Dallas Mavericks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Mavericks Sign Jameel Warney To 10-Day Deal

March 11th, 2018 at 1:06pm CST by Luke Adams

MARCH 11, 1:06pm: The signing is official, the Mavericks announced in a press release.

MARCH 7, 3:16pm: The Mavericks will soon sign G League forward Jameel Warney to a 10-day contract, league sources tell Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link).

Warney, 24, joined the Mavericks for training camp in 2016 after going undrafted out of Stony Brook. Cut by Dallas before the 2016/17 season got underway, he landed with the team’s G League affiliate, and has spent the last two seasons with the Texas Legends. This season, he has averaged 20.3 PPG, 9.6 RPG, and 2.8 APG in 37 G League games.

Warney has also represented USA Basketball during qualifiers for the 2019 World Cup. Playing for Team USA in last summer’s AmeriCup, the young forward was named MVP of the FIBA event en route to a gold medal. Warney averaged 12.8 PPG and 8.6 RPG to go along with a .649 FG% in AmeriCup play.

Before the Mavs officially sign Warney, they’ll need to open up the 15th slot on their roster. Scotty Hopson is currently holding that spot with a 10-day contract of his own, but that deal will expire overnight tonight, creating an opening for Warney. Unless the Mavs plan to waive someone with a guaranteed contract, that means Hopson won’t get a second 10-day deal — at least not right away.

Mavericks Notes: Hopson, Nowitzki, Mejri, Matthews

March 11th, 2018 at 8:54am CST by Arthur Hill

As expected, the Mavericks opted not to offer a second 10-day contract to shooting guard Scotty Hopson, according to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Hopson appeared in just one game and played eight minutes during his time in Dallas.

The open roster spot will be used to extend a 10-day deal to Jameel Warney, possibly today. The 6’9″ power forward/center has been playing in the G League, averaging 19.8 points and 9.5 rebounds for the Texas Legends.

There’s more this morning from Dallas:

Coach Rick Carlisle told reporters Saturday there’s a good chance that Dirk Nowitzki will return for a 21st season, Sefko relays in a separate story. Carlisle said he hasn’t talked to Nowitzki about the topic, but there are reasons to believe he will be back. “At this point, it looks promising that he’ll play another year,” Carlisle said. “But it’s his decision and he’s got to think of everything involved. I’m personally 100 percent supportive of it because you just don’t want to see a guy like this go away. So we’ll see. Time will tell.” Nowitzki, who said in December that he’s leaning toward another season, is averaging 12.4 points in 65 games.
The Mavericks may face a tricky market for center Salah Mejri this summer, Sefko states in another piece. Mejri has shown he can be a valuable backup, but his effectiveness is limited to about 15 to 20 minutes per game. Some team may be willing to offer the $3.5MM bi-annual exception or even the $4.5MM room exception, which may be more than the Mavs want to pay. They like Dwight Powell more and may land a center in the draft, so Mejri’s return for next season seems iffy.
Wesley Matthews is likely to be back for another season in Dallas, Sefko adds in the same story. He has a player option worth more than $18.6MM and doesn’t want to leave before helping turn the Mavericks around.
The NBA may choose to use the NFL’s punishment of Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott as a model in sanctioning Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, writes Tim Cowlishaw of The Dallas Morning News. The sexual misconduct allegations against the team’s front office and Cuban’s alleged sexual abuse in Oregon could cause commissioner Adam Silver to send a message with a harsh sanction, Cowlishaw adds.

NBA Teams With 2017/18 Cap Room Still Available

March 9th, 2018 at 3:33pm CST by Luke Adams

At this point in the NBA league year, most of the discussion about cap room focuses on how much teams will have in July. While 2018/19 cap space will be extremely valuable for teams looking to make a splash in free agency or on the trade market, there aren’t many reasons teams need ’17/18 cap room at this point — free agency is all but over, the trade deadline is behind us, and even the deadline for renegotiating contracts has passed.

Still, 2017/18 cap room isn’t entirely useless, even this late in the season. The current league year runs through June 30, so if a team wants to complete a trade before, during, or right after this year’s draft, having cap room available to accommodate a salary could come in handy.

Additionally, teams with cap room have fewer restrictions when it comes to signing free agents — if a club wants to take a flier on a prospect during the final few weeks of the ’17/18 regular season, it could use cap space to sign that player to a lightly-guaranteed contract that stretches across three or four seasons.

Here are the teams that still have cap space available for the 2017/18 season, along with their estimated total room:

Dallas Mavericks: $14,240,776
Chicago Bulls: $11,325,670
- Note: The Bulls are technically operating an over-the-cap team, but could use this cap room if they renounce their exceptions.
Phoenix Suns: $6,749,365
Indiana Pacers: $5,423,615
Orlando Magic: $3,669,889
Sacramento Kings: $3,465,472
Brooklyn Nets: $3,128,440
- Note: The Nets are technically operating an over-the-cap team, but could use this cap room if they renounce their exceptions.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders, along with our own data, was used in the creation of this post.

Could Adam Silver Force A Sale?

March 8th, 2018 at 8:09pm CST by clarkcrum

In a Q&A session, columnist Kevin Sherrington of The Dallas Morning News answered some questions on Mavericks‘ owner Mark Cuban and whether NBA commissioner Adam Silver would step in and force Cuban to sell the team a la current Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson or former Clippers owner Donald Sterling.
Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News is reporting that Mavericks‘ swingman Dorian Finney-Smith is expected to return to action this weekend for the first time since injuring his left knee/quadriceps in early November.

Italian Team Interested In Mavericks’ Scotty Hopson

March 8th, 2018 at 9:05am CST by Arthur Hill

Mavericks forward Scotty Hopson has an offer waiting in Italy if things don’t work out in Dallas, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.

Hopson’s 10-day contract with the Mavs expired overnight, and the team is planning to sign Jameel Warney, so it doesn’t look like he will get another one. Italian club Virtus Bologna has already contacted his agent about a potential deal.

“We are interested in Scotty Hopson,” said Valeriano D’Orta, sports director for Virtus Bologna. “He is one of the three players we are following and we have already talked with his agent. He has been proposed [by] us and he is interested in returning to Europe. We are waiting to know if his contract will be extended for 10 more days.”

Hopson, who signed with the Mavericks on February 26, has appeared in just one game with eight minutes of playing time. The 28-year-old spent most of this season with Galatasaray in the Turkish League and has extensive overseas experience. His career has also taken him to Greece, Israel, Spain and China.

Mavericks Notes: Cuban, Front Office, Warney, Draft

March 7th, 2018 at 10:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Mavericks don’t believe there’s any truth behind the sexual misconduct allegations against owner Mark Cuban, according to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. A team source told Sefko the organization spent a lot of time on the matter today before determining the charges are unfounded.

A report Tuesday night said police in Portland investigated a complaint against Cuban in 2011 that was filed by a woman who claimed inappropriate physical contact. No charges were filed in the case and Cuban has denied the allegation. The team is concerned that more stories of this type will be unearthed as the investigation continues into sexual misconduct at team headquarters, Sefko adds.

There’s more tonight out of Dallas:

Sexual misconduct allegations against former Mavericks CEO Terdema Ussery are still being investigated, and the process could continue into the the summer, Sefko notes in the same story. Ussery was a prominent figure in the Sports Illustrated story on the Mavs’ front office that resulted in the current investigation. Sefko also learned that Roger Caneda, GM of Mavs Gaming, was suspended after a racist tweet from 2016 was discovered. There are unconfirmed reports of similar Twitter comments in 2017, but it’s possible Caneda’s account had been hacked, and the team is continuing to investigate.
Jameel Warney will make history as the first Stony Brook University alumnus ever to reach the NBA, relays Greg Logan of Newsday. The 24-year-old confirmed that he will sign a 10-day contract with the Mavericks on Sunday, allowing him to return to New York next week for road games against the Knicks and Nets. Warney is the university’s all-time scoring leader and a three-time American East Conference Player of the Year.
The Mavericks will have to get better at using their draft choices before they can think about becoming a contender again, writes Shane Rhodes of Basketball Insiders. He notes that last year’s selection of Dennis Smith Jr. marked the team’s best pick since obtaining Dirk Nowitzki in 1998. The most pressing need is in the frontcourt, where DeAndre Ayton, Mo Bamba and Marvin Bagley would all be welcome additions, but the Mavs also need to find a partner for Smith in the backcourt.

Mavericks Notes: Cuban, Noel, Powell, Mejri

March 7th, 2018 at 8:52am CST by Luke Adams

When a Sports Illustrated report last month detailed a corrosive workplace culture within the Mavericks’ organization, the general consensus was that owner Mark Cuban was partially to blame for not recognizing the issues and moving to address them earlier. However, Cuban himself was not named as an alleged perpetrator of sexual misconduct in SI’s feature.

According to a new report from Nigel Jaquiss of Willamette Week though, Cuban was the subject of a sexual assault investigation back in 2011 — a woman claimed that the Mavs owner “thrust his hand down the back of her jeans and penetrated her vagina with his finger” while they were taking a photo together at a Portland nightclub. The local District Attorney’s office ultimately determined at the time that there was “insufficient evidence to press criminal charges.” For his part, Cuban denies that the incident ever happened, according to a Dallas Morning News report.

Despite Cuban’s denials and the lack of charges filed in 2011, the woman who went to police to report the incident maintains that her account was accurate and that she stands by it “one thousand percent.” The case is unlikely to be reopened years later, but the report itself is another black mark for Cuban and the Mavericks, who have seen their reputations called into question in recent weeks.

Here’s more on the Mavs:

Tim Cowlishaw of The Dallas Morning News examines what the unearthed 2011 allegation means for Cuban.
While Nerlens Noel still may not have a long-term future in Dallas, he showed on Tuesday why the team traded for him in the first place, writes Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. “Nerlens is doing better and better,” head coach Rick Carlisle said after Noel’s 14-rebound performance. “He’s simplifying things out there. It’s pretty clear he’s getting some rhythm back and he’s getting some familiarity with the guys he’s playing with.”
In a separate article for The Dallas Morning News, Townsend suggests the odds of Noel, Dwight Powell, or Salah Mejri turning into the Mavs’ center of the future are slim. However, Townsend thinks there’s a good chance that at least two of them will be on the roster next season.
On Tuesday, we passed along details on the new advertisement patch the Mavs will wear on their uniforms.

Mavs Announce Deal For Jersey Sponsorship

March 6th, 2018 at 4:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks are the latest NBA team to announce a partnership with a jersey sponsor, announcing today in a press release that they’ve teamed up with Dallas-based company 5miles for a uniform patch. The two sides agreed to a three-year deal.

As the Mavericks’ announcement details, 5miles is “a free, local marketplace app/website that lets users buy and sell, not only secondhand items, but also local services, housing and jobs.” The company’s partnership with the Mavs comes not long after a Sports Illustrated report revealed a history of alleged workplace misconduct within the team’s business offices. However, 5miles had nothing but praise for owner Mark Cuban and the Mavs’ organization in the wake of today’s news, per Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News.

“What we are comfortable with is, based on our interaction and our experience working with Mark and his team, they’re been nothing but a world-class organization so far,” 5miles CFO Garwin Chan said. “So from everything that I understand, also assurances that the Mavs organization has given to us, they’re doing everything they can do to investigate exactly what happened and also put in place best practices. And we’re completely supportive of them.”

The Mavs are the 21st team to reach an agreement to wear a uniform patch, as our list shows. The Bulls, Rockets, Pacers, Grizzlies, Thunder, Suns, Trail Blazers, Spurs, and Wizards have yet to strike a deal with a corporate sponsor.

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Dallas Mavericks

Mavericks Notes: Barnes, Smith, Noel, Draft

March 3rd, 2018 at 8:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Mavericks’ playoff fate is already sealed, but Harrison Barnes and Dennis Smith Jr. hope to use the final 19 games of the season to prove they can provide a foundation to build around, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Barnes, 25, is signed for $24.1MM next season with a $25.1MM player option for 2019/20. Smith, 20, is on a rookie contract and will be under team control through the 2021/22 season. They figure to be the leaders in Dallas once Dirk Nowitzki retires.

“It will mean a lot for us because we plan on being here for a long time,” Smith said. “So the more we can build together now, I think it’ll help a lot next season, building chemistry for next year.”

There’s more news out of Dallas:

These next 19 games are also important to center Nerlens Noel, who has a limited time to rebuild his reputation after missing extensive time after thumb surgery, Sefko notes in a separate story. Heading into unrestricted free agency after accepting Dallas’ qualifying offer last summer, Noel has played in just 20 games and is averaging 3.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per night. The Mavericks want to see if he and Smith can develop chemistry over the rest the season. “When he was out there, I just felt like the game got a lot faster,” Noel said of Smith after returning Wednesday. “When he was handling the ball, it helped get guys involved and it brings a new dynamic with me and Dennis and the speed of the game. And I know that’s the way he likes to play and that’s the best way for us to excel.”
The NBA doesn’t seem inclined to take away the Mavs’ first-rounder for this summer as punishment for the alleged workplace scandal or Mark Cuban’s comments on tanking, states Mark Mosley of SportsDayDFW. Assuming Dallas lands a high lottery pick, Mosley likes DeAndre Ayton of Arizona to solve the team’s problems in the middle.
Also addressing the draft, Sefko examines whether Oklahoma’s Trae Young could be an effective backcourt partner for Smith.

Mavericks May Be Top Suitor For Julius Randle

March 1st, 2018 at 9:08am CST by Arthur Hill

Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report examines whether the Lakers can achieve their dream of adding two elite free agents without giving up Julius Randle. Though he is making less than $4.15MM this season, Randle will enter restricted free agency with a cap hold of $12.4MM. That leaves the team short of the cap room needed to offer two maximum deals unless it can find a taker for Luol Deng, who still has two years and $36.81MM left on his contract. Pincus identifies the Mavericks as the greatest threat to sign Randle this summer.