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Mavericks Notes: Dragic, Porzingis, Bertans, Dinwiddie

February 11th, 2022 at 8:05am CST by Luke Adams

Asked on Thursday night whether the Mavericks will go shopping on the buyout market, general manager Nico Harrison said he believes the team’s roster is “set,” as Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News tweets.

Dallas has long been viewed as a potential landing spot for buyout candidate Goran Dragic, but the team’s acquisition of Spencer Dinwiddie and Harrison’s post-deadline comments suggest a pursuit of the Slovenian may no longer be in the cards, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

According to Marc Stein (Twitter link), Dragic and the Spurs may take a little time to negotiate a buyout agreement. If and when the veteran point guard becomes available, he’ll likely have suitors who are able to offer him a more significant role than Dallas, Stein notes.

Here’s more on the Mavs:

  • Mavericks owner Mark Cuban explained that his team was willing to trade Kristaps Porzingis to Washington on Thursday because the deal helped address two weak spots on the roster, per Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. “I think KP’s an incredible talent. But we needed that shooter [Davis Bertans] and we needed another ball handler [Dinwiddie] who could create a shot, and unfortunately that was the only way we were going to get them,” Cuban said. “It was that simple — getting two guys who fill roles that we really needed, and the fact that we have played OK without KP. But I think that doesn’t take anything away from KP being a great talent, and I actually think he’s going to be better with the Wizards than he was with us.”
  • Mavericks star Luka Doncic described the Porzingis trade as “shocking,” but stressed that he trusts the front office to do what’s best for the team, writes ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “Obviously, we’re going to miss KP,” Doncic said. “We were building something great here. It didn’t obviously work out. I wish him the best, and we’ve got two new guys who are welcome. Bertans is a great shooter. Dinwiddie can put the ball on the floor and he can score. The NBA is a business.”
  • In case you missed it, the Mavericks are set to officially lock up Dorian Finney-Smith to a four-year contract extension. Multiple reports have pegged the value of Finney-Smith’s new deal at $52MM, while others have said it’ll be worth $55MM. If the extension includes incentives, there would be a difference between the base value and the maximum value, which could explain the discrepancy between those reported figures.
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LeBron Chooses Giannis, Curry In All-Star Draft; Durant Picks Embiid, Morant

February 10th, 2022 at 7:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

After James Harden was traded away from the Nets on Thursday, former teammate Kevin Durant opted not to pick him in the All-Star draft conducted on Thursday night. Harden was the last player chosen by LeBron James for Team LeBron, as the league announced (via Twitter).

LeBron’s starters, besides himself, are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Jokic.

Durant, who won’t play in the All-Star Game at Cleveland due to his knee injury, chose Joel Embiid, Ja Morant, Jayson Tatum, Trae Young and Andrew Wiggins as Team Durant’s starters.

James selected Luka Doncic as his top reserve. His guard-heavy team also features Darius Garland, Chris Paul, Jimmy Butler, Donovan Mitchell, Fred VanVleet and Harden.

Team Durant’s bench includes Devin Booker, Karl-Anthony Towns, Zach LaVine, Dejounte Murray, Khris Middleton, LaMelo Ball and Rudy Gobert.

Thus, numerous teammates will be on opposing clubs for the All-Star game, including the Jazz’s Gobert and Mitchell and the Suns’ Paul and Booker.

The game will be played February 20 in Cleveland.

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Booker, Paul Head List Of Western Conference All-Star Reserves

February 3rd, 2022 at 6:24pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Suns guards Devin Booker and Chris Paul were among seven players named to the Western Conference All-Star reserve pool, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).

The Jazz duo of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert also made the list, along with the Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns, the Warriors’ Draymond Green and the Mavericks’ Luka Doncic.

Green announced he will not play in the All-Star game due to back and calf injuries, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. NBA commissioner Adam Silver will select his replacement.

The Western Conference starter pool was announced last week.

Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins was chosen along with Lakers forward LeBron James and Nuggets center Nikola Jokic among Western Conference frontcourt candidates. The Grizzlies’ Ja Morant joined the Warriors’ Stephen Curry as the backcourt duo in the starter pool.

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Injury Notes: Sabonis, Ingram, Doncic, Williams

January 21st, 2022 at 9:36am CST by Luke Adams

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said on Thursday that the team doesn’t have a “definitive” timeline for Domantas Sabonis‘ return from a left ankle sprain, but told reporters the All-Star big man will likely miss “at least a few games” (Twitter link via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN).

As we observed on Thursday, it’s bad luck for the Pacers that two of their top trade candidates – centers Sabonis and Myles Turner – are battling injuries with the February 10 deadline around the corner. However, Sabonis’ injury in particular seems unlikely to be a long-term concern. There’s still a good chance Indiana hangs onto Sabonis, but any trade offers the team gets shouldn’t be negatively impacted by what appears to be a minor ailment.

Here are a few more health-related updates from around the NBA:

  • The Pelicans held Brandon Ingram out of the fourth quarter of their Thursday win over New York due to a sprained right ankle, says Andrew Lopez of ESPN. There are currently no plans to have the forward an undergo an MRI, but the team will evaluate the injury further before determining how much time – if any – he’ll have to miss. New Orleans doesn’t play again until Monday, so Ingram’s ankle will have a few days to heal.
  • Mavericks star Luka Doncic landed on his back after a drive to the basket during Thursday’s game against Phoenix and admitted after the game that his neck was “pretty sore” following the hard fall, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN. However, Doncic expressed optimism that he’d be “OK in a couple days” and won’t miss any time.
  • Thunder forward Kenrich Williams is no longer on the team’s injury report, an indication that he has cleared the NBA’s health and safety protocols. A regular rotation player for Oklahoma City, Williams could draw trade interest from playoff teams in the next few weeks as a lower-cost three-and-D option.
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And-Ones: Exum, Thomas, Doncic, Tatum, Yabusele

January 10th, 2022 at 8:11pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former NBA guard Dante Exum plans to return to the NBA when his three-month contract with Barcelona expires, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Exum is averaging just 4.4 PPG in the EuroLeague after signing with the Spanish team early last month.

Exum was waived by the Rockets during training camp. He signed a three-year deal with Houston in September but the contract was non-guaranteed and Houston had 15 other players with guaranteed deals.

We have more from around the basketball world:

  • Khyri Thomas has officially signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv, according to a team press release. A report surfaced over the weekend that Maccabi was interested in the former NBA guard. Thomas, a 2018 second-round pick, played in Spain last month before suffering an injury. He saw action in five games with Houston last season and came off the bench in 34 games for Detroit during the previous two seasons.
  • Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum remain the two players under 25 years old that NBA talent evaluators would want to build their teams around, according to an annual poll conducted by Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype. Ja Morant, LaMelo Ball and Trae Young round out the top five.
  • Guerschon Yabusele has agreed to a contract extension with Real Madrid, according to a team press release. The three-year extension runs through June 2025. Yabusele, a first-round pick by the Celtics in 2016, last appeared in the NBA during the 2018/19 season when he saw action in 41 games for Boston.
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COVID-19 Updates: Doncic, SGA, Robinson, Hawks, Nuggets, More

January 1st, 2022 at 5:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

Mavericks star Luka Doncic has cleared the league’s health and safety protocols, sources tell Marc Stein (Twitter link). Doncic, who hasn’t played since December 10, missed a combined 10 games due to a left ankle injury and his time in the protocols. He’s expected to meet his teammates in Oklahoma City and may return to the court on Sunday.

Tim Hardaway Jr. and Maxi Kleber may also be able to exit the protocols in time for Sunday’s game, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Dallas, which has five other players still in protocols, managed to go 5-5 without Doncic and is holding onto eighth place in the Western Conference.

Here are more updates on players entering and exiting the protocols:

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Nets Notes: Harden, Bembry, Durant, Claxton, Irving

December 24th, 2021 at 11:01am CST by Luke Adams

Nets guard James Harden, who exited the NBA’s health and safety protocols on Thursday, will be available to play on Christmas Day in Los Angeles vs. the Lakers, head coach Steve Nash said today (Twitter link via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN).

The NBA’s slate of December 25 games will still be lacking some star power – Luka Doncic has been formally ruled out for the Mavericks vs. Utah, tweets Marc Stein – but Harden’s return is welcome news for both the league and the Nets, who played with a skeleton crew during their most recent game last Saturday.

Here’s more news out of Brooklyn:

  • DeAndre’ Bembry is no longer in the health and safety protocols, Nash said today (Twitter link via Youngmisuk). A total of nine Nets players remain in the protocols, including Kevin Durant, who won’t be available on Christmas Day.
  • Nicolas Claxton, who had been battling a wrist injury, is good to go for Saturday’s game vs. the Lakers, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. LaMarcus Aldridge is still in the protocols, so Claxton should get plenty of run at the five.
  • While most Nets players who exit the COVID-19 protocols should be cleared to play pretty quickly, Kyrie Irving – who has been away from the team all season – will require some extra time once his quarantine period ends, Nash said on Thursday. “I think he has to do some sort of ramp-up, some sort of playing, not just [go right in],” Nash said, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “When you’re at home working out by yourself, it’s a lot different.” Since Irving is only eligible to play in the Nets’ road games, he won’t make his season debut before January 5 in Indiana. January 12 in Chicago would be his next opportunity to play if he’s not ready for the Pacers game.
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Luka Doncic, Trey Burke, Nerlens Noel Enter Protocols

December 22nd, 2021 at 1:19pm CST by Luke Adams

Two more Mavericks players have entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols, according to the team (Twitter link). Luka Doncic and Trey Burke are the fifth and sixth Dallas players in the protocols.

It’s especially tough timing for Doncic, who appeared to be on the verge of returning to action after missing the Mavs’ last five games due to a left ankle ailment. Assuming he has tested positive, he’ll now be out for the next 10 days or until he can return two consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart.

We suspected that two more Mavericks may have entered the protocols today, since the club has now signed or reached agreements with six replacement players in the last week. The NBA’s new roster rules allow clubs to sign a replacement for each player in the protocols.

Meanwhile, a former Mav has also been placed in the COVID-19 protocols today, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who tweets that center Nerlens Noel is the latest Knicks player to be affected by the virus.

New York now has seven players in the protocols, though a couple of those players – Obi Toppin and RJ Barrett – have reached the 10-day mark and should hopefully be cleared soon.

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Luka Doncic Could Be Back Thursday

December 21st, 2021 at 10:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Mavericks are hoping to have All-Star point guard Luka Doncic back on the floor as soon as Thursday against the Bucks, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link).

Doncic has been unavailable for the Mavericks’ past four games as a result of a sore left ankle, and is out for a fifth straight on Tuesday against the Timberwolves. The 6’7″ fourth-year guard, a two-time All-Star, will be sidelined for his ninth overall contest of the young season.

Despite kicking off the 2021/22 NBA season out of shape, Doncic has been his typically effective self for Dallas when available. In 21 games, the 22-year-old is averaging 25.6 PPG, 8.5 APG and 8.0 RPG.

The Mavericks are 14-15 overall, including 2-6 without Doncic. Dallas is currently the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference standings, a far cry from the team’s more competitive preseason expectations.

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Mavs’ Maxi Kleber Enters Protocols

December 20th, 2021 at 8:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Maxi Kleber has been added to the list of Mavericks players in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, the team’s PR department tweets.

Kleber joins Reggie Bullock and Josh Green in the COVID-19 protocols. Luka Doncic (left ankle soreness), Willie Cauley-Stein (personal reasons) and Eugene Omoruyi (right foot injury) will also miss Tuesday’s game against the Timberwolves. Minnesota has five players in the protocols.

Kristaps Porzingis (toe soreness) is questionable to play.

Kleber played 31 minutes against Minnesota, contributing six points and 14 rebounds. He’s averaging 7.3 PPG and 5.9 RPG.

The Mavs have signed Theo Pinson and are planning to sign Marquese Chriss via the hardship exemption to fortify the roster. Dallas also has two assistant coaches, Jared Dudley and Darrell Armstrong, who have been placed in protocols.

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