Mavericks Rumors

NBA Suspends Naji Marshall, Jusuf Nurkic, P.J. Washington

December 28th, 2024 at 2:22pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has suspended Mavericks forwards Naji Marshall and P.J. Washington and Suns center Jusuf Nurkic for their roles in an on-court altercation during Friday’s game between the two teams, the league announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

Marshall has been hit with a four-game suspension, Nurkic will be suspended for three games, and Washington will serve a one-game suspension, according to the NBA.

Nurkic was called for an offensive foul with 9:02 remaining in the third quarter of Friday’s game and began heading toward his basket before turning back and exchanging words with Marshall and Washington. The incident escalated when Nurkic struck Marshall in the side of the head. Marshall responded by throwing a punch that connected with Nurkic’s face as the Suns big man was shoved to the floor by Washington (Twitter video links).

According to the league, Marshall “attempted to further engage Nurkic in a hostile manner in the corridor outside the locker rooms” after the players were ejected from the game. That’s presumably why the Mavs forward got the longest suspension of the bunch.

Washington will serve his suspension on Saturday night when the Mavs visit Portland. In addition to missing that game, Marshall will sit out Monday’s contest in Sacramento and Wednesday’s in Houston, as well as Dallas’ home game vs. Cleveland next Friday.

Nurkic will begin serving his three-game ban on Saturday when the Suns play in Golden State. He’ll also miss games vs. Memphis on Tuesday and in Indiana next Saturday.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, Marshall’s four-game suspension will cost him $236,453 of his $8,571,429 salary, while Nurkic will forfeit $375K,000 of his $18,125,000 salary. Those figures are based on each player losing 1/145th of his total salary for each game of the suspension.

Because his suspension is just for one game, Washington will only give up 1/174th of his $15.5MM salary, which works out to $89,080, Marks notes.

The Mavericks and Suns will receive tax variance credits worth 50% of the total forfeited salary, slightly reducing their projected end-of-season luxury tax payments, Marks adds (via Twitter).

Bulls Sign Emanuel Miller To Two-Way Deal, Waive DJ Steward

December 28th, 2024 at 10:15am CST by Rory Maher

DECEMBER 28: The Bulls officially signed Miller to his two-way contract, according to a release from the team. The team waived Steward to make room for Miller. Steward didn’t appear in a game for the Bulls but averaged 19.9 points and 7.5 assists per contest in the G League this season.

DECEMBER 27: The Bulls are signing free agent forward Emanuel Miller to a two-way contract, agents Mike George and Shy Saee tell Jamal Collier of ESPN (Twitter link).

Miller went undrafted in 2024 after playing five collegiate seasons — two at Texas A&M and then his final three at TCU. In 2023/24 with the Horned Frogs, Miller averaged 15.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 steals while posting a .486/.383/.815 shooting line in 34 games (32.6 minutes).

The 24-year-old signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Mavericks over the summer, then was waived before the ’24/25 season began. He has posted impressive numbers for their G League affiliate, the Texas Legends, averaging 18.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals on .483/.375/.750 shooting in 16 games (37.5 minutes).

As our tracker shows, Chicago’s two-way spots are currently occupied by Adama Sanogo, DJ Steward and E.J. Liddell. One of those players will have to be released to make room for Miller.

A native of Canada, Miller is the older brother of Timberwolves forward Leonard Miller.

Assuming he officially signs with Chicago on Friday or Saturday, Miller will be eligible to appear in up to 31 NBA games this season, a prorated portion of the usual 50-game limit.

Western Notes: Malone, Brown, Suns, Mavs, Pels, Morant, Kawamura

December 27th, 2024 at 11:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, who was the head coach in Sacramento for a season-and-a-half from 2013-14, didn’t hold back in his criticism of his former employer for the way the Kings handled Mike Brown‘s dismissal, as Bennett Durando of The Denver Post relays.

“What really pissed me off about it was that they lost (Thursday) night, fifth game in a row, I believe — tough loss, fouling a jump-shooter — they have practice this morning, he does his post-(practice) media, and he’s in his car going to the airport to fly to L.A.,” Malone said. “And they call him on the phone (to fire him). No class. No balls. That’s what I’ll say about that.”

Malone said he was initially “really shocked and surprised” when he heard that Brown had been fired, but quickly realized the news wasn’t all that unexpected for two reasons.

“One, because as an NBA head coach, ultimately you’re going to get the blame,” Malone said. “When they win, it’s going to go to (Domantas) Sabonis and (De’Aaron) Fox. When you lose, it’s gonna go to Mike Brown. That’s the way it works. And two, who he works for. So I’m not surprised that Mike Brown got fired, because I got fired by the same person.”

We have more from around the Western Conference:

Fines and/or suspensions could be coming after Suns center Jusuf Nurkic and Mavericks forwards Naji Marshall and P.J. Washington were ejected from Friday’s game for their roles in a fourth-quarter altercation (Twitter video link). As Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic details, Nurkic was called for an offensive foul and began heading toward his basket before turning back and exchanging words with Marshall and Washington. The incident escalated when Nurkic slapped Marshall in the side of the head. Marshall responded by throwing a punch at Nurkic as the Suns big man was shoved to the floor by Washington.
In the wake of Thursday’s 17-point home loss to Houston, Pelicans head coach Willie Green bemoaned his club’s “lack of competitiveness,” telling reporters, “We were just soft tonight. Period” (Twitter link via Will Guillory of The Athletic). New Orleans followed up that performance with another loss – its ninth in a row – on Friday at home vs. the Grizzlies and now has a 5-27 record.
Grizzlies star Ja Morant exited Friday’s win over New Orleans early due to a right shoulder ailment. While it didn’t look in the moment like a significant injury, it’s the same shoulder that Morant had surgically repaired last January, so the team figures to play it safe with its franchise player. According to head coach Taylor Jenkins, Morant will be reevaluated within the “next couple days” to determine the severity of the injury, tweets Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com.
Two-way guard Yuki Kawamura has only logged 41 total minutes across 14 outings for the Grizzlies, but the Japanese rookie has made Memphis the NBA’s most popular team in his home country this season. Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal has the story.

Luka Doncic Out At Least One Month; All-NBA Streak To End

December 27th, 2024 at 8:30am CST by Rory Maher

Mavericks guard Luka Doncic will be sidelined for at least one month after suffering a left calf strain in the second quarter of Wednesday’s loss to Minnesota, according to Shams Charania and Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

Multiple other reporters, including Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News, Dallas-based NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter links), and Lauren Merola and Christian Clark of The Athletic, have confirmed the news.

As Charania and MacMahon detail, Doncic underwent an MRI on Thursday and consulted with multiple medical professionals to establish a return timeline. ESPN’s duo reported on Wednesday that the Mavs were anticipating Doncic would miss an “extended period of time” with the injury, which caused him to leave the arena on crutches.

Doncic appeared to suffer the injury when he drove into the lane while being defended by Jaden McDaniels (Twitter video links). There was no contact to his left leg on the play.

According to ESPN, this is third time Doncic has strained his left calf in the past few years. He also missed all of preseason action with a left calf contusion and recently returned from a left heel contusion.

Doncic, who has made the All-NBA First Team each of the past five seasons, will see that streak come to an end in 2024/25. He has already missed eight games this season, and Dallas plays 16 games between now and January 25, which is around the time he’ll be reevaluated. That would put him on pace to miss at least 24 games, making him ineligible for major end-of-season awards, including MVP, due to the 65-game rule.

The 25-year-old superstar has averaged 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists and a career-high 2.0 steals in 22 games this season (35.7 minutes per contest). His shooting line is .464/.354/.767.

With Doncic out, star backcourt mate Kyrie Irving will take on additional scoring and play-making responsibilities. Quentin Grimes will likely start in Doncic’s stead, with Spencer Dinwiddie another candidate for more touches and minutes.

The Mavericks have had success without Doncic in ’24/25, going 6-2 to this point. But the reigning Western Conference champions will be tested over the next several weeks without their best player.

Southwest Notes: Wembanyama, Paul, Thompson, Missi

December 26th, 2024 at 7:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Those who tuned in for the early Christmas game between the Spurs and Knicks saw an overwhelming performance by Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama, even though the Knicks pulled out a three-point win.

Wembanyama finished with 42 points, 18 rebounds, four assists and four blocks in 40 minutes. No previous player had ever turned in a combination of that many points, rebounds, assists and blocks on Christmas Day. Wembanyama also came close to Wilt Chamberlain‘s record of 45 points in a Christmas debut.

However, Wembanyama was more focused on the loss than his big numbers, Joe Vardon of The Athletic writes.

“It’s not my first thought at all, I don’t even know the real history by heart of the best Christmas games in history,” Wembanyama said. “I’m thinking about the game right now and just thinking we’re close, but we lack some attributes at times. You know, we’re right there. It was a really disputed game.”

We have more from the Southwest Division:

The Spurs are sitting at .500 after losing their last two games. Chris Paul believes the team’s next step is to learn to execute during crunch time, he told Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News. “For us, the next step is winning those games,” Paul said. “We got to get to that point where all that ‘young guy stuff’ got to go out the window. We pros just like everybody else and there’s a grit and a will that you got to have in this league in order to figure out ways to win those games, especially on the road when we are the only ones that’s cheering for us.”
Klay Thompson has passed Reggie Miller for fifth place on the league’s all-time 3-point makes list. That’s a special accomplishment for the Mavericks guard, “I loved Reggie Miller growing up,” Thompson told Christian Clark of The Athletic. “I watched his film and game-winners my whole life. He’s always inspired me to shoot the ball and be a killer. It’s just surreal. Talk about times I prayed for. I prayed for times like that.” Thompson is wearing No. 31 as a tribute to Miller, who wore the same number in his 18 seasons with the Pacers.
Due to injuries, Pelicans rookie center Yves Missi has been thrown into the fire this season and he seems to be improving with each game. Messi had 21 points, nine rebounds, three blocks and two steals against Denver on Sunday. “He’s well ahead of the curve,” teammate CJ McCollum told Rod Walker of the New Orleans Times Picayune. “He’s probably surprised himself. The development has been great for him. From the first day he got here to now has been night and day.”

Luka Doncic Out Indefinitely After Suffering Left Calf Strain

December 25th, 2024 at 6:32pm CST by Rory Maher

6:32pm: The Mavericks are anticipating that Doncic will be sidelined for an “extended period of time,” report Shams Charnia and Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link). According to ESPN, Doncic left the arena on crutches. He’s expected to undergo an MRI on Thursday to determine the severity of the injury.

4:09pm: Mavericks star Luka Doncic experienced a left calf strain late in the second quarter of Wednesday’s loss to Minnesota and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest, the team announced (via Twitter).

“It’s fine,” Doncic said. “Just trying to get through it. But today, it felt fine. After the first quarter (of Monday’s game), it felt better. Just getting warm. It felt fine. Will get through it.”

The 25-year-old was initially listed as probable with the heel issue before being upgraded to available for today’s game.

Doncic appeared to suffer the injury when he drove into the lane while being defended by Jaden McDaniels (Twitter video links). There was no contact to his left leg on the play. He was able to limp off the court on his own, albeit slowly, after the Mavs called a timeout.

As Tim Bontemps of ESPN tweets, Doncic has already missed eight games this season, so an extended absence would jeopardize his chances at earning All-NBA or MVP honors due to the 65-game rule. The Slovenian superstar has a history of calf injuries and has typically missed multiple weeks in those instances, notes Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).

While it’s obviously unfortunate that Doncic was injured, even if he does end up missing too many games to qualify for major postseason awards, it won’t impact him much financially, as he already met the criteria for a super-max extension by making All-NBA teams each of the past two seasons, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

Doncic, who has been named to the All-NBA First Team for five consecutive seasons, will officially become eligible for the Designated Veteran contract extension in the summer of 2025, after he completes his seventh season.

Through 21 games this season, Doncic was averaging 28.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 8.1 assists and a career-high 2.0 steals in 36.6 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .462/.348/.766.

With Doncic out for an unknown amount of time, Quentin Grimes and Spencer Dinwiddie are among the Mavericks who could receive more playing time and touches.

Community Shootaround: Christmas Day Games

December 25th, 2024 at 11:04am CST by Luke Adams

Merry Christmas from the Hoops Rumors staff!

As usual, the NBA has a five-game slate on tap for Christmas Day, with many of the league’s top teams and biggest stars in action on December 25. Here’s today’s schedule:

11:00 am CT: San Antonio Spurs (15-14) at New York Knicks (19-10)
1:30 pm CT: Minnesota Timberwolves (14-14) at Dallas Mavericks (19-10)
4:00 pm CT: Philadelphia 76ers (10-17) at Boston Celtics (22-7)
7:00 pm CT: Los Angeles Lakers (16-13) at Golden State Warriors (15-13)
9:30 pm CT: Denver Nuggets (16-11) at Phoenix Suns (14-14)

While the goal on Christmas Day is generally to showcase some of the day’s biggest stars and best teams, this year’s schedule is a little lacking in the latter.

Despite featuring seven teams from the Western Conference, today’s slate of games doesn’t include any of the West’s top three seeds, the Thunder, Rockets, and Grizzlies. While Houston and Memphis weren’t necessarily expected to be this good, Oklahoma City’s absence is conspicuous, given that the Thunder were the No. 1 seed in the West last season.

Over in the East, we’ve got the No. 2 and 3 seeds in action today, but the NBA’s best team, the 26-4 Cavaliers, won’t be part of the Christmas Day slate. Instead, the third Eastern club is the 12th-seeded Sixers, who have been plagued by injuries but at least will have their big three available on Wednesday — Tyrese Maxey and Paul George aren’t on the injury report, and Joel Embiid is listed as available.

Despite the absence of so many top teams, each matchup still has something going for it, with plenty of star power on display.

The afternoon will feature rising phenom Victor Wembanyama visiting Madison Square Garden and the streaking Knicks, who have won four games in a row; a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals between the Timberwolves and Mavericks, who should have star guards Kyrie Irving (available) and Luka Doncic (probable) active today; and those aforementioned three Sixers stars going up against the defending champions in Boston.

The first evening contest between the Lakers and Warriors pits the No. 7 seed in the West against No. 8, but it also could be one of the last few times that NBA legends LeBron James and Stephen Curry face one another. James is considered questionable due to left foot injury management, but I’d be shocked if he didn’t play. A couple more would-be Western contenders who have had up-and-down starts will wrap up the day when the Nuggets visit Phoenix in a game that will feature a pair of former MVPs in Nikola Jokic and Kevin Durant.

We want to know what you think. Are there any teams you wish were or weren’t part of today’s schedule? Which of these five games are you most looking forward to? Which five teams are you picking to win this year’s Christmas Day matchups?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in, and feel free to use it as an open thread to discuss today’s games.

Jimmy Butler Prefers Trade Out Of Miami

December 25th, 2024 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

Heat forward Jimmy Butler would prefer to be traded ahead of the February 6 deadline rather than sticking with Miami for the full season, reports Shams Charania of ESPN.

Charania clarifies that Butler has not formally asked the Heat to trade him, but he’s “believed to be ready for his exit” from the franchise.

Butler has been the subject of trade rumors in recent weeks, with Charania first reporting on December 10 that the Heat were open to listening to offers on the six-time All-Star.

Charania stated at the time that the Mavericks, Rockets, and Warriors were a few of the teams that would appeal to Butler in the event of a trade, then added the Suns to that list the following day. Phoenix and Golden State are believed to be his top choices from among that group, Charania said today on NBA Countdown (Twitter video link).

Multiple teams have been in touch with the Heat within the past couple weeks to express interest in Butler, but Miami isn’t showing urgency in those discussions, sources tell ESPN.

Reporting in the wake of Miami’s elimination from the 2024 playoffs indicated that Butler would be seeking a maximum-salary extension during the offseason. Asked about that possibility during his end-of-season press conference in the spring, president of basketball operations Pat Riley expressed reluctance to make that sort of financial investment in a player “unless you have someone who is going to be available every night,” a reference to Butler’s injury issues in recent seasons.

Butler subsequently decided to remain with the Heat without an extension rather than pushing for an offseason trade. However, he has been unhappy about not being extended, according to Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.

Following the publication of today’s ESPN report, reporters in Miami – including Chiang and Jackson – have cited sources who confirm Butler hasn’t demanded a trade. According to The Herald, Butler would play out the season with Miami if that’s what the team decides, but would be fine with a change of scenery as well.

The 35-year-old is earning $48.8MM this season and holds a $52.4MM player option for the 2025/26 season. Multiple reports have indicated he intends to turn down that option to become a free agent, whether or not he’s traded this season. Butler doesn’t have to make a decision on that option until late June though, so it’s possible he’ll use that stance for leverage purposes and opt in or sign an extension later in the season if he ends up in a situation he likes.

Marc Stein and others have reported that the Heat believe they’d be in a good position with Butler next summer, since the rebuilding Nets are the only team projected to have maximum-salary cap room. Chiang and Jackson reiterated that point today, writing that Miami is “not at all concerned” about losing the former Marquette standout for nothing in free agency. Still, Charania says both the Heat and Butler seem willing to move on from one another.

Butler’s relationship with the Heat has become “somewhat strained,” per Chiang and Jackson, who hear from a source that the 14-year veteran was disappointed the team didn’t publicly deny Charania’s Dec. 10 report that Miami was open to moving him. Butler was also the only Heat player not to attend a Christmas party at Riley’s house, though he has missed the party in the past, so that’s not necessarily meaningful, according to Chiang and Jackson (Twitter link).

The Herald duo hears from a source that Butler was “caught off guard” when Riley scolded him at his spring press conference for Butler’s claim that the Celtics and Knicks would “be at home” if he had been able to play in the postseason.

“If you’re not on the court playing against Boston or on the court playing against the New York Knicks, you should keep your mouth shut on the criticism of those teams,” Riley said at the time.

While the relationship between player and team isn’t as strong as it once was, Butler hasn’t been disruptive at all this season like he was in 2018 when he requested a trade out of Minnesota, according to The Herald.

Butler is averaging 18.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.9 assists in 31.4 minutes per game across 20 outings so far this season, with a .552/.357/.782 shooting line. His season-long averages have been hurt to some extent by the fact that he was only able to play seven minutes in a pair of games that he left due to injuries.

Butler’s $48.8MM salary will complicate some teams’ ability to acquire him via trade. The Mavericks and Suns fall into that group and appear not to have enough assets to entice Miami, per Chiang and Jackson. The Rockets, meanwhile, have told people they’re not interested in pursuing Butler, a source tells The Herald.

Injury Notes: Doncic, R. Williams, Leonard, Jones, Heat, Wade

December 23rd, 2024 at 7:11pm CST by Rory Maher

After missing the past two games with a left heel contusion, Luka Doncic was upgraded to available for Monday’s contest vs. Portland, the Mavericks announced (via Twitter). The perennial All-NBA guard had previously been listed as questionable.

For the same game, big man Robert Williams was ruled out due to a left ankle sprain, per the Trail Blazers (Twitter link). Williams was questionable this afternoon, so his latest injury doesn’t appear to be anything significant.

Here are some more injury notes from around the NBA:

A Clippers source tells Law Murray of The Athletic that Kawhi Leonard (right knee) will not suit up for Friday’s contest vs. Golden State (Twitter link). Murray predicted last week that Leonard, who has been going through contact practices and recently traveled on a three-game road trip, would play on Friday, but his season debut will be delayed by at least one more game.
Although they won’t have Leonard back yet, the Clippers did receive some good injury news last week, as Derrick Jones returned early from a right hamstring strain, Murray writes for The Athletic. The 27-year-old forward made an immediate impact against his former team, helping Los Angeles defeat Dallas on Thursday. “Derrick was a big part of our success last year,” Mavs head coach Jason Kidd said. “He was the last to sign with us … he made us a little bit more athletic. He could guard one through five. He shot the three well for us. And he’s a pro. He comes to work every day to do his job. We’re happy for his new contract. Unfortunately, he’s on the other side. But the Clippers got a pro.”
The Heat were shorthanded on Monday vs. Brooklyn, with Jimmy Butler (stomach illness) missing his second straight game and Josh Richardson (right heel inflammation) missing his fifth, as Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald relays. Terry Rozier was a late addition to Monday’s injury report after experiencing left knee inflammation, his first absence with that injury, Chiang adds.
Forward Dean Wade experienced some soreness after taking knee-to-knee contact in Saturday’s contest vs. Philadelphia and the Cavaliers decided to be cautious and keep him out of Monday’s contest against Utah, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Wade is expected to return for Friday’s contest vs. Denver, Cleveland’s next game, sources tell Fedor. Sam Merrill started in place of Wade, who himself was an injury replacement for Isaac Okoro (shoulder sprain).

Stein’s Latest: Butler, Beal, Nnaji, Kuzma, Hawkins

December 23rd, 2024 at 8:08am CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns‘ interest in acquiring Jimmy Butler is “absolutely genuine,” but they may not have enough assets to entice the Heat, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack column (subscription required).

In theory, Bradley Beal‘s $50MM contract is a good salary match f0r Butler’s $48.8MM deal, and it’s being portrayed in some circles that Beal’s no-trade clause is the major impediment. That’s not really accurate, according to Stein, who states that there’s little evidence that the Heat have interest in adding the 31-year-old guard.

Beal has two more seasons left on his contract at $53.7MM and $57.1MM, which would greatly impact Miami’s future roster flexibility. He has also missed 36% of the Suns’ games since he joined the team at the start of last season. His scoring has dropped significantly after leaving Washington as he’s no longer being asked to carry the offense, although his shooting percentages are still strong at .504/.375/.795.

Stein notes that Phoenix doesn’t have many options to sweeten the deal for Miami. As a second-apron team, the Suns can’t aggregate contracts in a trade and they’ve already parted with most of their draft assets. They don’t have control over their first-round picks for the next six years, leaving just their 2031 first-rounder and three second-rounders to offer.

Stein shares more inside information from around the league:

Stein confirms a report from KC Johnson of The Chicago Sports Network that Zeke Nnaji‘s contract could stand in the way of a potential Nuggets-Bulls trade. One version of a deal would send Nnaji and Michael Porter Jr. to Chicago in exchange for Zach LaVine and Torrey Craig, but the Bulls are reluctant to make a four-year commitment to Nnaji, who has a $32MM contract that runs through 2027/28. Stein reiterates that Denver is considering whether it makes more sense to trade Porter for two rotational pieces, rather than trying to land LaVine.
League executives believe the Wizards are “eager” to move veteran forward Kyle Kuzma before the trade deadline, according to Stein. Washington had a deal in place with Dallas involving Kuzma last winter, but he chose to stay with the Wizards when given the option. He’s not expected to be consulted this time, Stein adds, as Washington’s front office seeks to tear down a roster that has compiled a league-worst 4-22 record. Stein points out that Kuzma has $3MM in unlikely bonuses that could complicate a deal (since they count against the aprons), but his contract is otherwise team-friendly with a declining salary that will reach $19.4MM in 2026/27. Stein adds that the idea that the Mavericks might pursue Kuzma again was “strongly dismissed,” but the Kings could be an option. He describes Sacramento’s recent interest in Kuzma as “up-and-down.”
Stein considers Jordan Hawkins to be among the players who the Pelicans are unlikely to trade before the deadline. The 22-year-old guard is averaging 13.1 PPG in his second NBA season and has taken on a larger role in New Orleans’ offense. Stein previously listed Herbert Jones, Trey Murphy and rookie center Yves Missi as keepers for the Pelicans.

Load More Posts