Devin Harris

Devin Harris To Miss A Few Weeks

Mavericks guard Devin Harris will be in a walking boot for the next three weeks as he recovers from a toe sprain that head coach Rick Carlisle refers to as “significant.” Harris will be re-evaluated after three weeks, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News.

Harris, 33, played both point guard and shooting guard for the Mavericks off the bench last season, averaging 20.0 minutes per contest in 64 regular season games for the team. Although his left big toe has been surgically repaired twice, his latest injury is to his right big toe.

“We’re going to be without him for a while,” Carlisle said. “So we’ll need the other guys to step up. But we feel like he’s got a chance to come out of this OK.”

[RELATED: Dallas Mavericks roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com]

While Harris’ absence figures to extend into at least late November, if not beyond that, the Mavs likely won’t need to make a roster move to address their backcourt depth. In addition to Harris and starter Deron Williams, the team is also carrying point guards J.J. Barea and Seth Curry, who should be capable of sharing backup duties while Harris recovers. Curry also figures to see some time at the two.

Mavericks Notes: Gibson, Harris, Barnes

After traveling the world to play basketball, the Mavericks’ Jonathan Gibson may be looking at his best shot at making an NBA roster, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. The 27-year-old point guard is among seven players fighting for the last two spots on the Mavs’ roster. He entered camp with a fully guaranteed rookie salary of $543K and the knowledge that Dallas is looking for a younger guard to help back up Deron Williams. Gibson played last season in China, where he averaged 42 points per game but finished second to Jordan Crawford in the scoring race. Basketball has taken him to five countries, including a 37-day stay in Iran. “The people were nice,” Gibson said. “It wasn’t like it looks on TV. Going over there, I was [worried]. But once I got there, it was OK.”

There’s more news out of Dallas:

  • Quickness is the main concern for veteran guard Devin Harris after undergoing three offseason surgeries, Sefko writes in a separate piece. Harris began the summer by having his left foot repaired, along with ligaments in his left thumb, then later had another surgery on his foot to straighten his big toe. “I’m in decent shape, but the first couple days out here, I was watching and thought, ‘These guys are moving fast,'” Harris said. “I haven’t gone that fast in a while. So I just have to get back to that speed. It’s different doing sprints as opposed to getting in real game shape.” Harris is confident that he will be fully ready by opening night.
  • The Mavericks made a huge financial commitment to Harrison Barnes even though he wasn’t their first choice in free agency, notes Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer. Dallas entered July hoping to land Mike Conley, Nicolas Batum and Hassan Whiteside, but when they all made other choices, the Mavericks turned to Barnes and are now hoping he can become the star he was projected to be out of high school.
  • Despite their additions over the past two seasons, the Mavericks don’t look like a team that can contend after Dirk Nowitzki retires, contends Tim Cowlishaw of The Dallas Morning News.

Mavs Notes: Williams, Harris, Hammons, Brussino

Mavericks point guard Deron Williams has received medical clearance to participate in the start of training camp, tweets Mike Fisher of radio station 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. Williams underwent surgery for a sports hernia shortly after Dallas was knocked out of the playoffs and took three months off from playing basketball. He appeared in 65 games for the Mavericks last season, averaging 14.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per night. Dallas will open camp September 26th.

There’s more news today out of Dallas:

  • The health news isn’t as good for Mavericks guard Devin Harris, according to Tim MacMahon on ESPN Now. Harris is still recovering from offseason toe surgery and expects to be limited for at least the first week of camp. The 33-year-old had operations on his left big toe and left thumb after last season ended. Harris is entering his final season with a fully guaranteed contract.
  • Rookie center A.J. Hammons may see his chance for playing time increase as the season wears on, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. A second-round pick out of Purdue, Hammons will enter camp behind Andrew Bogut, Salah Mejri and Dwight Powell on the depth chart. But Bogut’s long injury history may create opportunities at the position later in the year. The 24-year-old Hammons averaged 15.2 points, 8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game during his senior season at Purdue.
  • Argentinian Nicolas Brussino is a worthwhile gamble for the Mavericks, Sefko writes in a separate piece. The 23-year-old swingman signed with Dallas in July for a $100,000 guarantee. He has a reputation as a decent shooter and rebounder, but Sefko states that he will have to prove in camp that he can handle the NBA game.

And-Ones: Schröder, Harris, Selden

Hawks point guard Dennis Schröder was amenable to a reserve role this season but reiterated his desire to be the starter going forward, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com relays. “In the future, I want to be a starting point guard,” Schröder said. “Everybody knows it. But in the situation I was this year, I was fine with it. I played my minutes, and I just tried to get better. When the coaching staff and everybody decides I get the team [and start], I’m going to be ready for it.

When coach/executive Mike Budenholzer was asked about the possibility of Schröder displacing Jeff Teague as Atlanta’s starter, Budenholzer was diplomatic in his response, the ESPN scribe notes. “We value both Jeff and Dennis,” Budenholzer said. “They have both been incredibly good for us. Part of the reason we have had success is we have had two really good point guards. I am not ready to say anything other than how much we love them both. They are a big part of why we have been successful.” Teague was reportedly in high demand from a number of teams prior to February’s trade deadline.

Here’s the latest from around the league:

  • Point guard Devin Harris underwent successful surgery today to repair damage to his left big toe and left thumb, the Mavericks announced. No timetable was given for Harris’ return to basketball-related activities. Harris appeared in 64 games this season and averaged 7.6 points, 1.8 assists, 0.9 steals and 20.0 minutes per outing. His contract runs through the 2017/18 season with a partially guaranteed salary for the final year.
  • Kansas junior combo guard Wayne Selden won’t participate in draft combine workouts this week after undergoing surgery to repair a small meniscus tear in his right knee, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports. Selden, who is the No. 44 overall player according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, will still participate in the interview portion of the event with Miami senior shooting guard Sheldon McClellan taking his place on the court for the scrimmage portion of the combine, Charania notes.

Texas Notes: Howard, Foye, Powell, Anderson

The Mavericks and Bulls were among the teams the Rockets spoke to about Dwight Howard in the days leading up to Thursday’s trade deadline, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com, reiterating earlier reports that Houston talked with the Hawks, Celtics, Hornets, Heat and Bucks. The Rockets held out for one “frontline player” and a first-round pick in return, sources told Stein, though it’s not entirely clear whether he means “frontline” as in “frontcourt” or as in “of importance.” GM Daryl Morey provided a hint, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle relays.

“It was going to have to take something significant to make us look at anything and even then we probably wouldn’t have,” Morey said in part.

Morey also said that he believes in the combo of Howard and James Harden and was never close to trading Howard, Feigen notes, but according to Chris Mannix of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports, the Rockets understand that Howard and Harden are simply a poor fit on the court. The Rockets and other teams had considerable differences about what a Howard trade would look like, even though executives around the league believe Howard is a better scorer than his numbers in Houston show, Mannix writes. See more from the Texas Triangle:

  • The Mavericks had some level of interest in Randy Foye before the Nuggets traded him to the Thunder instead Thursday, but the Mavs weren’t going to offer either Devin Harris or Raymond Felton for him, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.
  • The Mavs are always looking for another shooter, president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said, according to Sefko, who indicates in the same piece that the team wouldn’t mind signing a big man, either, as the post-deadline buyout market develops.
  • Teams offered picks likely to fall in the middle of the first-round to the Mavs for Dwight Powell and Justin Anderson, a source tells Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). Presumably that means each of them would have netted that sort of pick individually, and not the two of them as a package.
  • Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News wouldn’t be surprised to see the Spurs replace former assistant GM Sean Marks with Spurs D-League GM Brian Pauga, also noting that ex-Spurs executive Danny Ferry has been hanging around the team of late (Twitter links). Young made his remarks on the evening before the Nets hired Marks as their GM.

Western Notes: Williams, Asik, Rondo

Devin Harris hopes to have a “rejuvenated” Deron Williams with the Mavericks next season, according to Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. Williams signed a two-year deal with Dallas last month after being waived by the Nets.

“I know what kind of player he is,” Harris said of Williams, whom he was once traded for. “I know he’s excited to be rejuvenated here, especially coming back home. And you know, hopefully he can kind of rejuvenate what he’s been doing, play at a high level and get us to where we need to be.”

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

  • The Pelicans signed Omer Asik to a five-year, $58MM contract this offseason and Ben Dowsett of Basketball Insiders believes it is one of the worst contracts handed out this offseason. The writer cites Asik’s age as well as the declining value of the traditional center as reason for the pessimism. Only $44MM of the center’s deal is fully guaranteed, so the team could get out from the contract if needed after only four years.
  • Dowsett also lists Rajon Rondo‘s new pact with Sacramento as a deal that the team will ultimately regret. Rondo’s deal is for $9.5MM over one season, but Dowsett believes the Kings could have signed the point guard for less due to the lack of suitors, which would have allowed the team to spend elsewhere.

Chris Crouse contributed to this post.

Western Notes: Harris, Gallinari, Jazz

Devin Harris anticipates a change in his role with the Mavericks after the offseason additions of Deron Williams, Wesley Matthews, and the team’s new deal with J.J. Barea, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com writes. “I would consider the backcourt crowded, but I think we got solid pieces — one, two and three,” Harris said. “I don’t know how much of a role change I’m going to have, but I think I’ll probably be playing mostly off the ball, you know, with J.J. coming back and with Deron coming in. But we’ll see what happens throughout training camp. You never know what will happen.” Harris also indicated that the franchise has recovered and moved on from what he termed, “the whole DeAndre Jordan fiasco,” Sneed adds. The center had spurned Dallas after reaching a verbal agreement in order to re-sign with the Clippers.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

  • Danilo Gallinari admits that he was pleasantly surprised by the Nuggetsrenegotiation-and-extension offer, which he has officially signed, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post relays. I was very fast in saying yes to this extension,” Gallinari said. “I’m very happy to stay in Denver. This extension came because of the people in Denver, the fact that I’ve been in Denver for a while now and the fact that I love the city.
  • The forward also noted that he was pleased with the Nuggets‘ offseason moves, including the hiring of Michael Malone as coach, Dempsey adds. I’m very confident in the choices they made this summer in changing the coach and everything,” Gallinari said. “They are doing everything possible in their capacity to win. And I think that they made the right choices, and hopefully we can start winning again starting this season.
  • Despite point guard Dante Exum possibly suffering a torn left ACL on Tuesday, the Jazz are more than likely going to rely on Trey Burke, Bryce Cotton, and Raul Neto at the one spot, rather than signing or trading for a veteran player to bolster their depth, Tony Jones and Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune write.

And-Ones: Love, Wiggins, Sterlings, Durant

The Cavs aren’t dangling Andrew Wiggins in trade talks with the Wolves about Kevin Love, at least for the time being, a source tells Bob Finnan of The News-Herald, who was the first to report last week that Cleveland was open to the idea of parting with Wiggins. So, while no one involved would guarantee Finnan that Wiggins wouldn’t wind up in a Love deal, it sounds like that idea is on the backburner for now. Here’s more from around the Association:

  • Testimony has resumed today in the probate trial between Clippers owners Donald and Shelly Sterling after the judge made a pair of decisions Friday that appear to help Shelly Sterling’s case, as USA Today’s David Leon Moore details. The judge has the power to allow Shelly Sterling to go forward with her sale of the Clippers to Steve Ballmer, if he rules in her favor, even if Donald Sterling decides to appeal, according to Moore.
  • A member of the players association’s executive committee told TNT’s David Aldridge that the union will discuss the idea of taking action should the Sterlings continue to own the Clippers at the start of next season, as Aldridge writes in his Morning Tip column for NBA.com.
  • Thunder assistant coach Brian Keefe, whom Knicks head coach Derek Fisher has reportedly lured to serve as a Knicks assistant, was the member of the Oklahoma City staff whom Kevin Durant trusted the most, Aldridge notes in the same piece.
  • A source tells Frank Isola of the New York Daily News that Knicks GM Steve Mills recently pulled his name from contention for the union’s executive director vacancy. Mills re-emerged as a candidate this spring after having been the apparent front-runner last summer prior to taking the Knicks job.
  • The final two seasons of the four-year contract between Devin Harris and the Mavs are a little more lucrative than previously reported. He’ll make nearly $4.728MM in year three and nearly $4.903MM in the final season, which is partially guaranteed for almost $1.34MM, as Mark Deeks of ShamSports details on his Mavs salary page.

And-Ones: Boozer, Blair, Williams, Mavs

With the Bulls using their amnesty provision on Carlos Boozer on Tuesday, only seven NBA players remain amnesty-eligible as noted in our 2014 Amnesty Primer. But the five teams that haven’t used the provision will have to wait until next summer, as Wednesday marked the deadline for this offseason.

Boozer was snatched up by the Lakers earlier today for a manageable price of $3.25MM, though as ESPN’s Marc Stein reports (via Twitter), the Duke product had strong interest in the Rockets had he gone unclaimed and cleared waivers. Meanwhile, Eric Pincus of the L.A. Times speculates that Boozer’s presence might signal a more complimentary role for rookie Julius Randle unless the playoff-hungry Lakers consider June’s No. 7 pick a small forward (Twitter links are here).

Here’s more from around the league on Thursday night:

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Mavs Re-Sign Devin Harris

JULY 17TH, 6:35pm: The deal is official, the Mavericks announced via a team release.

JULY 5TH, 8:50pm: Dwain Price of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link) is reporting that Harris’ deal is the same as the 3-year, $12MM that Patty Mills received from the Spurs.

2:16pm: A source tells Jody Genessy of the Deseret News (on Twitter) that the deal is actually four years in length and worth $16MM.

1:42pm: Harris’ deal will be worth roughly $9MM over three seasons, hears Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter link).

1:15pm: The Mavericks and Devin Harris are finalizing a three-year deal, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Re-signing Harris became the team’s top priority after they traded Jose Calderon to the Knicks, Stein mentions.

Harris joined the Mavs on a one-year, minimum salary pact last season and performed well for Dallas coming off the bench. He averaged 7.9 points and 4.5 assists in 20.5 minutes per contest. Although those numbers are a far cry from the figures he was able to put up in his All-Star 2008/09 campaign, he proved himself as a still-capable contributor.

Stein doesn’t mention how much the contract will be worth, but it’s likely more than the minimum Harris agreed to last season. Of course, no deal can become official until July 10, when the league-wide moratorium on signings and trades expires.