Davis also spoke about the experience of being traded without having any idea it was coming, a rarity for player with his résumé. Davis had been traded once before in his career, but in that case he asked the Pelicans to move him and knew for months that a deal was likely coming. After learning about the blockbuster sending him to Dallas, the big man immediately FaceTimed longtime teammate LeBron James, he told Turner.

“When it happened, I honestly didn’t know s–t,” Davis said. “(LeBron)’s been my running mate for six years … so the first thing I wanted to do was call him.

“… Obviously, I know there are going to be a lot of political things in the front office when they talk to me. The front office has to do what it has to do and obviously they’re going to do what’s best for the organization. So I don’t know if I ever got the ‘real’ about any of it. I don’t know what’s true or what’s not, coming from upstairs. So, my thing is, I’m gonna go to my counterpart who I’ve been running with and see what’s going on, get his reaction and that’s all it was. We had a conversation. That was it.

“Everybody’s saying nobody knew and all this other s–t. I just don’t believe it. But, hey man, I’m past that. I’m ready to move forward with Dallas, try to get a championship there with these guys. First off, getting back on the floor and get ready to compete. All the emotions, that s–t lasted that night when it was just a shock.”

Davis, who is currently on the shelf with an adductor strain, is scheduled to be reevaluated on March 6.

Here’s more on the Mavs:

• As Sam Amick of The Athletic writes, there are a number of people in Dallas who are predicting Luka Doncic‘s “basketball demise” in the coming years due to his health history and social habits that include “a taste for beer and hookah.” But Doncic showed in Tuesday’s Lakers win over Dallas why the decision to trade him could age horribly, according to Amick, who says most people around the league continue to think that the Mavs made a “grave mistake.”
• After having been teammates with Doncic for two years, it was “awkward” but “fun” to face him as an opponent, Kyrie Irving told reporters after Tuesday’s game, per Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. Irving spoke at length about his bond with Doncic and said it’s “one of those lifetime things” that goes beyond basketball. The Lakers’ newest star agreed. “Kai is my hermano,” Doncic said. “We go way beyond basketball. So, it was good to see those guys. Like I said, we went to the wars together, and it was really fun to see them all.”
• Mavericks forward Naji Marshall acknowledged in a conversation with Mark Medina of Sportskeeda that it has been a challenging few weeks for the team, which has had to deal with the aftermath of the Doncic trade and a series of injuries that have decimated the frontcourt. However, he remains bullish about the Mavs’ chances of contending this season. “I think we’re all still locked in,” Marshall said. “Everyone is still focused and not letting the outside noise derail the goals that we made up at the beginning of the season. And it’s still very possible to accomplish those. So I think that we’re in a great spot. … Stay tuned. It’s a long season. We are not done yet. Stay tuned.”
• Following Sunday’s game in Golden State, Mavericks sharpshooter Klay Thompson presented Dr. Richard Ferkel, who repaired Thompson’s Achilles tear in 2020, with a 2022 Warriors championship ring, as Amick relays (Twitter video link). Kalan Hooks of ESPN has the full story.

“It shocks you because you don’t know about that side of the business,” Kidd told Christian Clark of The Athletic. “But you have to grow up fast. It is a business.”

Doncic never saw the trade to the Lakers coming, thinking he’d be signing a super-max extension after the season with Dallas.

“You believe you are going to be with the franchise forever,” Kidd said. “But the business of basketball sometimes gets in the way. Teams change. I’ve been involved in quite a few sales of the team. Any time there is a sale, there could be change. It just happens.”

We have more on the Mavericks:

• Dallas legend Dirk Nowitzki was on vacation when news broke of the Doncic trade. Nowitzki didn’t see it coming either, he revealed on a  Sportsradio 96.7 FM interview relayed by the Dallas Morning News. “I felt a little disappointed and sad for him. He obviously didn’t see this coming, so he invited me to come out to his first game in LA, and I felt like I had to support him,” Nowitzki said. “I felt like, I played with him in my last season, we’ve gotten close, I’ve tried to mentor him, I’ve tried to help him as much as I can the last few years and he’s a good kid. I felt like I had to go out there and support him in this new chapter, because I think and it was reported he was obviously pretty down and disappointed in how it went down. So I wanted to be there for him, I wanted to be there for his family and show support. But you guys saw my face, it was weird. It was surreal to see him play for the Lakers. I’ll never be a Laker fan, but I’ll always be a Luka fan.”
• An ankle sprain limited P.J. Washington to one February game prior to the All-Star break. He came back strong on Friday with 24 points and seven rebounds against New Orleans. “He’s a budding star for our team, and he’s showcasing that,” Kyrie Irving said of Washington, per Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal. “His numbers have showcased that. So I think it’s about time we started furthering that conversation about P.J. Washington consistently doing these things and being a great asset for our team as one of our leaders and making money plays.” Washington added 17 points against Golden State on Sunday.
• Klay Thompson’s technical foul on Sunday has been rescinded upon league office review, NBA Official tweets. Thompson was held to 11 points in the 24-point loss to Golden State.

“None of this would have happened without all of you, the fans,” Iguodala said.

“We haven’t really had time to reflect, Steph, you made the world turn. That is not something you say lightly. You truly changed the game of basketball. It was beautiful. … I understood my role. I understood the genius of Draymond [Green], the genius of Klay [Thompson], the genius of Kevin Durant. … Shaun Livingston and I … we had this unique team that understood, had this precious ultra-talented assassin. Steph, none of this happens without you.”

Curry called it “weird and surreal” to attend the ceremony, noting that it’s been “hard to fill that void” in the locker room since Iguodala retired.

“I think we all can feel it but this isn’t just about a number going into the rafters,” Curry said of Iguodala. “This is about a player who changed the course of our entire franchise. … You were the first one to choose us, and that meant the world. For a team that knew we were good but didn’t know how to get to that next level, you unlocked so much confidence, so much IQ, so much maturity to what we did.

“You sacrificed ego for excellence, which for us is the Warriors way.”

Here’s more from the Pacific:

• Key Clippers starters Kawhi Leonard (left foot soreness) and Norman Powell (left patellar tendinopathy) will be sidelined for Monday’s contest in Detroit, tweets Law Murray of The Athletic. It’s the second straight absence for Leonard and third for Powell, who was previously listed as having left knee soreness. As expected, Ben Simmons will also be sidelined with what the team called left knee injury management — he has yet to play both ends of a back-to-back this season (the Clippers lost at Indiana on Sunday).
• Veteran forward Markieff Morris was an afterthought in the blockbuster trade that saw Luka Doncic land with the Lakers, but head coach JJ Redick says he’s been a valuable leader in the locker room, according to Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group (subscriber link). “He’s been awesome,” Redick said. “It’s very valuable to have a guy like that, a voice, an older voice, someone who’s seen it all in the NBA, someone who’s won a championship. Obviously that helps as well. He’s been great on the bench with talking with guys, making sure our bench energy is good. I told him the other day, we see it and we appreciate it and we all just value what he’s doing right now from that aspect in leadership.”
• Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer says there’s no timetable for Cody Martin to return from a sports hernia injury, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter video link). “He’s putting work in. I think he’s making progress, but I don’t have an update on his expected return time. I think we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” Budenholzer said. Martin, who was acquired from Charlotte at the trade deadline, last played on January 24. The 29-year-old wing was doing some shooting drills prior to Saturday’s game, Rankin adds (via Twitter).

Iguodala spent eight seasons with Golden State, earning NBA Finals MVP in 2015 thanks to his clampdown defense of then-Cleveland forward LeBron James. He averaged 6.9 points, 3.8 boards, and 3.4 assists in his 452 regular season games for the Warriors.

“I speak for both of us [Draymond Green and himself] when we talk about honor. It’s going to be fantastic for the entire organization to welcome my brother back,” Curry told Afseth. “He helped us win a lot of championships.”

Iguodala’s jersey retirement ceremony will take place on February 23, the day of a matinee tilt against Dallas. That means longtime Warriors champ Klay Thompson, who signed with the Mavericks as a free agent last summer, will also be on hand for the big moment.

“His IQ, his impact on the game,” Curry said. “We obviously don’t win those without him.”

There’s more out of Golden State:

• Curry was back at the site of many of those titles, Oakland Arena (formerly Oracle Arena), for his All-Star media obligations on Saturday. Curry suggested that he’d be open to returning to Oakland Arena for an encore appearance in the future, per Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. “I absolutely love the idea of coming back to play a game here,” Curry said. “It should be a regular season game.”
• Green, another core member of the Warriors’ championship teams, offered up some harsh criticism of the league at large this week, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. “It’s just who can run faster, who can hit more threes, it’s no substance,” Green said. “I think it’s very boring.”
• In case you missed it, the Warriors plan to sign former lottery pick forward Kevin Knox to a 10-day deal.

Gafford sustained the injury on Monday and the Mavericks announced on Tuesday that he would be out for at least two weeks, at which point he’d be reevaluated. Tonight’s reporting from Charania and MacMahon suggests the prognosis is worse than that initial update suggested.

It’s a disaster for the Mavericks, who had already expected to be without Dereck Lively until at least late March or April due to a stress fracture in his right ankle. And while the team has yet to issue a formal update on Anthony Davis‘ adductor strain, the belief is that the injury will keep Davis on the shelf until sometime in March.

That means Dallas will be without its top three big men until well beyond the All-Star break. Reserve center Dwight Powell also hasn’t played in a game since January 17 due to a hip strain, further depleting the club’s depth up front.

The Mavs do have an open 15-man roster spot, but they’re only operating about $171K below their first-apron hard cap, limiting their ability to actually fill that spot.

Essentially, Dallas can only fit 14 days of a prorated veteran’s minimum deal under that hard cap, so the team will have to wait until at least March 31 to finalize a rest-of-season contract. The other option would be to make a 10-day signing sooner rather than later, then (once that deal expires) leave the 15th spot open until the final few days of the season.

The good news for the Mavs is that they’ve actually won their last two games since Gafford went down, defeating Golden State on Wednesday and Miami on Thursday. That victory over the Heat came with Kyrie Irving (right shoulder soreness), Klay Thompson (left foot sprain), and P.J. Washington (right ankle sprain) also unavailable due to injuries, so the team will head into the All-Star break on a positive note.

Kessler Edwards, a 6’7″ forward, has started at center in each of the past two games. He had 15 points and nine rebounds and was a team-best +10 in 40 minutes of action on Thursday.

“I was like everybody – did Shams get hacked? It was a real big shock,” Dante Exum said. “I’ve been traded twice, and you just learn that it’s how this business works, and it’s something you have to adjust to.”

The aftershocks of the surprise mega-deal continued to reverberate throughout the league on Sunday, particularly in the Mavs’ locker room as they played an afternoon game in Cleveland just hours after finding out that their franchise player was headed to Los Angeles. With Kyrie Irving, P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively and Dwight Powell all sidelined due to injuries, Dallas couldn’t keep the game competitive, giving up 91 first-half points and losing by 43 to the best team in the East.

“It’s tough, but we all have a job to do,” Jaden Hardy said. “Obviously a lot of people were caught off guard, same with the team, like the rest of the world. He was special. A lot of guys felt for him. Still shocked right now.”

Hardy adds that Doncic sent out texts to all his teammates to say good-bye. He expressed gratitude for what they accomplished together and reflected on the bonds they created.

“He texted the team, thanking everybody for everything,” Hardy said. “That was nice from somebody that got traded, reaching out and letting everybody know his thoughts.”

There’s more on the Mavericks:

• After years of playing alongside Stephen Curry with Golden State, Klay Thompson decided to come to Dallas last summer to team up with another elite player in Doncic. Even though they were only teammates for a few months, Thompson isn’t second-guessing his decision, Afseth tweets. “ I live with no regrets. I’m happy to be a Maverick,” Thompson said. “Incredibly grateful to be a Maverick. I’m excited to be in Dallas and I’m very excited for what’s ahead.”
• The Mavericks aren’t sure when Anthony Davis will be ready to make his debut, according to Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News. Davis suffered an abdominal strain last week, and the Lakers were planning to reevaluate his condition on Wednesday. Dallas general manager Nico Harrison told reporters yesterday that the injury isn’t “significant” and he’ll have a better idea of when Davis can resume playing once his physical is complete. “I don’t have a perfect answer for that,” Harrison said. “I mean, everything just happened. I don’t even think it was midnight last night, like 2, 3 in the morning. So we’re still trying to get physicals, figure out how long that’s going to take, get people into the market.”
• Max Christie was overshadowed by the bigger names in the trade, but he could turn out to be a valuable addition, observes Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News, who lists five things that Mavericks fans should know about the 21-year-old shooting guard.

Exum underwent right wrist surgery in October. At that time, he was expected to be sidelined for three months and it’s already exceeded that initial timetable.

The 6’5″ guard signed a two-year contract with the Mavericks during the 2023 offseason and played a regular role for the Western Conference champions last season, averaging 7.8 PPG and 2.9 APG with a .533/.491/.779 shooting line and strong defense in 55 games (19.8 MPG).

We have more on the Mavericks:

• Wednesday’s game in New Orleans begins the Mavs’ longest road trip of the season, a five-game, 10-day journey, Sefko notes. It could go a long way toward determining whether they’ll finish in the top six in the West or whether they’ll wind up fighting for a play-in tournament spot. They’ll also visit Detroit, Cleveland, Philadelphia and Boston during the road swing.
• F0llowing a trio of single-digit outings, Klay Thompson poured in those franchise-record-tying seven first-quarter 3-pointers in 10 attempts against Washington on Monday, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News notes. He finished with 23 points. “I can’t lie to you: It felt great,” Thompson said. “It always feels great when you shoot the ball well, but it just felt great because we needed a win where we put a team away early.”
• Thompson addressed rumors that he might participate in the 3-point shootout during All-Star weekend on Golden State’s home floor with WNBA star Caitlin Clark. “I don’t know the details, but if the opportunity presents itself that’d be cool to be part of,” Thompson said, per Townsend (Twitter link).
• Signed to a two-way deal off the South Bay Lakers’ roster over the weekend, center Kylor Kelley made his NBA debut on Monday. He played eight minutes in the lopsided win, contributing one point and four rebounds in eight minutes. “A lot of our guys are hurt. You just have to stay ready,” Kelley told Sefko. “Yeah, it’s always been about ‘stay ready’ for me. For anybody else in the G League, I’d say stay ready because you never know when you’re going to get called.”

Kidd made good on that promise on Thursday. On the second end of a back-to-back set, facing the top-seeded Thunder in Oklahoma City, two-way player Kessler Edwards started and played a season-high 23 minutes, while second-year forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper saw 21 minutes off the bench.

Dallas was outscored by eight points with Prosper on the court and by seven points during Edwards’ minutes, but the duo helped keep the banged-up club in the game, combining for 21 points on 6-of-9 shooting, along with seven rebounds and a pair of steals. With veterans Kyrie Irving (24 points), P.J. Washington (22 points), and Spencer Dinwiddie (28 points) doing the rest of the heavy lifting, the Mavs picked up an impressive 121-115 victory.

“I thought this was a character win, maybe the best win of the season,” Kidd said, per Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com. “Shorthanded, next-man-up mentality.”

While the Thunder have looked like the class of the Western Conference this season, the Mavs seem to have their number. After knocking Oklahoma City out of the playoffs last spring, Dallas has gone 3-1 against the conference leaders this season. OKC is 35-5 against everyone else.

“To go against this team four times and come out 3-1, that’s where I feel like we laid our hat on,” Irving said, according to Sefko. “So we know we can play with the best. Now we got to build on that consistency. The last few games, we have not been as consistent as we’d like. (It was a) gutsy win.”

Here’s more on the Mavs:

• Of Dallas’ many injured players, Klay Thompson (left ankle sprain) and Jaden Hardy (right ankle sprain) appear the closest to returning. They’ve been listed as questionable for Saturday’s game vs. Boston, tweets Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal. Naji Marshall (illness) and Dwight Powell (right hip strain) are still listed as out and will miss a third and fourth consecutive game, respectively, joining Luka Doncic, Dereck Lively, and Dante Exum on the injured list.
• Although Exum has been shooting and ramping up his activity, his return is still a long ways off, Kidd said on Thursday (Twitter link via Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News). The veteran guard has been recovering from wrist surgery since October and has yet to make his season debut.
• According to Kidd, the Mavericks’ training staff currently has big man Maxi Kleber on a restriction of 20 minutes per game. Kleber’s importance has increased with Lively on the shelf for the foreseeable future, but after dealing with an oblique issue near the start of the month, he hasn’t logged more than 20:14 in a game since January 7.

“There are a lot of emotions, seeing familiar people, whether from the club or even from the city,” Wembanyama said. “It’s a bit like two worlds meeting. It’s special, you don’t expect that in a career. It’s a bit my way of making people happy who will never have the opportunity to go to the United States. It’s very important to me.”

The Spurs already had a connection to France with Tony Parker playing most of his career in San Antonio, and Boris Diaw playing four-and-a-half seasons there, The Associated Press’ Tim Reynolds notes.

“We have a long history with France for obvious reasons in many ways. So, it’s just another milestone or opportunity, I think, to probably strengthen that bond or connection,” Spurs interim coach Mitch Johnson said. “Very cool for Vic. Obviously, he just got done in the Olympics as well.”

The games will be played on Thursday and Saturday.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

• The Pelicans staged their biggest comeback in franchise history, rallying from a 25-point deficit to upend Utah in overtime on Monday night. CJ McCollum led the way with 45 points, including 24 during the fourth quarter and overtime. “Coach (Willie Green) just challenged us to be more disciplined, to be more engaged, to be more aggressive and assertive,” McCollum told Rod Walker of NOLA.com.
• Pelicans wing Javonte Green is playing on a one-year, minimum-salary contract and he’s reportedly drawing some interest around the league. Green is averaging 6.0 points in 21.8 minutes per game in 39 appearances, including 15 starts. The veteran swingman doesn’t take a lot of shots, instead he focuses on the underrated aspects of the game. “I’m just trying to go out there and try to win, make winning plays, play as hard as I can, and just be a professional. I want to do the things that got me here,” Green told Grant Afseth of RG.org. “I have to continue doing that.”
• The Mavericks offered a lengthy injury report heading into their game against Minnesota on Wednesday, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon tweets. Klay Thompson (left ankle sprain), Dereck Lively (right ankle sprain), Naji Marshall (illness) and Quentin Grimes (back spasms) are listed as questionable. Four other players are listed as out.

A natural target would be the Pelicans’ Herbert Jones, who made the All-Defensive First Team last season. However, there is little belief in NBA circles that the Pelicans will actually make Jones available despite their struggles this season, Clark notes.

We have more on the Mavs:

• Kyrie Irving didn’t play on Monday against Sacramento due to what the team described as a right shoulder soreness. According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon (Twitter link), it had more to do with load management. Irving played 79 minutes in a back-to-back last week. The Mavs will keep monitoring Irving’s minutes while Luka Doncic recovers from his calf strain.
• Irving will be back in the lineup tonight. He’s not listed on the injury report but Dereck Lively is questionable to play against Houston due to a hip ailment, Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News tweets. Klay Thompson, who missed Monday’s game due to an illness, is also available.
• Forward P.J. Washington was surprised he was suspended for a game by the league due to his role in Thursday’s scuffle against Phoenix. “I didn’t feel like I tried to do anything maliciously,” Washington told Curtis. “I just tried to protect my teammate and that was it.” He delivered a 28-point performance in his return on Monday, though Dallas still lost to the Kings.

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.”

“This has certainly been an unexpected six weeks for my family and me,” Popovich said. “As we work together on my recovery, I want to take a moment to share that the outpouring of support we’ve received during this time has been truly overwhelming in the best possible way. While I wish I could get back to each one of you, for now, let me say that my family and I are forever grateful. We’re thankful for our wonderful community, the entire Spurs organization, and our family and friends.

“No one is more excited to see me return to the bench than the talented individuals who have been leading my rehabilitation process. They’ve quickly learned that I’m less than coachable.”

Popovich suffered a mild stroke on Nov. 2. This was his first public statement since the Spurs initially announced he would be away from the team. Assistant Mitch Johnson has served as the club’s acting head coach in Popovich’s absence.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

• Longtime Warriors guard Klay Thompson scored a season-high 29 points in the Mavericks’ win at Golden State on Sunday. It was the second trip back to his former home arena and Thompson said he was much more relaxed. “Way easier,” Thompson said, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. “Especially not seeing all the captain’s hats. I saw a few of those. Much easier. Felt more settled in than the first time I was out here.” Warriors employees lined up along the walls of the ramp where the visiting team arrives at Chase Center and saluted Thompson with a tip of a captain’s hat in Dallas’ first trip there last month.
• Grizzlies guard Ja Morant said earlier this month that he doesn’t want to dunk anymore as he tries to avoid injuries any way he can. However, his teammates are somewhat skeptical, according to Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “I don’t think that he’s serious,” forward Brandon Clarke said. “I just don’t think that he’s going to dunk as many on people because that’s when it’s a risk of getting fouled hard or getting hurt.”
• The Pelicans lost their 13th straight road game on Sunday but they got a strong effort from reserve two-way player Brandon Boston, who scored 20 points to lead five Pelicans in double figures. “His confidence is growing more and more as he progresses throughout the season,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said, per the Associated Press. “He’s understanding his role. He’s started some games. Right now he’s in the second unit. He’s getting solid minutes each and every game and he’s very confident in what he can do once he touches the floor.”

“I think it’s great to be able to play to go to Vegas tomorrow,” coach Jason Kidd said, per Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com. “This is the second year and it’s our first year being involved this far. It’s a great measuring stick on the road against the best team in the West. I think it’s great for both organizations, a great test for both teams.”

Dereck Lively, who played at Duke, compared it to an NCAA Tournament game.

“It brings me back to my Tournament days, trying to be as competitive as possible, trying to bring as much energy, as much discipline and as much focus as we can to these games. There’s a lot on the line,” he said.

We have more on the Mavs:

• Quentin Grimes says that being teammates with veteran guard Klay Thompson has been a learning experience. “Watching Klay has been huge for me,” Grimes told Grant Afseth in a Sportskeeda post. “Whether he’s having a great shooting night or a rough one, he has no conscience—he keeps shooting like it’s going to go in every time. That’s big for shooters like me. Seeing his consistency and his mentality, where every shot is taken with confidence, has helped me focus on impacting the game and trusting my work. The shots will fall because of the effort you put in.” Grimes, a restricted free agent after the season, is shooting a career-best 42.3% from 3-point range.
• Olivier-Maxence Prosper continues to have a limited role in his second NBA season. The 24th pick of the 2023 draft has seen 10-plus minutes of action in each of the last two games and will look to build off of that. “My game is predicated on energy and effort,” Prosper told Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News. “When I come in, I try to impact game in those ways. I feel like now, every day, whether I’m playing or not playing, is a growth opportunity for me. What I see out there, I try to apply when I get on the court. It’s a long season, a long journey, and I stay the course and learn every game, whether or not I’m playing.”
• In case you missed it, Luka Doncic was named Western Conference Player of the Week. Get the details here.

“Klay has been an awkward fit so far,” one Eastern Conference executive told ESPN. “Derrick Jones shot the ball better and played better D for them last year.”

ESPN’s Tim Bontemps points out in the same story that the Mavericks are running into a similar issue Golden State did last season — since Thompson has lost a step following ACL and Achilles injuries, playing him alongside two offense-first guards (Stephen Curry and Brandin Podziemski last year; Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving this year) compromises his team’s defense.

“He’s the exact same player he was with the Warriors,” one scout told Bontemps. “A quality spot-up shooter who can get hot and make shots still and who can occasionally guard.”

While Thompson certainly hasn’t come flying out of the gates this season, the Mavericks have been better with him on the court (+9.8 net rating) than off it (+4.5). And at least one scout believes it’s too early to be concerned about the veteran sharpshooter’s production.

“Klay has been fine,” that scout told ESPN. “His impact will be determined in the postseason, and if he has a few big games, then no one will remember what he shot from three in November.”

We have more from around the Southwest:

• Asked about nearing the end of a grueling 28-day stretch in which the Mavericks have had 15 games on their schedule – including 12 on the road – and have had to repeatedly traverse several time zones, head coach Jason Kidd acknowledged it hasn’t been easy, per Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. “We’ve gone as far as you can go west, and now we’re going as far as we can go east,” Kidd said. “We’re not going to complain about it. It is what it is, but it’s not fair if you want players to play. And so when guys sit out, they (the NBA) can’t complain about guys sitting out when you have a schedule like this.” The Mavs have handled the travel- and schedule-related challenges admirably, having gone 10-4 entering the final contest of that 15-game run on Saturday in Toronto.
• Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart will be looking to get a rare win against his old team in Boston on Saturday. The Celtics have beaten Memphis in 16 of their last 17 meetings dating back to 2016, according to Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “You want him to get that win and get that feeling of beating the team that traded him or whatever,” Grizzlies guard Scotty Pippen Jr. said. “At the end of the day, we want to have Marcus’ back and go up there and get the win.”
• Victor Wembanyama tested his sore lower back in warmups on Friday before being ruled out of the Spurs‘ game vs. Sacramento, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). Head coach Mitch Johnson said “the hope” is that Wembanyama will be good to go on Sunday against New Orleans after missing two games this week. Tre Jones (left shoulder sprain) is missing a third consecutive contest for the Spurs on Friday, while Devin Vassell (right foot injury management) is sitting the second end of a back-to-back, but should be available Sunday.
• In case you missed it, we passed along a handful of Pelicans-related notes and rumors earlier this evening.

However, the Mavericks could be active in the trade market. They could seek potential upgrades by parting with their 2025 first-round pick or their 2031 first-rounder. They could also add a young piece such as Quentin Grimes and Olivier-Maxence Prosper in a trade package, Scotto notes.

Dallas is approximately $5.3MM above the luxury tax but might be able to drop below that figure if it is able to deal Maxi Kleber, Scotto adds. He’ll make $11MM this season, with a matching cap hit for 2025/26.

We have more on the Mavs:

• Luka Doncic returned from a wrist injury on Sunday and racked up 36 points and 13 assists against the Trail Blazers. He posted on social media that it was “great” to be back from a five-game absence. Doncic complimented the team on how it performed without  him. “Obviously, I think their pace was great. They were playing amazing,” Doncic said, per ESPN News Services. “So, [I was] just trying to adapt to that. They beat some tough teams, and I was just happy to sit back, watch and enjoy.”
• Dallas defeated Portland despite having several other starters and rotation players sidelined. Kyrie Irving (right shoulder soreness), Lively (right knee hyperextension), Klay Thompson (left foot plantar fascia), Naji Marshall (illness) and Dante Exum (right wrist surgery) all missed the game, the Mavs PR department tweets.
• Grimes, who joined Dallas in the offseason trade with Detroit, has been on a hot streak of late. He’s averaged 24.3 points over the last three games. “I’m glad to see my confidence growing,” Grimes told Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal. “I’m just playing downhill, not overthinking, and focusing on helping on both ends of the floor.” Grimes will be a restricted free agent after the season, as he and the team were unable to reach a rookie scale extension by the October deadline.