- Nerlens Noel was displaced in Philadelphia and traded to the Mavericks last season. While his statistics are not eye-popping, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes that his energy and impact while on the floor is the reason why he could be in lime for a major free agency payday.
- While Noel has been effective, foul trouble has been a concern. Other centers on the Mavericks roster have not been consistent either but Salah Mejri has vocalized his frustration due to a lack of playing time, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes.
- Dirk Nowitzki is in his 20th season with the Mavericks and he is considered one of the greatest players in team history. However, the 39-year-old may also be taking away playing time from Noel as head coach Rick Carlisle is hesitant to play both seven-footers simultaneously, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News Writes.
Chandler Parsons‘ stint with the Grizzlies has not gone according to plan. The former Rockets and Mavericks standout has been hampered by knee injuries, including three knee surgeries the last three years. Now, after playing just 15 minutes in Memphis’ first few regular season games this year, Parsons is frustrated with his limited playing time, Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal writes.
It’s been a busy day on the Eric Bledsoe front. After the point guard posted a tweet expressing his displeasure with his situation on Sunday, the Suns indicated that Bledsoe wouldn’t play in Monday night’s game against Sacramento, and it sounds like he may not suit up at all for Phoenix going forward, as the club looks to trade him.
Bledsoe has been linked to the Bucks and Knicks, among other teams, with the Suns reportedly seeking Frank Ntilikina and Willy Hernangomez from New York. However, the Knicks aren’t eager to move either player. Meanwhile, the Nuggets are also said to have interest in Bledsoe, with Denver and Phoenix discussing a deal that would involve Emmanuel Mudiay.
While we wait to see if anything comes of any of those rumors, here’s the latest on Bledsoe:
- According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link), Bledsoe actually had multiple meeting with the Suns before the season to discuss the possibility of a trade, so it’s not as if his dissatisfaction just developed within the last few days.
- Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders provides an update on the Suns‘ talks with the Nuggets, reporting that Kenneth Faried has emerged as part of a hypothetical package. That’s not a real surprise, since Faried doesn’t seem completely happy in Denver, and his contract would be useful for salary-matching purposes.
- A Faried/Mudiay package is the first idea proposed by ESPN’s Kevin Pelton in his Insider-only article examining trade possibilities. Although Pelton also puts forth trade ideas involving the Magic, Cavaliers, and a few other teams, he suggests that the Nuggets are the most logical landing spot for Bledsoe “by a wide margin.”
- Charles Curtis of USA Today makes a case for the Sixers as the best trade partner for the Suns, while Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News explains why the Mavericks aren’t a fit.
- While Nerlens Noel could end up making his mark on the Mavs franchise, finding him a significant workload on a nightly basis may be difficult, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes. In three games this season, Noel has played 20, 27 and 16 minutes.
Rockets guard Demetrius Jackson can expect a lot of trips to and from Rio Grande Valley over the next few weeks, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Jackson, who is serving as the team’s backup point guard while Chris Paul is sidelined with soreness in his left knee, signed a two-way contract over the summer and is limited to 45 days in the NBA. Every day in Houston will count against that total once G League camps open tomorrow, so Jackson will be making repeated journeys to the Rockets’ affiliate.
Jackson played 17 minutes in Saturday’s win over the Mavericks, delivering four points, five rebounds and two assists. The Rockets may decide to convert his deal into a full NBA contract if Paul’s absence is prolonged and the team can’t find another point guard. “Definitely, a different confidence level after going back, reviewing the film, trying to grow from the positive and the negative,” Jackson said. “I definitely got some good looks. Just have to step up and knock those down.”
There’s more NBA news from the Lone Star State:
- The left knee effusion suffered by Mavericks rookie Dennis Smith Jr. may not be as bad as it sounds, cautions Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. There is concern in Dallas because an effusion, which means swelling due to fluid building up in a joint, is what sidelined Dirk Nowitzki for two months in 2013. However, Sefko notes that Nowitzki was much older, and Smith played a lot in preseason without any knee issues.
- The Mavericks are getting Gian Clavell, who also has a two-way contract, some NBA experience before G League camps begin, Sefko adds in the same piece. The rookie out of Puerto Rico got into games Friday and Saturday as the third-string point guard. Johnathan Motley, the team’s other two-way player, hasn’t appeared in a game yet.
- There are indications that Spurs star Kawhi Leonard might return to action sooner than expected, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. Leonard, who has been sidelined since training camp with quadriceps tendinopathy, traveled with the team to Chicago Saturday. “He’s progressing,” said coach Gregg Popovich. “I’ll just leave it at that.”
- The Texas Legends, the affiliate of the Mavericks, has acquired Will Bynum‘s returning rights, suggesting the veteran guard could join the organization for the G League season, tweets Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News.
- Troy Williams (Rockets) and Dorian Finney-Smith (Mavericks) saw the guarantees on their respective contracts increase this week, as our salary guarantee calendar shows. Williams’ salary for the season is now fully guaranteed.
3:18pm: The Mavs have officially converted Clavell’s deal to a two-way contract, the team confirmed in a press release. Dallas’ regular season roster is now set.
2:36pm: The Mavericks will get down to the regular season roster limit by converting Gian Clavell‘s NBA contract to a two-way deal, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). Clavell’s contract with Dallas included an Exhibit 10 clause, giving the team the flexibility to turn it into a two-way pact before the regular season begins.
Clavell, who turns 24 next month, was named Mountain West Conference Player of the Year last season at Colorado State, averaging 20.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game with the Rams. The 6’4″ guard also has extensive international experience with the Puerto Rican National Team.
Although Clavell didn’t receive any guaranteed money when he signed with the Mavericks this offseason, he impressed the team during the preseason. Most notably, he recorded 19 points, five rebounds, and five assists in a win last Thursday over Atlanta. Teams reportedly inquired about his availability recently, but the Mavs opted to hang onto their rights to Clavell.
Once they officially convert Clavell’s contract, the Mavs will have 15 players on their NBA roster, with two on two-way contracts.
After Saturday’s flurry of roster moves around the NBA, most of the league’s 30 teams are all set for the regular season. Heading into opening night, teams are allowed to carry up to 17 players — no more than 15 on their respective NBA rosters, plus an additional two on two-way contracts.
Saturday didn’t represent the deadline for teams to set the regular season rosters, but it was the last day for a club to waive a player on a fully non-guaranteed contract and avoid having his salary count against the cap. That’s why most teams have already made the necessary moves to ensure their rosters are regular-season-ready.
[RELATED: 2017/18 NBA Non-Guaranteed Salaries By Team]
However, as our roster count page shows, there are four teams who will need to make at least one more trade, cut, or other roster move before they’ll be set for the season. These moves are due by Monday afternoon.
Here are those four teams:
Chicago Bulls
- NBA contracts: 16 (13 fully guaranteed)
- Two-way contracts: 2
- The Bulls still have three players on non-guaranteed contracts — Jarell Eddie, David Nwaba, and Diamond Stone. Eddie looked like the most logical candidate to be waived, so it’s somewhat odd that Chicago didn’t make that move on Saturday. Of course, the Bulls’ team salary is well below the salary floor, so if they end up paying Eddie or Nwaba for a couple days of service, it’s hardly the end of the world. Stone already has a $50K guarantee on his contract, so he could be waived on Monday without it affecting the Bulls’ bottom line.
Dallas Mavericks
- NBA contracts: 16 (12 fully guaranteed)
- Two-way contracts: 1
- The Mavericks are already at 17 players, so the most logical move would be to convert Gian Clavell‘s NBA contract into a two-way deal and avoid waiving anyone. Dallas has held off on that move, however, with Clavell drawing some trade interest. The club will have to make a call on him – or another player with a full or partial guarantee – by Monday.
Memphis Grizzlies
- NBA contracts: 17 (16 fully guaranteed)
- Two-way contracts: 2
- No team has more work to do before Monday than the Grizzlies, who will have to trade or cut multiple players and may end up eating a decent chunk of guaranteed money. The most likely scenario would see the team waiving Jarell Martin and perhaps Andrew Harrison (or Wade Baldwin), while retaining Mario Chalmers, who only has a modest $25K guarantee. Martin, Harris, and Baldwin all have full guarantees, which is why Memphis wasn’t under pressure to make any decisions on Saturday.
Utah Jazz
- NBA contracts: 16 (15 fully guaranteed)
- Two-way contracts: 2
- Like the Grizzlies, the Jazz appear set to waive a player on a fully guaranteed salary, which is why they could afford to wait until Monday rather than getting something done on Saturday. Raul Neto, the team’s lone non-guaranteed player, appears safe, meaning the decision will likely come down to Joel Bolomboy vs. Royce O’Neale. Both players have fully guaranteed minimum salaries.
Several teams have reached out to the Mavericks in an effort to acquire shooting guard Gian Clavell, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Clavell, MacMahon notes, was Dallas’ only camp invitee who wasn’t waived today.
The Mavs are one over the roster limit and could keep Clavell by converting his contract into a two-way deal, which would limit him to 45 days in the NBA over the course of the season. He is also eligible to be designated as an affiliate player, which would require him to spend the entire season in the G League.
Clavell went undrafted out of Colorado State after being named Mountain West Player of the Year last season. He signed with Dallas in early August after playing summer league ball with Miami. The 23-year-old has spent several years with the Puerto Rican National Team.