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Mavs Center Daniel Gafford To Miss At Least Two Weeks

February 11th, 2025 at 6:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The injury news just keeps getting worse for the Mavericks.

Center Daniel Gafford sustained a right knee sprain on Monday against the Kings and will be reevaluated within two weeks, the team’s PR department tweets. Gafford has started 28 of 51 games this season, averaging 12.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 21.9 minutes per game.

Dallas’ frontcourt has been decimated in recent weeks. Dereck Lively (right ankle stress fracture) could miss the remainder of the regular season and Dwight Powell (right hip strain) hasn’t played since Jan. 17.

Perennial All-Star Anthony Davis was injured in his Mavericks debut on Saturday. His left adductor strain will sideline him for multiple weeks. P.J. Washington is listed as questionable for Dallas’ game against Golden State on Wednesday due to a right ankle sprain, Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal tweets.

Two-way player Kylor Kelley is the only other true big man on the roster. Forwards Kessler Edwards, Olivier-Maxence Prosper and Naji Marshall were utilized up front in small lineups after Gafford departed on Monday.

The Mavericks have an open roster spot, but are ineligible to sign a free agent to a rest-of-season contract due to their proximity to their first-apron hard cap. As we detailed on Monday, Dallas is about $171K below that hard cap and won’t be able to squeeze in a veteran rest-of-season signing until March 31.

The Mavs do have the ability to make one 10-day signing at any time, but that would leave the club just $51K shy of the first apron, unable to complete another deal until the season’s final week.

The All-Star break will buy the Mavericks a little time, but they’re likely to be in this predicament for at least a couple more weeks.

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Mavericks Notes: Trade Deadline, Exum, Kelley, Marshall

January 29th, 2025 at 10:28pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Mavericks have been reeling in their last month-plus of action with All-Star guard Luka Doncic sidelined. How many of Dallas’ issues just boil down to the absence of Doncic and some other injured vets? As the February 6 deadline approaches, Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News previews the team’s trade options.

Since Doncic strained his left calf during a Christmas Day loss to Minnesota, the Mavericks have gone 6-11. Dallas has fallen to a 26-22 record on the season, and now occupies the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. The Mavericks are just 2.5 games behind the fourth-seeded Nuggets, but also only lead the No. 11-seed Warriors by two games.

Last season, Dallas made two pivotal deadline deals, acquiring forward P.J. Washington and center Daniel Gafford. With the club’s frontcourt hugely improved, the Mavericks made a run all the way to the 2024 NBA Finals. This year, Curtis observes that Dallas has significantly more depth heading into the deadline, but has been waylaid by multiple injuries.

While Curtis doesn’t expect as active a deadline as in 2024, he’s skeptical that general manager Nico Harrison will fully stand pat and posits that Dallas could look to add a defense-first swingman.

There’s more out of the Lone Star State:

  • Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said on Wednesday that reserve guard Dante Exum, who has missed the entire season so far while recuperating from a right wrist surgery, is inching closer to a comeback, according to Curtis (Twitter link). “He’s trending in the right way,” Kidd said. “His wrist feels really good. He looks good. We’ll see how he does today/tomorrow. Hopefully that continues and we’ll get to see him sometime maybe on this trip. Maybe.” The Mavericks have four games remaining on their current five-game road trip.
  • Two-way Mavericks big man Kylor Kelley spoke to Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (subscriber exclusive) about his pro debut in a 130-108 Monday victory over Washington. “It was unreal, really. It was my first NBA regular season game,” the 27-year-old rookie told Afseth. “I had played one preseason game with L.A. back in October, but this was totally different. It was just awesome being out there. I wasn’t really feeling nervous, just excited, and had a lot of energy that I wanted to express on the court, and I thought I did that with the time that I got.” In eight minutes, Kelley score one point and grabbed four boards. He earned praise from Kidd for his efforts. “ I thought his activity and his talk… he was vocal for someone just to get here,” the Mavs’ coach said. “His voice could be heard on the floor, and that’s a great sign for a newcomer.”
  • Following four-game absence, Mavericks reserve forward Naji Marshall returned from an illness for Dallas’ 137-136 victory over New Orleans on Wednesday. Playing his first game since January 20, he was held to a minutes restriction, Afseth tweets. In 15 minutes of action, the 6’7″ wing scored five points on 2-of-5 shooting from the floor.
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Mavericks Notes: Exum, Road Trip, Thompson, Kelley

January 28th, 2025 at 7:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Mavericks guard Dante Exum has been upgraded to doubtful for the team’s game against the Pelicans on Wednesday, Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com tweets. It’s the first time all season he hasn’t been listed as out.

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.”
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Mavericks Sign Kylor Kelley To Two-Way Deal, Waive Gortman

January 26th, 2025 at 5:49pm CST by Dana Gauruder

In need of another big man due to injuries, the Mavericks have added center Kylor Kelley on a two-way deal and waived guard Jazian Gortman, the team tweets.

Kelley joins Dallas after spending this season with the G League’s South Bay Lakers, where he appeared in nine regular season games (seven starts) and averaged 9.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.7 blocks per game. In 14 Tip-off Tournament games for South Bay, he averaged 12.1 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.6 APG and 2.9 BPG in 13 starts.

The seven-footer was on an Exhibit 10 deal with the Lakers during training camp but was waived prior to the start of the regular season.

Kelley spent the 2023/24 season with the Maine Celtics, Boston’s affiliate, and earned NBAGL All-Defensive honors after averaging a league-leading 2.9 blocks per game in 29 regular season appearances (22.0 MPG). Kelley, 26, also contributed 7.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest.

Dallas’ frontcourt depth has been ravaged by a spate of injuries. Maxi Kleber suffered a broken right foot on Saturday. The team announced Wednesday that Dereck Lively suffered a stress fracture in his right ankle and will be reevaluated in four weeks. Dwight Powell is dealing with a strained right hip that has kept him out of action since January 17.

Gortman originally signed with Dallas on July 10, and had his contract converted to a two-way deal on Oct. 18. He appeared in 16 games for the Mavericks this season, averaging 1.5 points in 3.6 minutes per night.

Gortman also saw action in 12 total games, all starts, for the Mavericks’ G League team, the Texas Legends. In five regular season outings for the Legends this year, he averaged 21.4 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 7.2 APG and 1.6 SPG.

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Wolves’ Omoruyi, Lakers’ Goodwin Among Latest Players Waived

October 18th, 2024 at 4:46pm CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves have waived forward Eugene Omoruyi, the team announced today (via Twitter). Omoruyi had been in training camp with Minnesota on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contract.

While it initially looked like there might be a path for Omoruyi to compete for a roster spot, that became a more uphill battle following the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, which added two extra players on guaranteed contracts to Minnesota’s roster. The team now has 15 players with fully guaranteed salaries, plus PJ Dozier on a partially guaranteed deal, leaving no room for Omoruyi, who only got into one preseason game.

Omoruyi, 27, has played for the Mavericks, Thunder, Pistons, and Wizards since making his NBA debut in the fall of 2021. The 6’7″ forward made a career-high 43 appearances for Washington last season, averaging 4.8 PPG, 2.0 RPG, and 0.8 APG in 9.1 MPG. His contract with the Wizards covered the 2024/25 season, but his salary was non-guaranteed and Washington opted to waive him in August.

Since Omoruyi had an Exhibit 10 clause in his contract, he’d be able to earn a $77.5K bonus if he ends up spending at least 60 days with the Iowa Wolves, Minnesota’s G League affiliate. He also still has one year of two-way eligibility remaining, so he could get a look from teams with an open two-way slot.

Here are a few more of the latest minor moves from around the NBA:

  • The Lakers announced on Friday that they have waived guard Jordan Goodwin and center Kylor Kelley and signed Grayson Murphy to an Exhibit 10 deal (Twitter link via Dave McMenamin of ESPN). All three players will likely be headed to the South Bay Lakers to open 2024/25.
  • The Cavaliers have placed Darius Brown II and Elijah Hughes on waivers, according to NBA.com’s official transaction log. Both players will likely report to the Cleveland Charge, the Cavs’ G League affiliate, where their Exhibit 10 contracts will allow them to earn bonuses worth up to $77.5K apiece. Brown is eligible to be designated as an “affiliate player,” while Hughes’ returning rights were acquired by the Charge earlier this month.
  • About 24 hours after signing him to an Exhibit 10 contract, the Trail Blazers have waived center Nick Muszynski, per NBA.com. His next stop figures to be with the Rip City Remix, Portland’s NBAGL team.
  • The Kings have signed free agent forward Shareef O’Neal to a training camp deal and plan to waive him on Saturday, according to Jake Gadon of CBS Sacramento (Twitter link). O’Neal, the son of Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, will head to the Stockton Kings and will be eligible for a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with Stockton.

Rory Maher contributed to this post.

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Lakers Sign Kylor Kelley, Quincy Olivari To Exhibit 10 Deals

August 14th, 2024 at 6:26pm CST by Luke Adams

6:26pm: Both moves are official, the Lakers announced (via Twitter).

1:09pm: The Lakers have signed free agents Kylor Kelley and Quincy Olivari to Exhibit 10 contracts, according to reports from Jovan Buha of The Athletic and Trevor Lane of Lakers Nation (Twitter links). Olivari’s agreement with the team was first reported in June, but Lane indicates that it’s official now (Twitter link).

Kelley, who went undrafted out of Oregon State in 2020, has played in the G League and a handful of other non-NBA leagues – including in England and Denmark – since going pro.

The 7’0″ center spent the 2023/24 season with the Maine Celtics, Boston’s affiliate, and earned NBAGL All-Defensive honors after averaging a league-leading 2.9 blocks per game in 29 regular season appearances (22.0 MPG). Kelley, 26, also contributed 7.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest.

Olivari, meanwhile, was a two-time All-CUSA honoree during his four seasons at Rice who transferred to Xavier for his final season of NCAA eligibility in 2023/24. The 6’2″ guard posted averages of 19.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals per night last season, with shooting splits of .425/.409/.814.

Olivari played for the Lakers’ Summer League team last month, while Kelley suited up for the Thunder’s Summer League squad.

A player on an Exhibit 10 contract can earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he’s waived by his NBA team and then spends at least 60 days with his club’s G League affiliate. Exhibit 10 deals can also be converted to two-way contracts before the start of the regular season.

The Lakers now have 20 players under contract, including 15 on guaranteed standard deals and three on two-way pacts.

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NBAGL All-League, Defensive, Rookie Teams Announced

April 18th, 2024 at 4:27pm CST by Rory Maher

The NBA announced all of the major All-NBA G League teams on Thursday (All Twitter links found here), including the First Team, Second Team, Third Team, All-Defensive Team, and All-Rookie team.

Several current and former NBA players are among the honorees. Here is the full list of winners for the 2023/24 season.

All-NBA G League First Team:

All-NBA G League Second Team:

All-NBA G League Third Team:

G League All-Defensive Team:

G League All-Rookie Team:

* Denotes two-way contract

^ Denotes standard contract

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Shaquille Harrison Named NBAGL Defensive Player Of The Year

April 4th, 2024 at 1:15pm CST by Rory Maher

Former NBA guard Shaquille Harrison, who has been playing for the South Bay Lakers, has been named the NBA G League’s Defensive Player of the Year for the second time in three seasons, the league announced (via Twitter). Harrison previously won the award in 2021/22 while playing for the Delaware Blue Coats, the Sixers’ NBAGL affiliate.

In 34 regular season games with South Bay in 2023/24, Harrison averaged 15.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 6.5 APG and a league-best 2.9 SPG in 34.1 MPG. He posted a .518/.330/.663 shooting line over that span. Harrison also appeared in nine Showcase Cup games with South Bay this season, averaging 10.3 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 7.9 APG and 1.9 SPG on .431/.333/.667 shooting in 31.4 MPG.

Harrison spent training camp and preseason with the Grizzlies this fall after inking an Exhibit 10 contract. He was waived before the season started. However, they brought him back on a 10-day hardship deal, and he appeared in three games for six total minutes with Memphis this season.

The seven-year veteran has appeared in 183 total regular season games with Phoenix, Chicago, Utah, Denver, Brooklyn, Portland and Memphis, holding career averages of 5.2 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 1.6 APG and 1.0 SPG on .435/.281/.718 shooting in 15.2 MPG.

According to the NBA, Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Rockets) guard Trhae Mitchell and Maine Celtics center Kylor Kelley finished second and third, respectively, for the award, which was voted on by head coaches and general managers.

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Celtics Sign, Waive Kylor Kelley

October 5th, 2023 at 11:06am CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 5: As expected, the Celtics have waived Kelley, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

OCTOBER 3: The Celtics have signed free agent center Kylor Kelley to an Exhibit 10 contract, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.

Kelley, 26, has played in England, Denmark, Canada, and the G League since going undrafted out of Oregon State in 2020. The seven-footer appeared in 21 NBAGL games for the Raptors 905 last season, averaging 7.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 15.3 minutes per night. He most recently played for the Calgary Surge in the Canadian Elite Basketball League this spring and summer.

Kelley’s G League rights were traded from the Raptors 905 to the Maine Celtics in a deal last month. That’s a strong signal that Boston intends to waive Kelley before the regular season begins and have him report to Maine.

Assuming Kelley spends at least 60 days with the Celtics’ G League team, he’ll be eligible to earn an Exhibit 10 bonus. Those bonuses can be worth up to $75K.

Boston now has 19 players officially under contract. The team has also reportedly reached an agreement with big man Wenyen Gabriel that hasn’t yet been finalized.

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Raptors Notes: Lillard, Siakam, Anunoby, Barnes, Holiday

September 28th, 2023 at 10:12am CST by Arthur Hill

The Raptors were willing to part with a slew of draft assets to acquire Damian Lillard, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca, but a Western Conference source tells him they were hoping to reach a deal with the Trail Blazers that didn’t include Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby or Scottie Barnes.

Grange hears that Toronto’s offer included up to three future first-round picks, two pick swaps and rookie forward Gradey Dick. Team officials believed they could become title contenders by adding Lillard to their existing talent, but not by having him replace one of their key components.

The fact that the Raptors were involved in discussions for Lillard shows that the front office isn’t content with the team in its current form, observes Eric Koreen of The Athletic. Big decisions are coming up soon that will affect the organization’s future, and team officials will have to determine whether they’re planning to contend or rebuild.

Siakam and Gary Trent Jr. both have expiring contracts and are currently eligible for extensions. Another potential free agent next summer is Anunoby, who has a $19.9MM player option for 2024/25 that he’s expected to decline. Koreen notes that means the window is closing on a potential win-now move if the Raptors don’t do something by February’s trade deadline.

There’s more from Toronto:

  • The Raptors aren’t likely to pursue Jrue Holiday, who is reportedly back on the market after being sent to Portland in the Lillard deal, Grange states in the same piece. Toronto wanted Lillard to provide more spacing for Barnes and Siakam, and Holiday isn’t on the same level as an outside shooter.
  • The Raptors haven’t held any extension talks with Siakam, Grange adds. Siakam will become eligible for a super-max deal if he remains in Toronto and makes an All-NBA team in 2024.
  • In a separate story, Koreen looks at questions for every player on the Raptors’ roster, including the need for a new lead guard after the loss of Fred VanVleet in free agency. He notes that Dennis Schröder normally excels at getting into the paint, but he may find that more difficult as Toronto doesn’t have enough outside shooting to provide driving lanes.
  • Toronto pulled off a G League trade this week, with the Raptors 905 acquiring the rights to Denzel Valentine from the Maine Celtics in exchange for Kylor Kelley, tweets Blake Murphy of SportsNet.
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