Dallas Mavericks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Notes: Brunson, Keels, Grimes, Gibson

July 10th, 2022 at 8:50am CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks are expected to add Jalen Brunson via cap space rather than trying to work out a sign-and-trade deal with the Mavericks, tweets Fred Katz of The Athletic. Brunson agreed to a four-year, $104MM contract with New York shortly after the start of free agency on June 30. But the signing hasn’t been made official yet as the Knicks review their options on the best way to add him to the roster.

Marc Stein confirms that a signing using cap room is the most likely option (Twitter link), and a source tells him that Monday is probably the soonest it will happen.

Brunson played an important role in helping Dallas reach the Western Conference finals, but Mavericks owner Mark Cuban tells Steve Popper of Newsday there are “no hard feelings” about his departure. Cuban said he never got a chance to make a final offer, but acknowledged that it may not have mattered given Brunson’s close ties to the Knicks organization.

“I wish him nothing but the best,” Cuban said. “You bust your [butt] and you have that choice. He deserves it. It happens. It’s the way this league works. It’s a business. You trade a player, you say it’s a business. You lose a player, it’s a business. It’s just the way it goes.”

There’s more on the Knicks:

Trevor Keels, who’s expected to fill a two-way slot in New York, admits having “chills” before his first Summer League game, per Zach Braziller of The New York Post. After sliding to No. 42 in last month’s draft, Keels is determined to prove that he should have been taken higher. “I didn’t think I was going to [get drafted] that low. But it is what it is,” he said. “Of course, I’m going to make sure all the teams pay that passed up on me. But I’m excited I’m a Knick. I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
Quentin Grimes had eight assists along with a team-high 24 points in the Summer League opener and has been working on becoming a better play-maker, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. For the second straight year, Grimes spent part of the offseason working with University of Memphis coach Penny Hardaway. “He’s kind of like a big uncle to me,” Grimes said. “Just took me under his wing and helped me play the point guard position a lot better. Because that’s what I was in high school.”
After waiving Taj Gibson this week, the Knicks were hoping to bring him back on a veteran’s minimum contract, but he believed he had a better chance at playing time with the Wizards, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv.

Contract Details: Booker, Towns, Magic, Oladipo, Anderson, Hardy

July 9th, 2022 at 4:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The new super-max extensions for Suns guard Devin Booker and Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns each come with a different perk.

Booker’s deal includes a 10% trade kicker, but is fully guaranteed for all four years, with no player option in 2027/28.

Towns’ new contract, conversely, doesn’t feature a trade kicker, but has a fourth-year player option, giving Towns the ability to opt out and reach free agency in 2027.

Here are several more contract details from around the NBA:

Both Mohamed Bamba and Bol Bol received one guaranteed season and one non-guaranteed season on their new two-year contracts with the Magic. Bamba has matching cap hits of $10.3MM on his deal, while Bol’s cap hits are $2.2MM apiece.
Victor Oladipo‘s reworked two-year deal with the Heat came in at $18.2MM in total. It’s worth $8.75MM in 2022/23, with a $9.45MM player option for ’23/24.
As previously reported, Kyle Anderson‘s two-year contract with the Timberwolves is worth exactly $18MM. It features a first-year salary of $8,780,488 and a 5% raise to $9,219,512 for 2023/24.
Jaden Hardy‘s three-year contract with the Mavericks is, as expected, worth the minimum in all three seasons. It’s fully guaranteed in the first two years, with a partial guarantee of $400K in year three.

And-Ones: Diop, Baynes, Onuaku, Free Agency, Macon, Dragic

July 9th, 2022 at 2:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Cavaliers draft-and-stash pick Khalifa Diop has extended his contract with Gran Canaria through 2025, according to Eurohoops.net. The Senegalese center’s previous deal with the club was set to expire in 2024. Diop. 20, was selected with the 39th overall pick with the goal of stashing him at least for next season. Presumably, Diop will have NBA opt-outs in his European contract for when Cleveland is ready to bring him aboard.

We have more news from around the basketball world:

Free agent center Aron Baynes worked out for NBA teams in Las Vegas on Friday and received generally positive reviews, Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com reports. Baynes is seeking an NBA comeback after suffering a serious spinal cord injury during the Tokyo Olympics. One scout told Bulpett that Baynes showed good stamina and a consistent 3-point stroke. Another executive said that Baynes could be a good fit for the Celtics.
Israeli League MVP Chinanu Onuaku will work out for NBA teams on Wednesday at the Las Vegas Summer League, Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.net reports. The Raptors, Clippers, Celtics, Cavaliers, Mavericks and Lakers are among the teams expected to be in attendance. Additionally, Greece’s Panathinaikos is expected to soon present an official offer for a two-year contract. The 6’11” big man played six games with the Rockets from 2016-18.
Donte DiVincenzo‘s two-year contract with the Warriors and Bruce Brown‘s two-year deal with the Nuggets are the best value signings during free agency thus far, in the view of executives who spoke to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com.
Former NBA guard Daryl Macon has signed with Unics, according to Alessandro Maggi of Sportando. Macon averaged 13.1 PPG and 3.6 APG last season in EuroLeague with Panathinaikos. Macon played four games with the Heat during the 2019/20 season.
Former NBA guard Zoran Dragic has re-signed with Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana for another season, according to Sportando. Dragic averaged 10.7 PPG and 5.5 RPG last season in EuroCup action.

Contract Details: DiVincenzo, Brown, Warren, Eubanks, Pinson

July 9th, 2022 at 11:51am CST by Luke Adams

Donte DiVincenzo‘s new two-year contract with the Warriors includes a 15% trade kicker, Hoops Rumors has learned. Golden State signed DiVincenzo using a $4.5MM chunk of its taxpayer mid-level exception, leaving a leftover portion of $1,979,000 on that MLE. DiVincenzo’s second-year player option is worth $4,725,000.

Here are a few more details on recently signed contracts:

Bruce Brown‘s two-year deal with the Nuggets is worth the full taxpayer mid-level exception ($6,479,000), with the maximum allowable 5% raise for his second-year player option ($6,802,950), Hoops Rumors has learned.
T.J. Warren‘s one-year contract with the Nets is worth the veteran’s minimum, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. Warren will earn a $2,628,597 salary while Brooklyn takes on a cap hit of $1,836,090 for the veteran forward.
As expected, the new one-year contracts Drew Eubanks (Trail Blazers) and Theo Pinson (Mavericks) are also worth the veteran’s minimum. Both deals are guaranteed.

Southwest Notes: Rockets, McGee, Spurs, Pelicans

July 8th, 2022 at 5:05pm CST by Luke Adams

When the Rockets became convinced on draft day that the Magic were going to use the first overall pick on Paolo Banchero, Houston made Orlando a trade offer for that No. 1 pick, sources tell Tim MacMahon and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.

As MacMahon and Windhorst explain, the Rockets had been expecting to end up with Banchero and had only recently been given Jabari Smith‘s medical information from his agent, Wallace Prather. Bill Duffy, Chet Holmgren‘s agent, told the Rockets he’d only give them Holmgren’s medicals if he got the sense that both Orlando and Oklahoma City were passing on his client.

According to ESPN’s duo, the Rockets were comfortable staying at No. 3 if Smith fell to them, but were worried about having to make a decision on Holmgren without getting much time to look over his medicals, which was why they inquired about moving up. After the Magic turned them down, the Thunder took Holmgren at No. 2, with Smith falling to Houston at No. 3 — all three teams ultimately left the draft happy, and while Banchero and Smith were surprised by where they ended up, neither was upset by the outcome.

“Jabari ended up in a place that fits who he is,” Prather said. “There was nothing but excitement on Jabari’s part about going to Houston. We love their young core. We love the city. We love the passion of their fan base.”

For what it’s worth, Banchero got the upper hand on Smith in their respective Summer League debuts on Thursday, as Tim Bontemps of ESPN writes. The Magic forward scored 17 points in Orlando’s win over Smith and the Rockets.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

A coaching assistant last season with the Rockets, Will Dunn has been promoted to an assistant coach position, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.
Appearing on ESPN’s NBA Today (video link), Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd confirmed that the plan is to insert newly-signed big man JaVale McGee into the starting five. McGee told ESPN when he agreed to a deal with Dallas last week that he expected to be the team’s starting center.
The Spurs ruled out Jeremy Sochan and Joe Wieskamp for the entire Las Vegas Summer League, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link). Sochan missed all of the team’s pre-Vegas practices due to COVID-19, while Wieskamp, who remains a restricted free agent for San Antonio, sprained his ankle in a Tuesday practice.
Noting that the Pelicans‘ front office has shown a knack for identifying under-the-radar talent, Christian Clark of NOLA.com identifies three players on the team’s Summer League roster who could warrant a longer look from the club.

Mavericks On Track To Sign Tyler Dorsey?

July 7th, 2022 at 10:52am CST by Luke Adams

10:52am: The Mavericks and Dorsey are in talks on a two-way contract, reports Marc Stein (Twitter link). If the two sides finalize an agreement, Dallas would still have an open spot on its projected 15-man roster.

7:48am: Former NBA shooting guard Tyler Dorsey is reportedly expected to return stateside after spending the last three years in Europe.

Stavros Barbarousis of Eurohoops.net first wrote that the Mavericks would make a contract offer to Dorsey following a recent workout, while Alessandro Luigi Maggi of Sportando (Twitter link) says the two sides have agreed to terms.

The 41st overall pick in the 2017 draft, Dorsey appeared in 104 games across two seasons with the Hawks and Grizzlies, averaging 6.7 PPG and 2.3 RPG on .389/.350/.669 shooting in 16.1 MPG.

The former Oregon standout headed overseas in 2019, joining Maccabi Tel Aviv for two seasons and then Olympiacos for one. Dorsey had a hugely successful run in Europe, winning Israeli League titles in 2020 and 2021 and a Greek League championship in 2022. In 2021/22, he averaged 13.4 PPG, 2.4 RPG, and 2.1 APG with a .459/.395/.813 shooting line in 31 EuroLeague appearances (24.0 MPG) for Olympiacos.

According to Barbarousis, Dorsey received an extension offer from Olympiacos as well as a contract offer from Turkish team Fenerbahce, but has turned them down. Although Barbarousis can’t yet confirm Maggi’s report that Dorsey and the Mavericks have a deal in place, he notes that the 26-year-old’s goal has been to return to the NBA.

Dallas is currently carrying 13 players on guaranteed contracts, with JaVale McGee set to become the 14th. If and when Dorsey finalizes a deal with the Mavs, he’d presumably be the frontrunner to fill the final spot on the team’s 15-man regular season roster.

Because the Mavs don’t have the bi-annual exception available and are using their full taxpayer mid-level exception to sign McGee and Jaden Hardy, they’d only be able to offer Dorsey a minimum-salary deal.

Fischer’s Latest: Ayton, Durant, S. Barnes, Kyrie

July 6th, 2022 at 10:16am CST by Luke Adams

Deandre Ayton appears to have been the free agent most directly affected by the ongoing Kevin Durant sweepstakes, writes Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.

As Fischer outlines, Ayton’s restricted free agency has been stalled in part because he could theoretically be an outgoing piece in a Suns deal for Durant and also because teams with interest in both players – including Toronto – won’t want to give up assets in a sign-and-trade for Ayton before seeing what happens with Durant.

According to Fischer, the Pacers and Raptors have been the teams most frequently linked to Ayton, with the Jazz described as a less likely destination for the young center. The Pacers and Spurs are the only teams that have the cap flexibility necessary to realistically extend an offer sheet to Ayton. It’s unclear whether he’d rather try to pursue a deal with one of them or wait for a possible sign-and-trade opportunity to a team closer to contention, Fischer says.

One hypothetical scenario is a multi-team trade that sends Durant to Phoenix; Ayton to Indiana in a sign-and-trade; and Myles Turner, multiple Suns wings, and draft capital to Brooklyn. However, Fischer hears from sources that such a package is unlikely to meet the Nets’ high asking price for Durant.

Here’s more from Fischer:

League personnel have begun to discuss the possibility of the Nets simply hanging onto Durant and Kyrie Irving into the regular season, according to Fischer. “Rudy Gobert getting traded for an arm, a leg and two mountains is helping their cause. There’s no way the Nets will ever trade Kevin Durant for anything less than what Rudy Gobert got Utah,” a Western Conference executive told Fischer. “If nothing comes, I can see them saying (to the players), ‘We just all have to come back.’ If I’m them, I just try to string this out as long as possible.”
As has been previously reported, there’s skepticism that the Suns will be able to build a package that appeals to the Nets without getting at least one more team involved. “Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and five picks still isn’t enough to me for KD,” one GM said to Bleacher Report.
Multiple sources with knowledge of the situation tell Fischer that the Raptors remain unwilling to part with Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes.
Fischer’s league sources “strongly discounted” the idea that either the Mavericks or Sixers is a serious suitor for Irving. The Lakers remain Brooklyn’s most obvious trade partner for Kyrie, but there’s a sense that they may need to involve a third team to meet the Nets‘ asking price — a package of Russell Westbrook and draft assets wouldn’t maximize Brooklyn’s chances of contending in the short term, Fischer explains.

Southwest Notes: Spurs, M. Wright, Rockets, Grizzlies

July 6th, 2022 at 8:04am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran center Jakob Poeltl has been the subject of trade speculation dating back to February’s deadline, and while Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link) doesn’t believe the Spurs‘ signing of Gorgui Dieng and waiver claim of Isaiah Roby signal the end of Poeltl’s time in San Antonio, he suggests the team should be gauging the trade market for the big man.

In the wake of the trade sending Dejounte Murray to Atlanta, McDonald (Twitter link) views anyone on the Spurs’ roster over the age of 24 as “imminently available.” That would include sharpshooter Doug McDermott in addition to Poeltl, though it sounds like that’s just speculation for the time being.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Despite earning a spot on the All-G League First Team as a rookie this past season, forward Moses Wright wasn’t tendered a two-way qualifying offer by the Mavericks and is now an unrestricted free agent. As Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com writes, Wright is playing for Dallas’ Summer League team in Las Vegas and is determined to show he deserves a training camp invite, whether from the Mavs or another team. “I want to be the most dominant big (man) out there,” Wright said. “Whether it’s talking, rebounding, defensive presence, no matter what I do, just be dominant at what I do.”
Kelly Iko of The Athletic wonders if there’s a way for the Rockets to get involved in a multi-team trade scenario involving Kevin Durant in order to land restricted free agent center Deandre Ayton. Iko acknowledges that Ayton’s positional overlap with Alperen Sengun isn’t ideal, but believes it would still make sense for Houston if the price was right.
The Grizzlies, whose only move in free agency has been a new two-year agreement with Tyus Jones, believe time is on their side and are operating with patience this summer rather than making any significant roster changes, according to Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian (subscription required).

Mavericks Sign Jaden Hardy To Three-Year Deal

July 5th, 2022 at 6:46pm CST by Rory Maher

JULY 7: The Mavericks have officially signed Hardy, per NBA.com’s transactions log.

JULY 5: The Mavericks are signing second-round pick Jaden Hardy to a three-year contract, league sources tell longtime reporter Marc Stein (Twitter links).

As Stein explains, the Mavs had hoped to sign Hardy to a four-year deal, but because they project to be a taxpaying team next season, they will be limited to three years instead of four. According to Stein, Dallas is using slightly more than $1MM of its taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Hardy, the portion the team withheld in its deal with veteran JaVale McGee.

Hardy, who turns 20 today, was the 37th overall pick of the June 23 draft. The Mavericks traded their 2024 and 2028 second-rounders to move into the draft and acquire Hardy, whom the Mavs reportedly had 19th on their board, per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.

A five-star recruit exiting high school and at one point a projected top-five pick, Hardy spent last season with the G League Ignite, posting solid averages of 17.7 PPG, 4.6 RPG and 3.2 APG in 12 games (32.2 MPG). However, his offensive efficiency (3.5 turnovers per game and .351/.269/.882 shooting splits) and lackluster defense caused his draft stock to slide, as he was rated as a late first-rounder by ESPN before being selected 37th overall.

Once the signings of Hardy, McGee and Theo Pinson become official, the Mavs will have 14 of their 15 standard roster spots filled.

Western Notes: Wiseman, Lundberg, Dorsey, Brunson, Tampering

July 4th, 2022 at 5:28pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Warriors center James Wiseman remains on track to play in the Las Vegas Summer League, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. Wiseman played 5-on-5 full contact on Sunday for the first time since he had a setback in his right knee rehab late in the regular season. The No. 2 pick of the 2020 draft missed all of last season.

We have more from the Western Conference:

Gabriel Lundberg is not on the Suns’ summer league roster and he could be on the move, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets. Lundberg, who signed a two-way contract with Phoenix in March and appeared in four regular season games, has a possible deal overseas, Rankin hears. Lundberg left CSKA Moscow after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Tyler Dorsey had a private workout with the Mavericks on Sunday, Krysten Peek of Yahoo Sports tweets. Dorsey appeared in a combined 104 regular season games for Atlanta and Memphis from 2017-19. He played for Olympiacos (Greece) last season and was the team’s second-leading scorer.
Will the Knicks be penalized for tampering after securing a commitment from Mavericks free agent guard Jalen Brunson? Fred Katz and Tim Cato of The Athletic tackle that subject, with Katz hearing that there’s an expectation around the league that the Knicks will get charged with tampering, unless they work out a sign-and-trade with Dallas. Katz notes that New York started dumping salary on draft night and continued to do so amid reports prior to the start of free agency that Brunson was going to the Knicks.