Dallas Mavericks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Mavs Sign Kostas Antetokounmpo To Two-Way Deal

July 13th, 2018 at 7:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks have signed second-round draft pick Kostas Antetokounmpo to a two-way contract, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets.

The brother of Giannis Antetokounmpo was the No. 60 selection in the draft. The Mavericks acquired his draft rights, along with the rights to Raymond Spalding, from the Sixers in exchange for the draft rights to Shake Milton.

Kostas is a 6’11” power forward who will get a chance to develop his game in the G League.

The younger brother, who turns 21 in November, played college ball at Dayton. In his lone season with the Flyers, he averaged 5.2 PPG and 2.9 RPG in 15.1 MPG.

Mavericks Waive Swingman Jalen Jones

July 13th, 2018 at 4:38pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks have waived swingman Jalen Jones, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets.

Jones, who was on a two-way contract, appeared in 12 games for Dallas last season. He averaged 5.8 PPG and 2.9 RPG in 13.5 MPG.

The 6’7” Jones also played four games for the Pelicans last season. Dallas claimed him in January after New Orleans cut him loose. He made history as the first player on a two-way contract getting claimed off waivers.

The Texas A&M product went undrafted out of college.

Dallas opens up a two-way slot by the transaction. Its other two-way slot currently belongs to forward Johnathan Motley.

Check out all the two-way contracts for every club here.

Mavericks Made Right Decision In Keep Doncic Out Of Summer League

July 13th, 2018 at 10:16am CST by Arthur Hill

The Mavericks made the correct move in holding first-round pick Luka Doncic out of Summer League play, writes Dwain Price of NBA.com. Doncic’s buyout with Real Madrid wasn’t finalized until Monday, and he would have faced a difficult adjustment in joining the team in Las Vegas after it had already played two games.

NBA Teams With 2018/19 Cap Room Remaining

July 12th, 2018 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Last Wednesday, we noted that only three NBA teams still had significant cap room available. Depending on your definition of “significant,” that’s still the case. One of those three teams – the Kings – made a player for another’s restricted free agent, but the Bulls matched Sacramento’s offer sheet for Zach LaVine and still have plenty of flexibility themselves.

While the Kings, Bulls, and Hawks are still the only teams that can create more than $15MM in cap space without trading any players or waiving and stretching any guaranteed salaries, a number of other clubs technically still have cap room available too.

Using our own data and salary information from Basketball Insiders, our current cap room estimates – as of July 12 – are below. If you have any questions or notice any errors, please let us know in the comment section.

Here’s a breakdown:

Atlanta Hawks

Current space: $17.9MM
Space if they waive non-guaranteed salaries and renounce UFAs: $23.91MM
The Hawks have had a quiet offseason so far, but could clear the most cap room if any team if they renounce Malcolm Delaney and waive the non-guaranteed contracts of Jaylen Morris and Antonius Cleveland.

Sacramento Kings

Current space: $19.53MM
The Kings already renounced their free agents and waived Nigel Hayes‘ non-guaranteed salary in order to help accommodate LaVine’s offer sheet. With LaVine’s offer matched by the Bulls, Sacramento will have to find another use for its space.

Chicago Bulls

Current space: None
Space if they waive non-guaranteed salaries and renounce UFAs: $18.94MM
The Bulls continue to technically operate as an over-the-cap team since they haven’t renounced their trade, mid-level, and bi-annual exceptions, or Noah Vonleh‘s $10MM+ cap hold. Once they decide they want to use their cap room, they could clear up to almost $19MM without withdrawing David Nwaba‘s qualifying offer.

Brooklyn Nets

Current space: $9.97MM
Space if they waive non-guaranteed salaries and renounce UFAs: $12.17MM
The Nets aren’t about to waive Spencer Dinwiddie‘s non-guaranteed salary, but cutting Isaiah Whitehead and renouncing Quincy Acy would create a little extra space if they need it. Once the Nets use their cap room or decide they don’t need it, they’ll finalize deals for Joe Harris (Early Bird rights) and Ed Davis (room exception).

Dallas Mavericks

Current space: $5MM
Space if they waive non-guaranteed salaries: $5.54MM
It’s not clear if Dorian Finney-Smith‘s salary is still non-guaranteed — he had a reported July 5 salary guarantee deadline, but there has been no confirmation that that date wasn’t pushed back. If Finney-Smith doesn’t have his full guarantee yet, the Mavericks could get to $6MM+ in space. The team figures to use either its cap room or its room exception to re-sign Dirk Nowitzki.

Philadelphia 76ers

Current space: $1.69MM
Space if they waive non-guaranteed salaries: $4.89MM
Getting up to $4.89MM in room would mean waiving T.J. McConnell and Richaun Holmes, which is probably unlikely. Still, the Sixers could use that $1.69MM in room to sign a player like Jonah Bolden to a long-term deal if they so choose. They’ll eventually finalize Nemanja Bjelica‘s deal using their room exception.

Phoenix Suns

Current space: $1.18MM
Space if they waive non-guaranteed salaries: $3.25MM
The Suns could create a little extra flexibility by waiving Shaquille Harrison and Davon Reed, but the team may not need that remaining room either way.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.

Adam Silver Talks Warriors, Playoffs, Free Agency

July 11th, 2018 at 11:09am CST by ChrisCrouse

It isn’t “necessarily” bad that the Warriors are so dominant, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said during a Tuesday press conference in Las Vegas (link via Mark Medina of The Mercury News). Silver explained that the NBA isn’t trying to create a “forced parity,” but wants to ensure that there’s a “parity of opportunity” for the league’s 30 teams.

“There’s a fair point to be made in a tax system when certain teams are spending significantly more than others, that’s not parity of opportunity,” Silver added. “Also, certain teams have advantages other teams don’t based on their resources and market and the wealth of the market. They may be in a position to go deeper into the tax than another team does.

“Under the current system right now, we want teams to compete like crazy. The Warriors, within the framework of this deal, should be doing everything they can to increase their dominance,” Silver continued. “That’s what you want to see. We want every team to compete in every way they can within the rules. If it makes sense to make adjustments to the rules next time, we’ll look into that.”

Here are a few more notable comments from Silver’s Tuesday’s presser:

Silver acknowledged that the idea of seeding teams 1 through 16 in the postseason has “real appeal,” but cautioned that it would take time to implement (link via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN). “In our estimate, we could be looking at roughly 40-50% more travel,” Silver said. “It doesn’t mean we can’t, but it is not something we can do quickly. It would require really a wholesale re-examination of how we do the schedule, how our television deal works.”
The NBA may make adjustments to the start of the free agent period to avoid having it begin at midnight ET on July 1, according to Silver (via Youngmisuk). With so much attention focused on free agency, the league would like to avoid having the first wave of major signings break in the middle of the night.
Silver spoke about the California Classic Summer League, adding that it “exceeded all expectations,” as NBC Sports California relays (on Twitter). The league will discuss expanding it beyond the current structure, which only features four teams, including the host Kings.
According to Silver, the investigation into workplace misconduct allegations in the Mavericks‘ business offices should wrap up by the end of July (link via Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press).
As we detailed on Tuesday night, Silver suggested that the NBA expects to make adjustments to its one-and-done rule for prospects in the coming years.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Mavs Holding Open Roster Spot; Nowitzki Might Play Beyond Next Season

July 9th, 2018 at 9:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks don’t plan on having a full roster heading into training camp, Dwain Price of Mavs.com tweets. “Unless something falls in our lap we’ll keep an open roster spot,” owner Mark Cuban told Price.
If the Mavericks show significant improvement, Dirk Nowitzki could play beyond next season, Cuban said in a Sirius XM radio interview that was relayed by the Dallas Morning News. The Mavs will re-sign Nowitzki, who is currently a free agent, once they finish their offseason moves after turning down their team option.”I’d say it’s under 50 percent right now (he’ll retire after next season) but if he’s playing 77 games and we’re getting better, and we’re starting to win games? You know what a competitor he is — he’s going to want to come back.”

Mavs Sign Luka Doncic To Rookie Contract

July 9th, 2018 at 6:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks have signed No. 3 overall pick Luka Doncic, according to a team press release.

Doncic will receive approximately $6.56MM in his rookie year, rising to $7.683MM in his second year, $8.04MM in his third season and $10.17MM in the fourth year.

Dallas acquired the draft rights to Doncic from the Hawks in exchange for the rights to fifth overall pick Trae Young and a protected 2019 first-round pick.

The 6’7” Doncic is the reigning EuroLeague Most Valuable Player and EuroLeague Final 4 MVP after leading Real Madrid to the 2017-18 EuroLeague title. He is expected to jump immediately into the starting backcourt alongside 2017 lottery pick Dennis Smith Jr.

With Doncic locked up, the top 16 picks in this year’s draft are now officially under contract.

Yogi Ferrell Expected To Accept Qualifying Offer

July 7th, 2018 at 2:03pm CST by clarkcrum

The Mavericks expect reserve guard Yogi Ferrell to sign his $2.92MM qualifying offer and re-enter free agency as an unrestricted free agent next summer, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

Per MacMahon, the Mavs are reticent to sign Ferrell to any deal that would increase his cap hold because the team may need all of its remaining cap space to sign Dirk Nowitzki if the team is able to find a free-agent bargain upon which to use its $4.4MM room exception. The Mavs can still create about $7MM in cap space.

However, the Mavs are still confident they can retain Ferrell for his QO because he has stated previously that he would like to remain with the Mavericks, the team who gave him his first real opportunity in the NBA after signing him to a 10-day contract during the 2016-17 season.

Moreover, it’s possible given the market for restricted free agents so far this summer that $2.92MM is the best offer Ferrell has received. As such, it makes sense that Ferrell is leaning towards signing his qualifying offer.

The 25-year-old Ferrell was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team after the 2016/17 season, but saw his numbers reduced last season with the addition of rookie first-round pick Dennis Smith Jr. He’ll likely compete with J.J. Barea for backup minutes should he remain in Dallas as the within report suggests.

Mavs Notes: Jordan, Doncic, Finley, Koponen

July 7th, 2018 at 10:00am CST by Luke Adams

Many NBA observers were surprised to see the Mavericks pursue DeAndre Jordan again, three years after he spurned them in free agency by backing out a verbal agreement with Dallas to rejoin the Clippers. However, team owner Mark Cuban said it only took him and Jordan a matter of seconds to smooth things over, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com details.

“There’s like four guys I hold grudges with, and three of them are from grade school, maybe even before,” Cuban told MacMahon. “I just want to win. Look, only Dirk [Nowitzki] and J.J. [Barea] were there from that period anyway. All of our guys were like, ‘Go get him! Go get him!

“I talked to him on the phone and he’s like, ‘Everything behind us?’ I’m like, ‘Let’s go win.’ He goes, ‘Let’s go to war.’ Done.”

According to Cuban, the team and Jordan mutually agreed that a one-year deal was the best route to take, with both sides planning to use the 2018/19 season to assess the potential for a long-term fit. Cuban also noted that the Mavericks explored the possibility of adding DeMarcus Cousins, but felt like Jordan gave the club a better chance to “win now” than a player coming off an Achilles tear.

“You don’t want to put somebody in a position where they have to rush back, and the Warriors obviously don’t have to deal with that,” Cuban said. “I was happy for him. A lot of people talk trash about [Cousins], but we thought he would have been great. But I wanted to win now, and that’s what I told his guys.”

Here’s more on the Mavs:

Cuban also spoke to MacMahon about No. 3 overall pick Luka Doncic, whom the Mavericks owner called “the top player on our board.” Cuban added that “it wasn’t even close.”
Speaking of Doncic, the Mavericks have agreed to terms with Real Madrid on his buyout agreement, tweets international basketball reporter David Pick. Doncic should be on track to finalize his rookie contract and officially join the Mavs soon.
Mavericks executive Michael Finley received a promotion in the front office this week, according to Dwain Price of Mavs.com (Twitter link). Formerly Dallas’ assistant vice president of basketball operations, Finley was named the Mavs’ VP of basketball operations.
In a move that has been a formality for the last several years, the Mavericks removed Petteri Koponen‘s cap hold from their books this week, per RealGM’s official transactions log. Dallas still has the NBA rights to Koponen, a 2007 first-round pick, so in order to remove his cap hold each season, the team and player have to agree to that he won’t be signing with the Mavs for the current league year.

DeAndre Jordan Signs One-Year Deal With Mavs

July 7th, 2018 at 7:38am CST by Austin Kent

JULY 7, 7:38am: Jordan’s new salary will be $22.9MM, but he won’t actually be taking a pay cut due to the lack of state income taxes in Texas, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com. MacMahon also relays comments from Mark Cuban on the signing, with the Mavs owner explaining that Jordan gives the team the best chance to “win now.”

JULY 6, 5:50pm: The signing is official, according to Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.

JUNE 30, 11:26pm: According to Jordan Schultz of Yahoo Sports, Jordan’s one-year deal is worth slightly less than the $24.1MM option he turned down in Los Angeles.

11:06pm: The Mavericks have agreed on a one-year deal with DeAndre Jordan, Marc Stein of The New York Times tweets. The verbal agreement is said to approach the $24.1MM mark, the amount Jordan surrendered on Friday when he turned down his player option with the Clippers.

The acquisition of Jordan is a long time coming for the Mavs – like, since Emojigate long – but the idea of the pairing picked up steam when the Texas-born big man shut the door on a return to Los Angeles by turning down his 2018/19 option.

The Mavs ensured that they would have plenty of cap space available with which to convince Jordan to join them when they turned down the 2018/19 team option on Dirk Nowitzki‘s contract.

It’s unclear exactly what the final figure for the one-year deal with Jordan will be, but Dallas had approximately $28MM to offer him. With the former Clipper apparently on track to join the Mavs, the club is probably out of the market for several other noteworthy big men that have been linked to Dallas in recent weeks — that list includes Julius Randle and DeMarcus Cousins, among others.

Jordan, fresh off of his fifth consecutive season averaging a double-double, will slot into Dallas’ suddenly impressive lineup and should give franchise pillar Nowitzki a significantly greater chance of playing competitive basketball in the twilight of his career.

Jordan was the 10th-ranked player on our list of the top 50 free agents of 2018.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.