WATCH Dallas Mavs: Luka Doncic is ‘Full Kareem’ with Skyhook – NBA Tracker
The Dallas Mavericks have been linked to a number of different players around the league in NBA trade rumors and speculation this year, including Christian Wood, who Dallas recently acquired from the Houston Rockets, Myles Turner of the Indiana Pacers, John Collins of the Atlanta Hawks and more.
And then there’s the NBA draft, free agency and so much more to keep track of. …
Here at DallasBasketball.com, we’ll keep you updated on all Mavs-related trade rumors, reports and speculation as the offseason progresses.
JULY 5: LUKA ADDS A TRICK
Luka Dončić has several tricks up his sleeve. The last one? While playing for his native Slovenia in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers over the weekend, Dončić went “full Kareem” with a cute skyhook to help beat Sweden.
A first-team All-Star at age 23, Doncic averaged 28.4 points per game last NBA season and helped lead Dallas to the Western Conference Finals. Can it really do more in the future?
of course. Watch out for the skyhook!
JULY 3 DIRK AND LUKA HAD FUN IN SWEDEN
If you’re a Dallas Mavericks fan who’s had a terrible time in free agency so far, turn your attention to World Cup qualifiers in Sweden, where two Mavs legends shared some rewarding moments on Sunday.
In the match between Slovenia and Sweden, Luka Dončić went to the free throw line, where he was greeted with “overrated!” cheers from the Swedish crowd. Sitting courtside with his family, Dirk Nowitzki didn’t miss an opportunity to tease Dončić and join in the cheers.
Before the game started, Dončić found Nowitzki and his family in the corridor of the hall and made sure to greet them all. It’s a small gesture, but one that all fans love to see. It’s great to see your team’s former and current superstars getting along so well.
JULY 1 RUDY GOBERT JOINS CAT
Although the Mavs reportedly didn’t have much interest in Utah Jazz big man Rudy Gobert, rumors still pointed to Dallas as a logical destination given their position under center last season. However, the additions of Christian Wood and JaVale McGee showed the Mavs are willing to go the center-to-committee route instead of having a deal as big as Gobert’s contract.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Jazz are sending Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for four first-round picks (three are unprotected), 2022 first-round pick Walker Kessler and salary filler.
The Timberwolves are sending Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Walker Kessler, Jarred Vanderbilt and multiple first-round picks for Gobert, sources tell ESPN.
After the Mavs swept the Jazz in the first round of the playoffs, everyone expected Utah to blow things up. Dallas’ ripple effect has now caused coach Quin Snyder to resign, and now Gobert has been replaced. Is Donovan Mitchell next? Can the Mavs participate in a fire sale? Stay connected.
JUNE 30 ‘KD RIPPLE EFFECT’? We’re confused enough about some of the claims the Mavs (“We never even offered Jalen Brunson!”) and the Knicks (“We just met him!”) regarding the deal.
Equally complicated: What the hell does a Mavs source mean when he tells the Dallas News when he suggests (according to the News) that they “don’t get too worked up about the Mavs’ relative silence.”
via Callie Caplan, a source tells her “We are currently waiting to see the ripple effect from the KD request.”
huh We don’t question Caplan’s reporting; we just don’t understand the quote. “We’re waiting…”
Meaning …
Are the Mavs seriously involved in the pursuit of Kevin Durant? Doubtful, but cool – as Mark Cuban’s decades of reporting on the regime have taught us, he “likes to run out of anyone grounded.”
Or, which means…
The Mavs don’t want to be proactive about the moves they want to make because they want to wait and see what other teams and players do?
Just a thought: Isn’t “failure to be proactive” central to why Jalen Brunson is no longer a Mav?
JUNE 30 BRUNSON TO KNICKS OFFICIAL OFFICIAL *WINK WINK*
After knowing for the better part of a week that Jalen Brunson was planning to sign with the New York Knicks, a report from the Adrian Wojnarowski gave the “official” stamp.
Free agent Jalen Brunson agreed to a four-year, $104 million contract with the New York Knicks, his agents Aaron Mintz and Sam Rose of @CAA_Basketball tell ESPN. The deal includes a player option for the final season.
In reality, it was probably the worst cover-up in NBA tampering history. A report surfaced Wednesday saying Brunson will have meetings with the Knicks, Mavs and Heat. The Miami media vehemently denied the claim, saying the Heat had no scheduled meeting at all. Another report from Marc Stein tells us Brunson’s camp canceled the Mavs meeting and didn’t give them a chance to make an official offer.
Brunson played his heart out for the Mavs over four years and deserves every penny he gets from the Knicks for his hard work. However, the way he left Dallas is sure to leave a bad taste in the mouths of many fans and executives.
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JUNE 30 MCGEE TO MAVS – TO START?! Phoenix Suns big man JaVale McGee is signing with the Mavs and on paper, it could be a good move as he figures to serve as a backup center to newly acquired Christian Wood. …
Except McGee seems to think he’ll be the starter.
It’s McGee clearly indicatesas he prepares to spend his second career through Dallas, that in his conversation with Mavs coach Jason Kidd (whom he worked with on the Lakers), the idea of McGee being the starter is now “expected.”
That’s interesting.
The 7-0 McGee, 34, is a free spirit who can certainly be useful as a rotational big. And he already has championship experience. But … well, maybe the Mavs are setting up some major internal competition at the center spot, so what?
JUNE 30 SEXTON & MCGEE ON THE RADAR?
With NBA free agency just hours away, the Dallas Mavericks are hoping to get Jalen Brunson to change his mind about leaving to join the New York Knicks. Mark Cuban, Nico Harrison, Jason Kidd and potentially some Mavs players will meet with Brunson in NYC as soon as free agency opens. If he decides to leave, the Mavs need to quickly turn to other options.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton and Phoenix Suns big man JaVale McGee are names the Mavs could be interested in, according to several reports.
Sam Amico of HoopsWire reports that the Mavs could be in the mix for Sexton if Brunson does go to New York. Sexton played just 11 games for the Cavs in 2021-22 due to a torn meniscus. In 218 career games, Sexton is averaging 20 points, three rebounds and three assists while shooting 46 percent from the field, including 38 percent from deep. Injury concerns aside, Sexton is a great replacement for Brunson on paper.
Although Sexton initially wanted something in the range of $20 million per year for his next contract, some believe his market could be $10-12 million per year on this spot. If that’s the case, could Sexton’s sign-and-trade for Dwight Powell work? Cleveland needs another big backup team, and Powell’s $11 million contract is expiring, so it could be a perfect storm.
meanwhile, John Gambadoro Arizona Sports reports McGee is getting attention from Dallas, along with the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets. McGee made one appearance with Dallas in 2015-16, though his role wasn’t as expanded as the last few years, when he spent time with the Suns, Cavs, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors. McGee would bring some good shot blocking depth to the Mavs bench.
JUNE 28 DRAGIC FINALLY JOINING THE MAVS?
Since Luka Dončić and Goran Dragić are playing for the Slovenian national team in World Cup qualifiers this summer, speculation about their connection to the Dallas Mavericks will only get stronger, especially since the Mavs have three vacancies due to the trade of Christian Wood.
When asked by the Slovenian media about the possibility of Dragić signing with the Mavs this summer, Dončić and Dragić looked at each other and smiled before answering the question by saying that they would not be fined for interference.
“I would like to answer that, but I think the fine would be $100,000 if I did. We should ask the general director about that,” said Dončić, still smiling from ear to ear.
Dragić added: “We can’t talk about it until July 1.”
Dragic to Dallas was a move the Mavs tried to make several times over the last three years. In 2019, the Miami Heat nearly handed Dragic to the Mavs on a silver platter in a trade, but conflicting interests in the former Dallas front office led to the trade falling through. The Mavs were also interested in signing Dragic last summer when rumors of his buyout surfaced. But when he was actually bought out, the Mavs had a full roster and had already traded for Spencer Dinwiddie.
Signing Dragic with the Mavs would make more sense now than ever, especially considering Jalen Brunson could be on his way to the New York Knicks.
JUNE 25. DONČIĆ SHINES IN SLOVENIA’S VICTORY
The Dallas Mavericks won’t be playing basketball again until the NBA preseason begins in September, but that doesn’t mean Mavs fans can’t enjoy watching Luka Doncic shine for his team this summer. On Saturday, Slovenia faced Italy in a friendly match and won 91:90.
Dončić finished the game with 12 points, seven rebounds, five assists and one steal in 23 minutes of action. To make things even better, Dončić seemed to be in top form. After coming into last season out of shape by NBA star standards, Doncic knew he had to be better this season, and he seems to be doing just that. If he can maintain his current form until opening night in October, not only will Dončić be the MVP favorite, but the Mavs will also be a real contender for the title.
JUNE 24 LEBRON CHALLENGE Bennedict Mathurin is bold. Or stupid.
The new Indiana Pacers guard selected at No. 6, said he was looking forward to his first game against LeBron James. Why? So the world can see which one of them is the better player.
“A lot of people say he’s great,” Mathurin said via The Washington Post. “I want to see how great he is. I don’t think anyone is better than me. He’s going to have to show me that he’s better than me.”
Suddenly, there’s a decent chance that when James — who has four MVPs, four NBA Finals MVPs and is No. 2 in scoring — plays against the Pacers, Bennedict Mathurin will have his answer.
JUNE 23: MAVS JOINS KYRIE’S LIST
With the Brooklyn Nets potentially on the brink of collapse, Kyrie Irving is already considering his next destination. Irving and the Nets have yet to reach an agreement on a potential contract extension, meaning the All-Star guard could leave in free agency or opt into the final year of his contract and be traded before then.
According to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Irving has compiled a list of teams he would like to join.
“ESPN sources: If Kyrie Irving can’t work out a deal to stay with Brooklyn, he has a list of teams he’d like to be considered for a sign-and-trade, including the Lakers, Clippers, Knicks, Heat, Mavs and 76ers. None of those teams don’t have enough cap space to sign him without Nets help,” Wojnarowski tweeted.
Considering the Mavs might have more trouble re-signing Jalen Brunson than initially believed, could a two-player trade make sense for both sides? Irving comes with risks, there’s no doubt about that, but potentially losing Brunson for nothing is something the Mavs can’t afford. Stay tuned to DallasBasketball.com for updates.