Dirk Nowitzki Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Lottery, Monroe, Harris

March 20th, 2015 at 4:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said changes to the draft lottery favored by the majority of teams will likely be postponed because the NBA Players Association recently turned down the league’s smoothing proposal regarding salary-cap increases, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports. The dramatic increase in the salary cap from $63MM to an estimated $90MM during the summer of 2016 makes changes to the lottery system unfeasible, Silver told Houston-based reporters on Thursday. “What I am hearing from some of the general managers in the league is that because it’s unclear how the cap will operate with a massive amount of cap room in ’16 and ’17 and potentially in the year after that it may be premature to change the lottery until we have a better understanding of what the changed behavior will be, so it’s something we are going to continue to look at,” Silver said.

In other news around the league:

The Pistons are unlikely to sign and trade Greg Monroe this summer, David Mayo of MLive.com opines. Mayo doubts that any team interested in signing Monroe, who becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, would give up anything of value for him. The Pistons would probably have to take back a bad contract to execute such a deal, which makes it unwise for them to make such a move, Mayo continues. The only party who would truly benefit from a sign-and-trade deal would be Monroe, who could get a bigger contract without having to return to Detroit, Mayo concludes.
Dirk Nowitzki is averaging 20.3 points on 52.4% shooting from the field for the Mavericks over the last three games and a less taxing schedule is the primary reason for the veteran forward’s recent outburst, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. Nowitzki said to the team’s beat writers that longer stretches in-between games has made him feel fresher, “Going into the break, I think we had the most games in the league,” Nowitzki said. “Then coming out of the break, we had the shortest break and then we had five games in seven days. A brutal stretch for us, but finally it slowed down a little bit. It allowed us to get a little healthy, mix in some good rest with good work. I think it helped us and helped me.”
The Cavaliers assigned guard Joe Harris to their D-League affiliate, the Canton Charge, Cleveland GM David Griffin announced Friday on the team’s official website. Harris has appeared in 47 games with the Cavs this season, averaging 2.5 points in 9.2 minutes per game. He has played in seven games for the Charge, averaging 17.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 32.3 minutes per game.

And-Ones: Spurs, Nowitzki, Thunder, Mudiay

November 15th, 2014 at 10:44pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Stability has been the key to the success of the Spurs, writes Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. The core of last year’s championship team remains the same with the only addition being rookie Kyle Anderson. Turner admits that while continuity is a huge part of their success, having Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker certainly has helped. Last week, they became the second trio in NBA history to win 500 games together, joining Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish of the Celtics, who won 540 games together.

Here’s more from around the Association:

By assembling the right talent around Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavs have ensured that the future Hall of Famer will sustain success, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Nowitzki is shooting 55% from the field this season, up from his career average of 47.7%. He attributes this success to his confidence in the team around him. “I don’t feel like I have to take any bad shots, you know,” Nowitzki said. “I’m happy to be on a good team again.” Dallas leads the league in scoring with 107.1 points per game.
Injuries have gutted the Thunder’s roster but the team should benefit from its adverse experience, writes Anthony Slater of the Oklahoman. Slater argues that the rare stretch of games without its top stars has created a learning opportunity for the rest of the team’s roster. If the team is able to make the playoffs after its 3-7 start to the season, the experience afforded to the team’s depth may pay real dividends.
Emmanuel Mudiay has made China a destination on the scouting trail for the first time in years, writes Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. Howard-Cooper points out that there hasn’t been such an important scouting trip to Asia since the 2007 draft in which Yi Jianlian went sixth overall to the Bucks. Mudiay is the second-best 2015 draft prospect in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings, and he’s No. 3 with Chad Ford of ESPN.com.

Western Notes: Wolves, Cuban, Young

August 23rd, 2014 at 12:35pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Analysts have mixed opinions about whether or not Wolves President of Basketball Operations Flip Saunders is getting the best possible return for Love, writes Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune. The deal will only be as good as Andrew Wiggins‘ development becomes, opines Youngblood.

Here’s more from around the league:

The crew over at Basketball Insiders (video link) discuss the Love trade, and what it means for all the teams involved.
It will be a few seasons before a clear winner in the Love trade is determined, but Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders discusses the possible outcomes for each team involved.
Thaddeus Young is facing another long season of losing, this time with the Wolves, writes Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban wanted to best Rockets GM Daryl Morey in free agency this offseason, he relayed in an interview with Dallas’ KRLD-FM 105.3 (hat tip to the Dallas Morning News). Cuban said, “Oh, all good business is personal. Trust me, there’s nobody more competitive than me. Every bit of me wanted to kick his [expletive deleted] and I would have felt bad. Obviously they got Dwight Howard a couple of years ago. Yeah, I wanted to beat him. And that’s a compliment to him. Daryl is very smart. It was very much like a game of chess.”
Cuban also weighed in on the Rockets inquiries about acquiring Dirk Nowitzki. Cuban said, “I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ He asked if we’d trade Dirk. At first I thought it was taunting, but now knowing more about Daryl I don’t think it was in hindsight. That’s just not his style. It says a lot about their approach more than anything else. They just have a different understanding and approach to chemistry than we do. Some teams, and that’s not just the Rockets, just put together talent and the talent takes care of itself. We think chemistry matters. When Carmelo came to visit us, there was no chance that we were going to put him in someone else’s jersey number and put it on the outside of the arena. That’s not our style.”

Texas Notes: Mavs, Nowitzki, Rockets, Messina

July 16th, 2014 at 2:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Mavs‘ offer to Lance Stephenson was for two years and $20MM, rather than three years at that total, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv, who corrects his earlier report (Twitter link). Chris Broussard of ESPN.com confirms that the sides had a “handshake agreement” on a two-year, $20MM pact contingent on the Rockets matching the Dallas offer to Chandler Parsons. Of course, the Rockets declined to match, and Stephenson wound up with Charlotte instead. There’s more on another offer the Mavs have made amid the latest from the Lone Star State:

Dallas is willing to give summer league swingman Eric Griffin a partially guaranteed deal, reports Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside. Griffin, who went undrafted out of Campbell in 2012, was in camp with the Heat last autumn. It’s unclear whether he’ll accept what the Mavs have on the table, indicating other NBA clubs may have interest, though that’s just my speculation.
A source close to the Lakers denied that the team floated a maximum-salary offer to Dirk Nowitzki, telling Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News that the Lakers would never have done so.
The Rockets intend to sign second-round pick Nick Johnson this summer, a source tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (Twitter link). The shooting guard from Arizona went 42nd overall in last month’s draft.
The Spurs officially hired European coaching star Ettore Messina as an assistant coach Tuesday, the team announced, more than a month after GM R.C. Buford denied a report that they were close to a deal. Messina appeared to be a strong candidate for the Jazz head coaching vacancy this spring and was mentioned in connection to the Lakers head job, too.

Mavs Re-Sign Dirk Nowitzki

July 15th, 2014 at 4:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 15TH: The deal is official, the team announced via press release, and it’s for less than previously reported so that Dallas could accommodate its deal for Chandler Parsons, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). It’s a three-year, $25MM contract, Stein tweets. Nowitzki turned down max offers from the Rockets and the Lakers to remain with the Mavs, Stein reports (on Twitter).

JULY 3RD: 3:52pm: The deal includes a player option after the second season and a no-trade clause, Stein writes in his full story.

3:33pm: The Mavericks and Dirk Nowitzki have come to terms on a three-year deal, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). No free agent has seemed more certain to re-sign with his team than Nowitzki, with only the length of the contract and the financial terms in any doubt. The value of the deal is believed to be around $30MM, Stein adds via Twitter.

Nowitzki and the team had agreed to hold off on finalizing a deal until after the club’s Wednesday meeting with Carmelo Anthony so as to retain maximum cap flexibility, but with ‘Melo’s visit through, the team has locked up its own star. It’s not clear whether the deal is an indication that the team is more or less likely to sign ‘Melo than it had been before the meeting, but the terms of Nowitzki’s agreement fall in line with what Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com suggested he would likely end up with.

The money is a steep decline from Nowitzki’s salary of more than $22.7MM this past season, and he could have signed a deal worth as much as nearly $23.9MM for next season alone. The 36-year-old’s age is the chief reason he’ll wind up with less, but his loyalty to the Mavs also comes into play. Dallas has been attempting to find another star to go alongside Nowitzki in recent years, and that will be easier now that Nowitzki won’t be making nearly as much.

Nowitzki made the All-Star game this past season, and his performance this year justified the selection, as the 7-footer averaged 21.7 points and 6.2 rebounds with 39.8% three-point shooting and a 23.6 PER. He spoke in May of wanting the club to respect his continued ability when it put together his deal, even as he acknowledged there was no realistic chance he’d sign elsewhere. To that end, it appears he’ll continue to make an eight-figure salary, or close to it, as he nears age 40.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Western Notes: Mavs, Dirk, Calathes, Woodson

July 9th, 2014 at 7:57pm CST by Cray Allred

The Mavs‘ top three free agent targets for next summer are LaMarcus Aldridge, Marc Gasol, and Kevin Love, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas. Here’s more from out West:

Dirk Nowitzki has already agreed to re-sign with the Mavs at a discounted rate, but Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets that the Rockets have a standing max offer with the future Hall-of-Famer.
Nick Calathes says he hasn’t asked the Grizzlies to release him, even though it would be to his financial benefit if they did, as Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal details. He’s on a non-guaranteed contract for the minimum salary this season, and the team seemingly intends to keep him, Two European teams loom with three-year, $6.5MM offers, but Calathes is undecided about whether he prefers to remain with the Grizzlies or sign overseas, as he tells Tillery. “Once you see a big offer on the table you’re going to think about it,” Calathes said. “You think about it always. That kind of money obviously can change your life. I’m playing the game I love so I’m real blessed. Whichever way it goes, I’m going to be happy.”
Mike Woodson will return to the bench next season as a member of Doc Rivers‘ assistant coaching staff with the Clippers, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Since being fired by the Knicks at the close of this past season, Woodson has maintained his interest in returning to the bench, but hadn’t been linked with any teams seeking a head coach this offseason.
Chris Mannix of SI.com suggests that patience on the part of the Wolves could pay off regarding Love, as additional suitors with better assets could surface once the biggest free agent movements are done (via Twitter).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Mavs Notes: Anthony, Hayward, Gasol

July 6th, 2014 at 8:28am CST by Eddie Scarito

A source told Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that Carmelo Anthony is going to re-sign with the Knicks and that his inclusion of the Mavericks on his recruiting trip was a “charade.” Anthony has also met with the Lakers, Bulls, and Rockets.

Western Rumors: Nowitzki, Frye, Sefolosha, Love

July 1st, 2014 at 1:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Mavs have had advanced discussions with Dirk Nowitzki but both sides have agreed to put off sealing a deal until after Wednesday’s meeting with Carmelo Anthony, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears. That’s to let the team keep maximum flexibility, the same desire that also prompted the sides to decide against an extension. The Mavs and Nowitzki engaged in extension talks before he became a free agent, so Dallas has a strong idea of what the perennial All-Star wants, Stein writes. There’s more on the Mavs amid the latest from the Western Conference:

The Mavs have interest in D.J. Augustin, as Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com details.
The Suns are making a push to re-sign Channing Frye amid interest from the Cavs and Warriors, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
The Clippers, Mavs and Rockets have scheduled meetings with Thabo Sefolosha, but the Thunder haven’t reached out to him, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link).
Kevin Love trade talk between the Wolves and Warriors is still stalemated over Minnesota’s request for the inclusion of Klay Thompson and Golden State’s hesitancy to give him up in a deal, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
The Lakers, Rockets and Mavs followed through with their interest in Jordan Hill and made contact over night, reports Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News (Twitter link). Hill, like Pau Gasol, warmed to the idea of a remaining with the Lakers when coach Mike D’Antoni left, as Sean Deveney of The Sporting News details.
The Mavs are interested in unrestricted free agent Al-Farouq Aminu, according to MacMahon.
Dallas is making progress toward new deals with Devin Harris and Vince Carter, tweets Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.
The Lakers were extremely active in the hours after free agency began, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. The Lakers were working the phones “like crazy” and talked to a lot of free agents, Kennedy says.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Lawrence’s Latest: Boozer, ‘Melo, Grizzlies

June 28th, 2014 at 4:56pm CST by Charlie Adams

There’s genuine fear within the Bulls’ front office that owner Jerry Reinsdorf will refuse to use the amnesty provision on Carlos Boozer this summer, passes along Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News. Chicago will have a hard time creating the cap room necessary to pursue marquee names if they don’t find a way to get Boozer off the books. Here’s more from Lawrence:

Carmelo Anthony would be interested in teaming up with LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, says Lawrence, but the Lakers are unlikely to have the cap space to bring in both superstars.
It sounds as if the Rockets‘ pursuit of ‘Melo is unlikely to result in a success. “The only reason Carmelo will go to Houston to listen (to the Rockets) is because of Kevin McHale,” a source told Lawrence. “If the coach wasn’t a top-50, all-time player or was a lesser-name coach, then ‘Melo wouldn’t even visit there. But he’ll listen because it’s Kevin McHale.“
The Grizzlies are interested in bringing aboard former Knicks president Glen Grunwald to come in and serve under Chris Wallace for two years before taking over the reins as GM, Lawrence writes. That echoes an earlier report from Ken Berger of CBSSports.com but appears to add an expiration date for Wallace’s time in charge of the front office.
One league source told Lawrence that he wasn’t sure if Bruno Caboclo was even worth a second-round selection. The Raptors selected Caboclo with the 20th pick in the draft, and Lawrence writes that it’s virtually impossible to find a GM who agrees with their decision.
Utah’s decision to draft Dante Exum isn’t surprising since the the Jazz aren’t sold on Trey Burke as a franchise point guard, reveals Lawrence.
Dirk Nowitzki won’t even consider signing with a team other than the Mavs this summer, Lawrence confirms.

Mavs Notes: Dirk, LeBron, Melo, Chandler

June 26th, 2014 at 8:46am CST by Zachary Links

Dirk Nowitzki is thrilled to have Tyson Chandler back in Dallas, writes Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. “He helped me get a championship, so we had great chemistry together,” Nowitzki said when asked about the trade when it was heavily rumored last night. “So if it is true, I will be thrilled.” Dirk went on to say that he’d “love” to welcome Carmelo Anthony to Dallas and will help to recruit him if he’s interested in coming aboard. Here’s more out of Dallas..

The Mavs are real players for LeBron James and Melo after the trade, a team source told Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com.
Dirk also told reporters, including Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter) that he expects a short and quick meeting with owner Mark Cuban before coming to terms on a new deal.
The Mavs initiated the Chandler talks weeks ago and were very motivated to get a deal done, Howard Beck of Bleacher Report tweets.
Chandler and his camp feel “great” about the trade, a source tells David Aldridge of NBA.com (Twitter link).
Mark Cuban isn’t admitting a mistake by re-acquiring Chandler, writes MacMahon. “It’s apples and oranges,” Cuban said via an email. “You couldn’t get from there to here.”
There won’t be any drama from Dirk in free agency, as Jeff Caplan of NBA.com writes.