal With Mavericks

July 19th, 2018 at 11:50am CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 20, 7:48am: Ferrell has reportedly reversed course on his agreement with the Mavs and opted to re-enter free agency. We have the full story here.

JULY 19, 11:50am: Yogi Ferrell will return to the Mavericks on a two-year deal worth $5.3MM, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. The second season will be non-guaranteed with a July 7 trigger date, Charania adds.

Dallas will use Ferrell’s Early Bird rights, tweets salary cap expert Albert Nahmad, with the first season paying him less than the $2.9MM qualifying offer the team rescinded last week. That will enable the Mavericks to keep all of their roughly $6MM in cap space.

The Mavericks promised to give Ferrell the backup shooting guard spot at the start of the season, according to Charania. Dennis Smith and Luka Doncic, the team’s first-round picks the past two seasons, are expected to be the starters in the backcourt.

Dallas signed Ferrell to a 10-day contract in January of 2017 after he was waived by the Nets. He averaged 11.3 points in 36 games, then played all 82 contests last season, posting a 10.2/3.0/2.5 line.

Ferrell went undrafted out of Indiana in 2016 and spent much of his time in the G League after signing with Brooklyn, appearing in just 10 games for the Nets.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Mavericks ‘Really Close’ To Re-Signing Yogi Ferrell

July 19th, 2018 at 10:08am CST by Arthur Hill

Dallas is nearing a new deal with point guard Yogi Ferrell, tweets Jordan Schultz of Yahoo Sports. Sources tell Schultz the parties are “really close” to agreeing on contract terms.

The Mavericks rescinded their qualifying offer to Ferrell last week, which was believed to be a procedural move aimed at creating more cap room.

The 25-year-old excelled during his first full season in Dallas, appearing in all 82 games, starting 21, and averaging 10.2 PPG while shooting 37% from 3-point range. He first joined the team on a 10-day contract in January of 2017 after being waived by the Nets.

Ferrell will be competing for playing time in a crowded backcourt that includes the Mavericks’ first-round picks from the last two seasons, Dennis Smith and Luka Doncic, along with veteran J.J. Barea.

Checking In On 2018’s Unsigned Draft Picks

July 17th, 2018 at 2:45pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2018 NBA draft took place less than a month ago, but over three quarters over the players selected on the night of June 22 have already signed their first NBA contracts. That includes each of the 30 players picked in the first round, all of whom are now under contract.

The following players have not yet signed contracts with their new NBA teams:

Detroit Pistons: Khyri Thomas, SG (Creighton)
Orlando Magic: Justin Jackson, F (Maryland)
Washington Wizards: Issuf Sanon, G (Olimpija Ljubljana)
Oklahoma City Thunder: Hamidou Diallo, SG (Kentucky)
Houston Rockets: De’Anthony Melton, G (USC)
San Antonio Spurs: Chimezie Metu, F/C (USC)
New Orleans Pelicans: Tony Carr, PG (Penn State)
Oklahoma City Thunder: Devon Hall, SG (Virginia)
Philadelphia 76ers: Shake Milton, G (SMU)
Charlotte Hornets: Arnoldas Kulboka, SF (Capo D’Orlando)
Dallas Mavericks: Ray Spalding, PF (Louisville)
Oklahoma City Thunder: Kevin Hervey, SF (Texas-Arlington)
Denver Nuggets: Thomas Welsh, C (UCLA)

Sanon, Carr, and Kulboka will reportedly spend the 2018/19 season overseas, so we can safely remove their names from this list — they won’t be signing NBA contracts this offseason. Welsh, meanwhile, has reportedly agreed to terms on a two-way contract with Denver, though it’s not yet official.

That leaves just nine players from 2018’s draft class who we should still expect to sign at some point. Of those nine players, the higher picks such as Thomas (Pistons), Jackson (Magic), Diallo (Thunder), and Melton (Rockets) are good bets to sign multiyear NBA contracts. Even though some of those teams have luxury-tax concerns, they’ll have to fill out their rosters somehow, and a rookie contract at or near the minimum is the best way to avoid significantly increasing their potential tax penalties.

The players selected in the 50s may be candidates for two-way deals. A year ago, no player selected between Nos. 49-60 received a standard NBA contract, with all of those players signing two-way contracts, agreeing to straight G League contracts, or heading overseas to join an international team.

As such, players like Hall (Thunder), Milton (Sixers), Spalding (Mavericks), and Hervey (Thunder) should be considered two-way options. For now though, Dallas doesn’t have a two-way slot open, and Oklahoma City only has one, so it remains to be seen what the future holds for these late second-rounders. We should find out in the coming weeks.