Mavericks Re-Sign Kyrie Irving To Three-Year Contract
JULY 7: Irving’s new contract with the Mavericks is official, the team announced (via Twitter).
JUNE 30: The Mavericks and star guard Kyrie Irving have reached an agreement on a new contract within the first hour of free agency, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
According to Charania, Irving will sign a three-year, $126MM contract that will include a player option in the final season. That’s an average of $42MM annually, which is a little below Irving’s 2023/24 maximum of $47.6MM.
While Irving is certainly enigmatic and has missed an alarming amount of games over the past four seasons, there’s no question that he’s an elite scorer and ball-handler when he’s on the court, having averaged 27.1 PPG, 5.8 APG, 4.9 RPG and 1.3 SPG on .491/.395/.914 shooting in 163 games (36.0 MPG) over that span.
Dallas acquired Irving in February after he requested a trade ahead of the deadline. Considering the Mavs gave up two solid role players (Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith) as well as an unprotected 2029 first-round pick to land the 31-year-old, they were always viewed as the frontrunner to re-sign the veteran guard.
A former first overall pick, Irving has earned numerous accolades during his career, including eight All-Star nods, three All-NBA appearances, a Rookie of the Year award, and a championship trophy with the Cavs in 2016.
It will be interesting to see how the Mavs build out the rest of their roster around Luka Doncic and Irving, two incredible offensive talents who don’t always put forth much effort defensively.
Rory Maher contributed to this story.
Kings Trade Richaun Holmes, Olivier-Maxence Prosper To Mavs
JULY 6: The trade between the Kings and Mavericks is official, according to an announcement from the Mavs (Twitter link). Dallas acquired Holmes into the trade exception created in the Bertans deal, along with the rights to Prosper, in exchange for cash considerations.
JUNE 22: The Kings will trade center Richaun Holmes and the 24th pick to the Mavericks, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Marquette’s Olivier-Maxence Prosper was the selection at No. 24.
Holmes is under contract for 2023/24 at $12MM and holds a $12.8MM player option for the following season. Dallas will acquire him using the traded player exception it created earlier in the night by sending Davis Bertans to Oklahoma City.
Holmes, who had been Sacramento’s starting center for two-and-a-half seasons, saw his playing time slip dramatically after the 2022 trade deadline as Domantas Sabonis took over the starting job. Holmes averaged just 3.1 points and 1.9 rebounds in 42 games while playing 8.3 minutes per night.
The Mavericks continue to add frontline depth after landing Duke center Dereck Lively II with the 12th pick. It appears likely that Holmes will have a larger role in Dallas as the team tries to rebuild its supporting cast around Luka Doncic and the expected return of Kyrie Irving.
Prosper was able to raise his draft stock with an impressive showing at the combine and strong showings throughout the workout process. He reportedly held workouts with at least 16 teams.
The Kings’ return in the deal is not yet known, but it will likely be minimal, since Holmes is considered a salary dump. Sacramento now has the ability to create more than $30MM in cap room this offseason.
Southwest Notes: Bullock, Wembanyama, Grizzlies, Kleber
The sign-and-trade agreement that is sending Reggie Bullock and a 2030 first-round pick swap (via Dallas) to the Spurs could help them both now and in the future, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscriber link).
As McDonald writes, Bullock will immediately become the oldest player (32) on the roster, with an opportunity to serve as a veteran mentor while competing for rotation minutes. His $10.5MM expiring contract will also push the Spurs above the salary cap floor, giving them access to the annual tax payment from the league’s biggest spenders.
However, the pick swap could turn out to be the real prize, McDonald notes. No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama theoretically will be in his prime in seven years, which might give San Antonio an edge in terms of having a better record than Dallas in 2030 (and thus the swap conveying).
Here’s more from the Southwest:
- Speaking of Wembanyama, the Spurs will be cautious with their franchise player, but that doesn’t mean they have durability concerns about the 7’4″ big man, writes Mark Medina of Sportsnaut. It’s normal for top draft picks to have their minutes limited during Summer League action, as Wembanyama will when he makes his debut on Friday in Las Vegas, Medina notes. People around the league believe the Spurs are focused on Wembanyama’s transition to the NBA being as seamless as possible, which is why they want to limit his workload early on.
- The Grizzlies‘ playing style won’t change with Ja Morant suspended for the first 25 games of 2023/24, head coach Taylor Jenkins said on NBA TV. “Our system doesn’t change,” Jenkins said, per Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “What we emphasize offensively — the pace, the space, the unselfishness — defensively, the discipline nature that we got to have every single night, that’s what we’re going to lean on.” The Grizzlies will also be looking for internal development from Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. to fill Morant’s void, Jenkins added.
- Maxi Kleber‘s ’22/23 campaign was ravaged by injury, having suffered a torn hamstring in December that required surgery. The Mavericks big man is healthy again now and feels much more like himself, he tells Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com. “I’m ready, yeah. That’s what I’ve been preparing for,” Kleber said when asked if he’s ready for an injury-free season. “Last year was obviously frustrating because I was out for so long. And even coming back, I had so many issues. I couldn’t move properly. It’s something you don’t want to have to deal with during the season. So it was good to have this summer actually to recover and do some work.” Kleber also told Sefko he’ll play for Germany in the World Cup next month, his first national team appearance in several years due to various injuries.
Scotto’s Latest: Beasley, Bucks, Plumlee, Spurs, McDaniels, McLemore
Before he agreed to join the Bucks on a minimum-salary deal, free agent swingman Malik Beasley received interest from several teams, including the Mavericks, writes Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. According to Scotto, Dallas considered the possibility of acquiring Beasley from the Lakers via sign-and-trade, but it didn’t work out.
New Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin was a factor in getting Beasley to Milwaukee, having spoken to the veteran wing during the team’s recruiting pitch, sources tell Scotto.
The Bucks currently have 12 players pencil in for standard contracts in 2023/24. Scotto hears that Thanasis Antetokounmpo and No. 36 pick Andre Jackson are candidates to end up on the 15-man roster. The team also needs to decide what type of contract No. 58 pick Chris Livingston will sign, Scotto notes. Currently, Lindell Wigginton and Omari Moore are on two-way contracts with Milwaukee, leaving one open two-way slot.
Here’s more from Scotto:
- Veteran center Mason Plumlee drew interest in free agency from a number of playoff teams, including the Warriors and Hawks, before deciding to remain with the Clippers, league sources tell Scotto.
- The Spurs, having already agreed to get involved in deals that will land them Cedi Osman, Lamar Stevens, and Reggie Bullock, remain open to taking on unwanted contracts in order to add more draft assets, reports Scotto.
- Before signing forward Jalen McDaniels as a free agent, the Raptors tried to trade for him multiple times, including at the 2023 deadline, according to Scotto, who says Toronto has been closely monitoring McDaniels since he was at San Diego State.
- Veteran guard Ben McLemore, who was out of the NBA last season, will work out for multiple NBA teams during the Las Vegas Summer League, per Scotto. McLemore played in China last season after averaging 10.2 PPG in 64 games for Portland in 2021/22.
- In case you missed it, we also rounded up several Knicks-related rumors from Scotto.
Mavericks Trade Davis Bertans, Cason Wallace To Thunder
JULY 6: The Mavericks have officially acquired Lively’s rights in exchange for Bertans and the rights to Wallace, the team announced today (via Twitter).
JUNE 22: The Mavericks and Thunder have agreed to a trade, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that Davis Bertans and the No. 10 pick are headed to Oklahoma City in exchange for the No. 12 pick.
The Thunder selected Kentucky guard Cason Wallace at No. 10, Charania adds, while Dallas will get off Bertans’ pricey multiyear contract. The No. 12 pick that Dallas acquired was used on Duke big man Dereck Lively II, Shams Charania of The Stadium tweets.
The Mavericks will generate a $17MM trade exception with this trade, according to Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype (Twitter link). They’ll now be approximately $74MM under to projected luxury tax line, which will help them make other moves, such as re-signing Kyrie Irving.
[UPDATE: Mavs to use trade exception to acquire Richaun Holmes]
The Mavs were looking to move down in the lottery, get off a bad contract and acquire a veteran starter, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link). They accomplished the first two goals with this deal. They also add a promising young rim protector in Lively, who will fill a hole in the Dallas frontcourt with the team considered unlikely to re-sign big man Christian Wood.
Bertans had a career year in 2019/20 with the Wizards and cashed in with a five-year, $80MM deal. Dallas acquired Bertans as part of the Kristaps Porzingis trade with Washington.
The Thunder now pick up the two remaining years left on his deal — $17MM next season and $16MM in 2024/25 with an early termination option. The final year is only partially guaranteed for $5MM.
Oklahoma City’s desire to move up was motivated by the concern that another team might jump the Thunder by making a trade with Orlando, which held the No. 11 pick, Jeremy Woo of ESPN tweets. The Raptors, who held the No. 13 selection, were a potential trade-up suitor for Wallace.
Atlantic Notes: Beverley, Sumner, Harden, G. Williams, Raptors
In his latest podcast, Patrick Beverley said he consulted with former Sixers coach Doc Rivers before deciding to sign with Philadelphia (video link from Barstool Sports). Beverley describes Rivers as a “mentor” and said he often reaches out to him before making important decisions.
“This is a Hall of Fame coach who just got fired, and his exact words: ‘I love Philadelphia for you; they need you,'” Beverley said. “‘You will be great with Joel (Embiid). James (Harden), he respects you, you will be great with him. If I had you last season, we would have been a different team.'”
Beverley, who agreed to a one-year, minimum-salary deal, said he was planning to talk to the Celtics and Wizards, but changed his mind after getting Rivers’ endorsement of the Sixers.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Nets and guard Edmond Sumner have agreed to push back his salary guarantee date, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Sumner’s $2,239,943 non-guaranteed salary for 2023/24 had previously been on track to fully guarantee if he wasn’t waived today, as our tracker shows. His new guarantee date is July 15, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
- Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey showed good judgment by not letting his fondness for Harden affect what’s best for the team, writes Marcus Hayes of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Morey has a long relationship with Harden going back to Houston, but he wasn’t willing to give the 34-year-old former MVP the pricey long-term contract he wanted. Hayes states that the first indication that Morey wouldn’t give in to Harden came when he hired Nick Nurse as his new head coach instead of Mike D’Antoni, a longtime Harden favorite.
- Under different circumstances, the Celtics might have been willing to give Grant Williams the four-year, $54MM deal he received from the Mavericks, suggests Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston. Forsberg believes the Celtics would have paid that price for Williams before last season started or if they had been able to unload Malcolm Brogdon‘s salary. But the addition of Kristaps Porzingis affected Boston’s financial picture and likely would have reduced Williams’ role on the team. Forsberg points out that the Celtics are about $7MM below the second apron and have limited options to replace Williams, which should result in more playing time for Sam Hauser and other young players.
- Eric Koreen of The Athletic looks at potential deals for the Raptors after losing point guards Fred VanVleet and Dalano Banton in free agency. The most prominent name is Brogdon, whom Koreen believes might be available in exchange for Gary Trent Jr. Koreen also eyes trades involving Delon Wright, Ricky Rubio, Devonte’ Graham, Payton Pritchard, Killian Hayes, Cole Anthony and Kira Lewis.
Celtics Rumors: G. Williams, Brogdon, Brown, Banton, Lillard
When the Celtics struck a deal to acquire Kristaps Porzingis last month, Grant Williams recognized that there might not be as significant a role for him in Boston’s frontcourt if he were to re-sign with the team as a restricted free agent. However, he liked the trade for the Celtics, as he told Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
“With the (Porzingis) news, I was excited about it ’cause even if they did end up matching me, I would probably be playing less but my whole thing is about winning,” he said.
Still, Williams recognized that the addition of Porzingis’ salary made it less likely that the Celtics would be willing to spend to keep him when he reached restricted free agency. According to Weiss, the forward had a more competitive market when free agency opened last week, but the Celtics were asking for a first-round pick in sign-and-trade talks, which caused some potential suitors to move on.
“I had an understanding of that most of the way. I know how the numbers work out and yeah, they could have afforded to keep me,” Williams said of the Celtics. “But it’s one of those things where you’re really committing and after the prior year, I didn’t think it was realistic. Hey, Boston was trying to maintain their leverage. It’s one of those where you can’t be mad at them for it because it just shows they want you to be there in a way.”
With Williams’ market drying up, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe heard from a source as late as Wednesday afternoon that a return to the Celtics was still a possibility, but the Mavericks increased their push for the forward and Brad Stevens was amenable to sending the 24-year-old somewhere he’d get to play more. That led to a three-team sign-and-trade agreement that will send Williams to Dallas.
Here’s more on what’s next for the Celtics:
- A league source tells Himmelsbach that the Celtics remain intent on bringing back Malcolm Brogdon after discussing him in trade talks earlier in the offseason. Himmelsbach’s source adds that Jaylen Brown‘s super-max extension should be finalized “in the coming days.”
- Dalano Banton, who agreed to sign a two-year contract with Boston, is expected to join the team’s Las Vegas Summer League roster, tweets Himmelsbach.
- Echoing an earlier report from Chris Haynes that said the Celtics were among the teams to reach out to the Trail Blazers to inquire about the price for Damian Lillard, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne stated on NBA Today (YouTube link) that Boston has “expressed some interest” in the star guard. Shelburne and ESPN colleague Zach Lowe stressed that the Celtics are not on Lillard’s wish list, but point out that a package of Brogdon, Robert Williams, and several first-round picks and swaps could be compelling. The C’s have given San Antonio first-round swap rights in 2028, but their future first-rounders are otherwise unencumbered.
- A Celtics star forward would be in favor of a deal for Lillard, ESPN’s Marc J. Spears said during a TV appearance over the weekend. “I’m hearing Jayson Tatum is knocking on that door now too to figure out a way to get (Lillard) to come to Boston,” Spears said, according to Brian Robb of MassLive.com.
Mavs To Sign Thybulle To Offer Sheet; Blazers Will Have Right To Match
8:30pm: Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report believes there’s a “strong chance” the Blazers will match the offer sheet (Twitter link).
8:20pm: Thybulle will sign the offer sheet on Thursday, Haynes reports (via Twitter). Sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic that it will be a three-year, $33MM deal (Twitter link). Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports was first to report that the Mavs would likely pay the 26-year-old slightly below the full mid-level exception.
With the Mavs poised to land Grant Williams in a sign-and-trade deal involving Reggie Bullock, team salary projects to be above the $172.3MM hard cap based on the salary figures reported for Thybulle and Williams, notes Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Either some of Dallas’ signings will come in lower than reported or the team would have to shed some salary if it lands Thybulle.
11:18am: Restricted free agent forward Matisse Thybulle intends to sign an offer sheet with the Mavericks, league sources tell Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT (Twitter link). The Trail Blazers will have the right the match the offer to retain Thybulle.
One of the NBA’s best perimeter defenders, Thybulle has earned two All-Defensive nods during his first four years in the league. However, he has struggled to make an impact on the other side of the ball.
In 245 games with the Sixers during his first three-and-a-half seasons in the league, Thybulle averaged just 4.4 points per game on .448/.325/.667 shooting. He bumped those numbers to 7.4 PPG on .438/.388/.625 shooting in 22 contests with the Blazers following a February trade that sent him to Portland.
The Mavericks don’t have any cap room available, but they haven’t used any of their $12.4MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception, so their offer sheet for Thybulle will presumably come out of that figure. While the terms of the offer aren’t yet known, it will have to cover at least two seasons.
Marc Stein, who previously reported Dallas’ interest in Thybulle, said at the time that Portland has sent “behind-the-scenes signals” that it will match any reasonable offer sheet on the restricted free agent wing. It appears the Mavs are prepared to test the Blazers’ commitment to the 26-year-old, perhaps hoping that the uncertainty surrounding Damian Lillard‘s future will cause the team to waver on locking in Thybulle.
The two teams could theoretically still negotiate a sign-and-trade agreement, but that won’t be possible once Thybulle officially signs his offer sheet. At that time, the Blazers would simply have to decide whether to match it or whether to let him go to Dallas.
If Thybulle formally signs an offer sheet and Portland receives it before the July moratorium ends on Thursday at 12:00 pm Eastern time, the Blazers will have until 11:59 pm on Friday to make their decision. Players can sign offer sheets during the moratorium, but the clock on the matching team doesn’t start ticking until the moratorium is over.
Under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, teams have one full day to match an offer sheet received before noon and two full days to match an offer sheet that comes in after noon. For example, if the Blazers were to receive Thybulle’s signed offer sheet at 3:00 pm ET on Thursday, they’d have until 11:59 pm on Saturday to make their decision.
The Mavericks were also said to have interest in restricted free agent forward Grant Williams.
Stein’s Latest: RFAs, Washington, Mavs, Bol, JVG, Bojan
There has been more buzz in recent days about restricted free agents Grant Williams and Matisse Thybulle – who reportedly intends to sign an offer sheet with Dallas – than Hornets RFA P.J. Washington, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack article. As Stein explains, there are a couple reasons for that.
For one, the Hornets are in a better position to a match a rival offer sheet than Boston or Portland. The Celtics project to be well over the luxury tax line, while the Trail Blazers still aren’t certain what their books will look like after they finalize a Damian Lillard trade.
Additionally, while the Celtics and Trail Blazers would both have to weigh whether or not to match offer sheets signed using the mid-level exception, such a deal would presumably be an automatic match for the Hornets with Washington. According to Stein, Washington is believed to be seeking a deal in the range of $18MM per year.
Here’s more from Stein:
- Following up on a report that the Magic and Mavericks discussed a trade involving Bol Bol around the time of the draft, Stein explains that Dallas pitched the idea of taking on Bol as a salary dump along with Orlando’s No. 36 overall pick. The Magic turned down that proposal and ended up moving No. 36 for a 2030 second-round pick and cash.
- Jeff Van Gundy, who was recently let go by ESPN, told the Mavericks he wasn’t interested in a job as an assistant on Jason Kidd‘s coaching staff, according to Stein, who says that it’s not yet known whether Van Gundy will attempt to return to coaching in some form or seek another broadcasting opportunity.
- While teams around the league remain interested in acquiring forward Bojan Bogdanovic, the Pistons have held firm on their stance that they plan to keep the sharpshooting veteran, says Stein. There seems to be little concern about the Achilles issue that sidelined Bogdanovic for Detroit’s final 18 games, Stein adds, noting that the general sense is that the Pistons were just being “extra cautious,” with little to play for.
Mavericks Make Three Additions To Coaching Staff
The Mavericks have added three assistants to their staff.
Alex Jensen, who had been with the Jazz since 2013, is leaving Utah to join Jason Kidd’s staff, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Bryan Gates is also coming to Dallas as an assistant, Wojnarowski adds in another tweet. Josh Broghamer is another newcomer to Dallas, according to Marc Stein (Twitter link).
Jensen played a major role in Rudy Gobert‘s development, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN, noting that rookie big man Dereck Lively should “benefit tremendously” from Jensen’s tutelage.
Prior to his stint in Utah, Jensen was the first coach for the G League Canton Charge.
Gates spent the past two seasons as an assistant with the Suns under Monty Williams. He has also worked as an NBA assistant in Sacramento (2009-10 and 2016-19), New Orleans (2010-15) and Minnesota (2015-16 and 2019-21).
Broghamer comes over from the Cavaliers, where he served as the director of advance scouting and player development. He previously worked for the Bucks when Kidd was their head coach.
The Mavericks let go of three assistants after failing to make the playoffs, Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News notes. Lead offensive assistant Greg St. Jean, shooting coach Peter Patton and Quinton Crawford were not retained. Patton has since joined the Bulls’ staff, while Crawford wound up with the Suns.