Mavericks Rumors

Pacific Notes: Thompson, Melton, Leonard, Bamba, Monk

Before Klay Thompson decided to join the Mavericks in free agency, he met Warriors coach Steve Kerr for breakfast in late June, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Although Thompson had seen a reduced role in his final season with the team, Kerr assured him that the organization still valued him and wanted him to stay. However, Kerr was also honest about Thompson’s likely future if he re-signed with Golden State, which might include a full-time bench role.

“At the end of the breakfast, he said, ‘You know, I think it’s time. I think I’m going to go to Dallas,’” Kerr said. “I understood. I completely understood. Sometimes a fresh start can be healthy. I think it was the right decision for him.”

Thompson will return Tuesday night to the Chase Center, where he’s expected to receive a hero’s welcome. He’s still a beloved figure in the Bay Area for his role in helping the Warriors win four titles during his 13 years with the team. And even though there’s an acknowledgement that Thompson wasn’t fully happy last season, there’s also a strong bond with the city and his former teammates.

“This will be as emotional as anything we’ve ever experienced, I think, in my time here,” Kerr said. “I think it’ll be even more emotional than his return (from injuries) to play. Obviously now there’s a finality to it and appreciation for everything he did hanging the banners, helping get the arena built, just being so beloved by everybody.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • Warriors guard De’Anthony Melton made his first start of the season in Sunday’s win at Oklahoma City alongside Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Kerr plans to keep that unit together, Slater tweets. “I think it gives us a really good two-way lineup,” Kerr said. “You saw what (Melton) can do at both ends.”
  • The Clippers are developing an identity without Kawhi Leonard and should be able to ease him back into the rotation once he’s fully recovered from inflammation in his right knee, Law Murray of The Athletic states in an overview of the team’s surprising start. Murray adds that there haven’t been any concerns about Leonard’s progress, but the medical staff is being cautious so he won’t be in and out of the lineup when he does return.
  • Free agent addition Mohamed Bamba, who hasn’t played yet this season due to a knee injury, has progressed to three-on-three and five-on-five scrimmages, per Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Coach Tyronn Lue indicated there’s a chance Bamba could be active during the Clippers‘ upcoming road trip.
  • Kings guard Malik Monk will miss tonight’s game with an ankle injury that’s still being evaluated, sources tell NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link). He had to leave Sunday’s contest in the first half after hurting the ankle.

Texas Notes: Kidd, Mavs, Vassell, Wembanyama

Jason Kidd ripped the Mavericks‘ effort following Friday’s last-second loss to Phoenix, according to Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required), who says it was the most frustrated he has seen Kidd in his four seasons as Dallas’ head coach.

For whatever reason, we get off to a slow start,” Kidd said. “It’s got to be addressed. We’ve talked about it. There’s got to be action. There’s got to be some energy. Somebody’s got to come with some f—ing energy. We’re f—ing flat.”

In addition to another slow start, Kidd was also critical of the bench’s performance.

The fatigue of running Luka (Doncic) and Kai (Kyrie Irving) 40-something minutes because our bench stinks right now,” Kidd said. “As deep as we are, we’ve got to get someone to f—ing participate off the bench. Somebody has to join the party to help Kai and Luka and that’s just not happening right now.

I played the whole f—ing team tonight. We couldn’t find anybody, so we had to leave (Doncic and Irving) to carry the load and that’s unfair for those two this early in the season.”

Here are a few more notes from the Lone Star State:

  • The Mavericks will likely be shorthanded again on Sunday in Denver. Star guard Doncic is questionable with a left groin strain, while a trio of big men — P.J. Washington (right knee sprain), Dereck Lively (right shoulder sprain) and Maxi Kleber (right hamstring strain) — are all doubtful, tweets Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. Doncic has yet to miss a game in 2024/25.
  • Spurs wing Devin Vassell caught fire in his season debut on Saturday, recording 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting in 22 minutes, notes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscriber link). However, the Spurs lost a tight game vs. the Jazz, who entered the game with just one win. “It was good for me to be back out there,” said Vassell, who was on a minutes restriction in his return from offseason foot surgery. “Good for me to be playing with some of these guys. But ultimately I wanted to get that win, so I’m kind of upset about that right now.”
  • Spurs center Victor Wembanyama had a big night in Saturday’s one-point loss, finishing with 24 points, 16 rebounds and seven blocks, per Michael C. Wright of ESPN. The reigning Rookie of the Year, who has opened the season in a shooting slump from long distance, also set a career high with six made three-pointers. Wembanyama became just the second player in NBA history to record six threes and seven blocks in a game, joining Brook Lopez, who accomplished the feat in 2017, according to Wright.

Largest Trade Exceptions Available This Season

Ahead of the NBA’s 2025 trade deadline, it’s worth keeping in mind which teams hold traded player exceptions that could come in handy to grease the wheels on an in-season deal.

As we explain in our glossary, a traded player exception allows a team to take on salary in a trade without sending out any salary in return. The amount of the exception (plus $250K for non-apron teams) is the amount of salary the team is permitted to take back without salary-matching – either in a single deal or in multiple trades – for one year.

For instance, a team with a $10MM trade exception could acquire a player earning $4MM and a second player earning $6MM without having to worry about sending out any outgoing salary.

In recent years, sizable traded player exceptions have served as wild cards that helped accommodate both pre-deadline and offseason deals. For example, after creating a $9.5MM trade exception when they sent Royce O’Neale to the Suns ahead of the 2024 trade deadline, the Nets used that TPE to acquire Ziaire Williams and a future draft pick in an offseason trade that allowed Memphis to shed some salary.

Many trade exceptions expire without being used, but as our tracker shows, there are several sizable ones available this season that could be useful when trade season begins in earnest.

Here are the 15 biggest trade exceptions around the NBA for now, along with their expiry dates in parentheses:

  1. Atlanta Hawks: $25,266,266 (7/7/25)
  2. Brooklyn Nets: $23,300,000 (7/7/25)
  3. Chicago Bulls: $17,506,232 (7/8/25)
  4. Dallas Mavericks: $16,193,183 (7/7/25)
  5. Memphis Grizzlies: $12,600,000 (2/3/25)
  6. Washington Wizards: $12,402,000 (2/10/25)
  7. New Orleans Pelicans: $9,900,000 (7/7/25)
  8. Minnesota Timberwolves: $8,780,488 (7/7/25)
  9. Portland Trail Blazers: $6,875,000 (7/7/25)
  10. Miami Heat: $6,477,319 (1/23/25)
  11. Sacramento Kings: $6,341,464 (6/30/25)
  12. Memphis Grizzlies: $6,133,005 (7/21/25)
  13. Sacramento Kings: $5,893,768 (7/8/25)
  14. New Orleans Pelicans: $5,722,116 (1/17/25)
  15. Denver Nuggets: $5,250,000 (7/7/25)

A number of these trade exceptions are more likely to be used next offseason, when teams could have more cap flexibility, than during the current season, when so many clubs are within spitting distance of the luxury tax line or a hard cap.

For example, using even a small portion of that $25MM+ exception during the season would push the Hawks‘ team salary into tax territory, but with several contracts coming off their books next summer, they’d be in a better position to take on a big salary at that time.

The exceptions that expire before next offseason are the ones to watch more closely during the season. That $12MM+ Wizards TPE is especially intriguing, since Washington is one of the few teams with plenty of breathing room below the tax threshold. They could use nearly all of that exception at the deadline and still avoid becoming a taxpayer.

The two TPEs listed in italics can’t be used at all, since the Heat are currently operating over the first tax apron, while the Timberwolves are over the second apron. Apron teams are prohibited from using trade exceptions that were generated during the prior season (like Miami’s) or that were created by sending out a player via sign-and-trade (like Minnesota’s).

It’s worth noting that some of these exceptions may be used in a deal that could otherwise be completed using salary matching. For example, a team with a $12MM trade exception that swaps one $10MM player for another could use the exception to take on the incoming player and create a new $10MM exception using the outgoing player.

Given tax and apron considerations, we may see some deals along those lines during the season, since using a TPE in that manner would allow a team to essentially roll it over for another year.

Southwest Notes: Popovich, Johnson, Mavs, Kennard, Jenkins

With Gregg Popovich away from the Spurs for health reasons, reporting on Monday indicated that the head coach is “OK” and “just needs rest,” and acting head coach Mitch Johnson later told the media that Popovich is “in good spirits.” Still, Shams Charania of ESPN and Mike Finger of The San Antonio Express-News suggested on Tuesday that Popovich’s health issue shouldn’t be downplayed.

Appearing on NBA Today (Twitter video link), Charania described the issue as “serious,” explaining that Popovich required medical attention in San Antonio on Saturday and adding that there’s “a great level of concern around the situation,” with no timeline for the coach’s return to the sidelines.

Finger, meanwhile, pointed out (via Twitter) that the Spurs are handling the situation differently this time than they have in the past when Popovich has had health issues that have necessitated short absences, noting that it’s “probably wise not to take a quick return for granted.” The Spurs haven’t yet ruled out Popovich beyond Wednesday’s game in Houston, but will likely provide an update soon, given that the team will be back in action on Thursday vs. Portland.

With Popovich unavailable, the Spurs have turned to Johnson, a rising young assistant who was a finalist in the spring for the Wizards‘ head coaching job that ultimately went to Brian Keefe, according to Charania. Johnson, who has earned praise from his players in San Antonio, was also part of the Team USA staff in Paris over the summer, as Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News details.

“He is an impressive young coach,” Heat head coach and Team USA assistant Erik Spoelstra said. “You can see why Pop has given him a lot more responsibility as the years have gone on. He is a very effective communicator.”

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

  • The Mavericks‘ injury list continues to grow, with P.J. Washington ruled out for Wednesday’s game vs. Chicago due to a right knee sprain, tweets Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. Big man Maxi Kleber will miss a sixth straight game due to his right hamstring strain, while center Dereck Lively is listed as doubtful as a result of a sprained right shoulder.
  • Grizzlies sharpshooter Luke Kennard has been upgraded to questionable for Wednesday’s game vs. the Lakers and has a chance to make his season debut after missing Memphis’ first eight games due to a foot injury (Twitter link). Speaking to reporters after the Grizzlies’ shootaround this morning, Kennard said he’ll be a game-time decision and described his “frustrating” recovery process (video link via The Memphis Commercial Appeal).
  • While Kennard has a chance to make his return on Wednesday, the Grizzlies will be without head coach Taylor Jenkins, per Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal (Twitter link). Jenkins will be away from the team due to a death in his family, with Tuomas Iisalo serving as the acting head coach in his absence.

Southwest Notes: Zion, Sengun, Lively, Popovich

Pelicans forward Zion Williamson didn’t show any signs of suffering an injury in Friday’s win over Indiana, in which he scored a season-high 34 points. However, he was added to the team’s injury report on Sunday due to right hamstring tightness and has now missed two consecutive games, both Pelicans losses, as Christian Clark of NOLA.com details.

“I don’t know exactly how it occurred,” head coach Willie Green said of Williamson’s injury, which was listed on Monday as right thigh soreness. “He showed up. Said he felt a little something. We wanted to make sure we got a look at it.”

Already missing Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum, Herbert Jones, and Trey Murphy due to longer-term injuries, the Pelicans have had to elevate little-used reserves to the rotation, with Brandon Boston, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, rookie Yves Missi, and newly signed Jaylen Nowell among those playing big minutes this week. The shorthanded team has dropped back-to-back games at home, losing to Atlanta by 15 points on Sunday and to Portland by 18 points on Monday.

While New Orleans badly needs a healthy Williamson back on the court to help end its skid, Green admitted on Monday that he’s not sure what the timeline is for his star forward’s return.

“He was not at the game,” Green told reporters. “Doctor’s orders. Because of the hamstring and quad. We kept him at home tonight.”

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

  • After signing a five-year, $185MM rookie scale extension the day before the regular season began, Rockets center Alperen Sengun got off to a slow start this fall, making just 38.6% of his field goal attempts through six games. Prior to Monday’s contest, he made it clear he wasn’t stressing about his low shooting percentage, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required). “I’m not worried about it. Those shots are easy shots for me,” Sengun said. “They’re shots I used to make all three years. So I think it’s just going to come back and I’m going to make those.” The big man delivered on that promise by scoring 25 points on 11-of-15 shooting in a win over New York on Monday. He also contributed 14 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks in what was his best game of the season so far.
  • Mavericks center Dereck Lively II, who missed Monday’s loss to Indiana due to a right shoulder sprain, will undergo an MRI on that shoulder, head coach Jason Kidd told reporters. However, sources have expressed optimism that Lively’s injury isn’t significant, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link).
  • Ahead of his second game as the Spurs‘ acting head coach, Mitch Johnson said on Monday that he’s “not at liberty” to discuss Gregg Popovich‘s possible return timeline, but downplayed the seriousness of Popovich’s health issue. “Right now his health is the No. 1 priority,” Johnson said, per Michael C. Wright of ESPN. “We support him in that 100 percent and I talked to him last night. He’s in good spirits. He’s OK, and we can’t wait to have him back.”

Former GM Donnie Nelson Withdraws Lawsuit Against Mavericks

The lawsuit filed by former Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson against the franchise has been “dismissed with prejudice,” according to documents filed in Dallas County court last week, ESPN’s Bobby Marks and Tim MacMahon report. The case had been scheduled to go to trial Dec. 10.

In legal terms, “dismissed with prejudice” means a case is permanently over and cannot be brought back to court.

Nelson gave notice to the court Thursday that he is taking a nonsuit on his claims against all defendants. Rogge Dunn, Nelson’s attorney, told ESPN that “the parties have reached a resolution of their dispute on confidential terms.”

Nelson’s lawsuit was filed back in March 2022. Nelson alleged he was fired by then majority owner Mark Cuban in June of 2021 as retaliation for reporting sexual misconduct.

Nelson claimed that Cuban’s chief of staff allegedly sexually harassed Nelson’s nephew in a hotel room during the 2020 All-Star Weekend in Chicago. Nelson claimed that he didn’t find out about the incident until five months after it occurred, by which point the nephew had reached a settlement agreement with the team.

According to Nelson’s lawsuit, he was in discussions with the Mavericks about a contract extension at the time, but those talks came to an abrupt end after he reported the incident to Cuban. Nelson was fired the following year.

In their response to the lawsuit, the Mavericks denied that Nelson was wrongfully terminated and claimed that he threatened to reveal the sexual orientation of Cuban’s chief of staff if his contractual demands were not met. In the filing, the Mavericks accused Nelson of a “lengthy scheme to extort as much as $100 million,” and cited several reasons for Nelson’s dismissal, including “poor job performance.”

Texas Notes: Eason, Smith, Rockets, Thompson, Dinwiddie

There was little doubt the Rockets would pick up the 2025/26 contract options of Tari Eason and Jabari Smith Jr. However, both players expressed their appreciation, as The Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen writes.

Eason had leg surgery in March.

“I’m very happy about that,” Eason said of the option decision. “I love this group, I love this city, I love this team. The fact that I have the opportunity to continue to be involved with these guys is truly a blessing. I’m very happy. Missing all that time, there’s a lot of questions, a lot of what-ifs. First major surgery for me, first injury for me, there’s a lot of question marks. But I think that they saw how serious I was in my work coming back and just how ready I was and eager I was to get back with the team. Seeing my work ethic, (the option decision showed) just the trust and faith was there.”

Smith also voiced his gratitude.

“It’s a blessing, everything is a blessing,” Smith said. “It’s just how you look at it. I’m really excited to know it’s another year I have in the league. Just trying to build on it.”

We have more on the Texas teams:

  • The Rockets are near the bottom of the league in shooting percentage but are still scoring at a respectable rate by getting offensive rebounds and forcing turnovers, according to Feigen. Smith isn’t concerned about the team’s 40.9 field goal percentage. “Just keep shooting,” he said. “It can be like that sometimes. I feel like we’re getting good shots. When I rewatch the games, it looks like all my shots are wide open. Looks like everybody’s shooting the right type of shots. It’s just a matter of making them, and I know that’s going to come. Five games into the season, you can’t overreact to it too much. We know we can make shots. We know we can shoot the ball. It’s just a matter of keep trusting and keep getting good shots.”
  • Klay Thompson is taking 12.8 shots per game, his lowest total since his rookie season. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd wants Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to get the ball in Thompon’s hands more often. “We’ve got to make sure that Klay’s involved,” Kidd said, per Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal. “I think here of late, you look at Kyrie and Luka, their attempts have definitely gone up. It’s just about being conscious of who’s on the floor. And when Klay’s on the floor, we need to make sure that we use him the right way.”
  • Spencer Dinwiddie‘s role with the Mavs has been shifting game-t0-game, Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com notes. Dinwiddie, who is playing on a one-year contract, is trying to adjust. “To be honest, we’re figuring it out at the moment,” he said of his role. “I’ve been first off the bench some games and I’ve been told I wasn’t going to play some games. It’s early and we’re figuring all that out. I look forward to helping anyway I can.”

Hard Caps Loom As Potential Obstacles For At Least Three NBA Teams

Over half of the NBA's 30 teams face some sort of hard cap for the rest of the 2024/25 league year. A total of 14 clubs are hard-capped at the first tax apron ($178,132,000) as a result of moves they made on the trade market or in free agency, while three more are hard-capped at the second tax apron ($188,931,000).

Those teams won't be permitted to surpass their respective hard caps for any reason for the rest of '24/25, and it's entirely possible - likely, actually - that more clubs will join them on that list as they finalize in-season signings and trades in the coming months. Just a couple weeks ago, the Grizzlies became the 17th team to get hard-capped when they used a portion of their non-taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Scotty Pippen Jr.

[RELATED: How NBA Teams Become Hard-Capped]

However, in most cases, a hard cap doesn't actually serve as a material obstacle for a team. For instance, the Hornets are currently hard-capped at the first apron, but their team salary for apron purposes is more than $16MM below that threshold.

While the Hornets could take on some additional salary in a pre-deadline trade, it's extremely hard to imagine a scenario in which they surpass the luxury tax line ($170,814,000), let alone approach their $178MM+ hard cap. Certainly, Charlotte's front office should be aware of that hard cap over the course of the season, but it shouldn't be a front-of-mind concern that would prevent the team from pulling the trigger on any moves it realistically wants to make.

Not every team can afford to approach its hard cap like the Hornets though. For a handful of clubs, the hard cap will be a day-to-day consideration that affects a team's ability to sign a free agent, make a trade, or even carry a full 15-man roster.

Let's take a closer look at which teams have to be most aware of their hard caps over the course of the 2024/25 league year.

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Nuggets Rumors: Booth, Malone, Jokic, Murray, George, KCP

In an interesting feature story, which is worth reading in full, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne explores the philosophical “disconnect” developing within the Nuggets as they try to capitalize on Nikola Jokic‘s remaining prime years.

As Shelburne writes, Denver has lost four veteran role players — Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Bruce Brown, Jeff Green and Reggie Jackson — from the team that won the championship in 2023. General manager Calvin Booth acknowledges those departures have created some internal tension between the players and coaching staff and the front office.

There was this urge to compete, especially from the players and the coaches and even myself,” Booth told ESPN. “You want to win, especially coming off the heels of winning the championship. And that’s probably where the tension started.

What are you guys trying to do? Are you trying to win? Are you trying to develop? I think everybody had the best intent going in. There was buy-in. But I think competition and the focus on that can distract you from the buy-in.”

Multiple sources tell Shelburne that the Nuggets have been discussing a contract extension with Booth for months, and a deal is expected to be reached soon. Booth has largely focused on finding young players on affordable contracts to build out the Nuggets’ depth due to the roster-building restrictions of the new tax aprons, but head coach Michael Malone has typically turned to more proven veterans.

Shelburne points to big man Zeke Nnaji as “perhaps the best example” of the disconnect between Booth and Malone. After the Nuggets signed him to a four-year, $32MM rookie scale extension last offseason, the 23-year-old Nnaji saw his minutes and effectiveness decline in 2023/24, and he has only played two minutes through the first four games of this season.

Here’s more on the Nuggets, all courtesy of Shelburne:

  • For his part, Jokic declined to weigh in on any strain between the front office and coaching staff regarding the team’s roster construction, telling Shelburne, “That’s not my job.” However, forward Michael Porter Jr. says players are well aware that the team could look much different next offseason, depending on how the Nuggets perform in 2024/25. “If we don’t win it this year,” Porter told ESPN. “We all know they might have to break it up.”
  • A team source told Shelburne that guard Jamal Murray “was basically on one leg” by the end of last season’s playoffs, which saw Denver fall to Minnesota in the second round. After he struggled in the postseason and Olympics, the Nuggets signed Murray to a four-year, maximum-salary extension. They thought he’d enter training camp “with something to prove,” but sources tell Shelburne there has been some concern with his early-season struggles, particularly with his shot and conditioning level.
  • According to Shelburne’s sources, the Nuggets checked in on Paul George‘s availability this offseason while he was still a member of the Clippers, but Denver was unwilling to include former first-round picks Christian Braun, Peyton Watson or Julian Strawther in those talks, and the Clips had no interest in taking back long-term salary. Shelburne suggests Denver offered Porter and Nnaji for George.
  • Shelburne also hears from sources who say the Nuggets could have received either Tim Hardaway Jr. or Josh Green in a sign-and-trade with the Mavericks that would have sent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to Dallas. The Nuggets declined, and the Mavericks ended up trading both of those players in separate sign-and-trades involving Quentin Grimes and Klay Thompson, while Caldwell-Pope signed with the Magic as a free agent.

Mavericks Notes: Grimes, Hardy, Kleber, G League

The Mavericks made Quentin Grimes a three-year offer prior to last Monday’s deadline for rookie scale extensions, according to veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein (Substack link), but the fourth-year wing opted to pass on it in the hopes that he can boost his stock this season by playing alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving for the defending Western Conference champions.

According to Stein, Dallas’ extension offer to Grimes was believed to be in the same range as the deal Naji Marshall signed as a free agent in July, which was worth $27MM over three years. Rather than locking in that deal, the 24-year-old will take his chances in restricted free agency next summer.

Grimes, who had a disappointing injury-plagued season in New York and Detroit in 2023/24, hasn’t gotten off to a fast start as a Maverick this fall. Through his first two games, he has scored just two points on 1-of-6 shooting and grabbed a pair of rebounds in nearly 21 total minutes of action.

Here’s more on the Mavs:

  • Although Jaden Hardy would have remained eligible to sign a veteran contract extension with the Mavericks anytime up until June 30, 2025, Stein hears that the team “pushed for a resolution” before the season began. Hardy’s new three-year, $18MM deal, which begins in 2025/26, will give the front office a more complete picture of its cap situation going forward as it considers possible moves during the season and leading up to next year’s draft.
  • Mavericks forward/center Maxi Kleber sustained a right hamstring injury during the team’s loss to Phoenix on Saturday and is being listed as questionable for Monday’s contest against Utah, writes Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (Substack link). If Kleber has to miss any time, it could open up more opportunities at the four for Marshall, with non-rotation big man Dwight Powell a candidate to move up the depth chart.
  • The Texas Legends – Dallas’ G League affiliate – have announced their training camp roster, per Noah Weber of The Smoking Cuban (Twitter link). Jamarion Sharp and Emanuel Miller are among the Legends players who were in NBA camp with the Mavs this fall.