Dallas Mavericks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Mavericks Convert McKinley Wright To Two-Way Deal

October 15th, 2022 at 12:29pm CST by Rory Maher

The Mavericks have converted McKinley Wright‘s Exhibit 10 deal into a two-way contract, the team announced (via Twitter). In addition, Dallas has also signed guard Grant Riller.

Wright, who will turn 24 later this month, signed a two-way contract with the Timberwolves last August after going undrafted out of Colorado. He appeared in just five games for Minnesota, spending most of the season with the team’s G League affiliate in Iowa, where he averaged 19.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 7.7 assists in 18 games.

Wright played for the Suns in this year’s Las Vegas Summer League in July and was on Team USA’s roster for the World Cup qualifiers in August before signing with the Mavs on an Exhibit 10 contract. He’ll join Tyler Dorsey as the team’s two-way players.

As for Riller, his deal with Dallas is likely aimed at getting his G League rights. He’ll probably be waived soon and join the Texas Legends, the Mavs’ NBAGL affiliate.

Why Most Teams Will Finalize Roster Cuts On Saturday

October 15th, 2022 at 7:19am CST by Luke Adams

NBA teams have until Monday night to officially set their rosters for the 2022/23 regular season. However, a majority of NBA teams will likely have their rosters ready to go on Saturday, with far more roster cuts expected today than on Sunday or Monday.

Why is that? Well, releasing a player today will ensure he clears waivers on Monday, before the regular season gets underway.

Players who are cut during the season are also paid for each day they spend on waivers, so a player who hits waivers on Sunday and doesn’t clear until the first day of the season on Tuesday would technically earn one day’s worth of pay, even if his salary isn’t guaranteed. A player released on Monday would spend two regular season days on waivers.

[RELATED: 2022/23 NBA Roster Counts]

For players with partial or full guarantees, spending the first day or two of the regular season on waivers doesn’t really matter, since they’re getting their full 2022/23 salary (or their partial guarantees) no matter when they’re released. But if a team waits until Monday to cut a player with a non-guaranteed salary, that team will be on the hook for two days’ worth of dead money for the player.

Two days’ worth of dead money won’t exactly break the bank — it would come in around $21K for most minimum-salary players. But a majority of teams already know which players are in and which are out, so there’s no need to take the decision down to the wire on Monday. They’ll make those cuts today and will avoid adding extra cap charges to their books for ’22/23. Even that small amount of savings could make a difference for teams who are right around the tax line or up against a hard cap.

While many teams will make their cuts today, a handful of clubs can afford to wait an extra day or two if they want to, since they’ll be waiving players who have full or partial guarantees.

The Thunder, for instance, have 17 players on fully guaranteed contracts and will need to reduce that number to 15. Waiting until Sunday or Monday to make their cuts won’t affect their cap outlook at all, since all 17 of those players will receive their full-season salaries either way.

Additionally, teams whose final roster moves won’t involve placing a player on waivers can afford to wait until Monday to finalize those moves.

For example, Marc Stein reported (via Twitter) on Friday night that Mavericks guard McKinley Wright is expected to have his Exhibit 10 contract converted into a two-way deal, assuming the club doesn’t make a “late audible” and claim a player who was waived by another team. Dallas could wait until Monday to convert Wright’s contract, since he won’t have to pass through waivers.

Southwest Notes: Mavs, Grizzlies, Tillman, Spurs

October 13th, 2022 at 11:58am CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks made a series of roster cuts on Wednesday, waiving four players who were in training camp on non-guaranteed contracts. With the preseason schedule set to wrap up on Friday, most teams will make their cuts on Saturday, but head coach Jason Kidd said it was “a little awkward” last year when Dallas made its moves just hours after the team’s final preseason game.

“We’re just trying to be a little bit more sensitive to that situation,” Kidd said, per Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News. “Learning from that last year, we’ll make the cuts now with guys being around to be able to say ‘bye’ or ‘see you later’ or whatever it may be. We just felt it was a little insensitive the way things went down last year, so as an organization, we just wanted to be better.”

The Mavericks still likely have at least a couple more roster moves to come. They’re believed to be preparing to sign guard Facundo Campazzo to fill the lone open spot on their 15-man roster, and could finalize their roster by converting their only remaining camp invitee, McKinley Wright IV, to a two-way deal.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

The Mavericks are hoping to schedule an exhibition game in Spain against Real Madrid, Luka Doncic‘s former team, next fall if the NBA is able to work out the logistics, Caplan writes in a separate story for The Dallas Morning News. “I don’t know that we’ll be able to play a preseason game in Slovenia,” team owner Mark Cuban said, referring to Doncic’s home country. “But we’re working really hard to play one against Real Madrid.”
While the possibility of regression looms and the team had a relatively quiet summer, John Hollinger of The Athletic is bullish on the Grizzlies‘ chances of having another strong season, projecting the team to win 51 games and finish third in the Western Conference.
Xavier Tillman is accustomed to playing center, but he may have to adjust to life at power forward if he hopes to see regular minutes for the Grizzlies this season, says Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. There should be playing time available at the four to open the season, with Jaren Jackson Jr. on the shelf. “Playing the four is a learning adjustment,” Tillman said. “I’m all about evolving, I’m all about getting better.”
The Spurs‘ home arena continues to be known as the AT&T Center — for now. The team has extended its arena naming rights agreement with AT&T into the 2022/23 season, but continue to search for a more permanent arena sponsor, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News.

Mavs Expected To Sign Facundo Campazzo To One-Year Deal

October 13th, 2022 at 7:02am CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 13: Aris Barkas of Eurohoops reports that Campazzo has accepted the Mavericks’ one-year offer, while HoopsHype says (via Twitter) the veteran guard is expected to fly to Dallas on Saturday to undergo a physical and sign a contract.

OCTOBER 12: The Mavericks and free agent guard Facundo Campazzo are engaged in advanced discussions about a possible one-year contract, reports Marc Stein (via Twitter).

According to Stein, who first reported Dallas’ interest in Campazzo on Sunday, it appears increasingly likely that the two sides will work out a deal that allows the Argentinian to fill the 15th and final spot on the team’s regular season roster.

Campazzo spent the last two seasons with the Nuggets after establishing himself as one of the best point guards in the EuroLeague. He averaged 5.6 points, 3.5 assists, and 1.1 steals per game in 130 appearances (20.1 MPG) across his two seasons in Denver, though he knocked down just 37.2% of his shots from the floor. The 31-year-old played alongside Luka Doncic for Real Madrid from 2015-18.

Following Jalen Brunson‘s departure in free agency, the Mavs could use one more reliable veteran ball-handler to back up Doncic and Spencer Dinwiddie. The team has been debating whether it will add a free agent who can fill that role or leave its 15th roster spot open to start the season in order to maximize flexibility and limit its projected luxury tax bill.

As the Mavs seemingly move closer to a deal with Campazzo, it appears that Tyler Dorsey‘s spot on the roster is increasingly tenuous — a report from Aris Barkas of Eurohoops says the club is considering cutting Dorsey. Such a move wouldn’t be directly related to signing Campazzo, since Dorsey is on a two-way contract, while Campazzo is believed to be negotiating a standard deal.

Still, Dorsey was one of the players in the mix for a ball-handling rotation role in Dallas, so it’s possible the Mavs would want to use that two-way slot on another type of player if they sign Campazzo to fill that spot on the depth chart.

Mavericks Waive Four Camp Invitees

October 12th, 2022 at 3:12pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks have cut four players who were in training camp on Exhibit 10 contracts, the team announced today in a press release. Marcus Bingham, Mouhamadou Gueye, Tyler Hall, and D.J. Stewart Jr. have been placed on waivers, according to the Mavs.

Bingham and Gueye signed with Dallas this summer after going undrafted in June and are good candidates to end up with the Texas Legends, the Mavs’ G League affiliate. Hall and Stewart were veteran free agents, though Hall has only appeared in one NBA game and Stewart has yet to make his NBA debut.

The series of moves leaves the Mavs with just 16 players under contract, at least for the time being. Of those players, 14 have guaranteed contracts, one (Tyler Dorsey) is on a two-way deal, and just one (McKinley Wright IV) still has an Exhibit 10 contract.

The fact that Wright survived this round of cuts may signal that he’s the leading candidate to have his deal converted to a two-way contract before the regular season begins, though it’s possible more moves are coming in Dallas.

Mavs Pick Up 2023/24 Option On Josh Green

October 11th, 2022 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks have exercised Josh Green‘s fourth-year option for the 2023/24 season, the team announced today (via Twitter).

Green, who is set to earn approximately $3.1MM in his third NBA season this year, is now also guaranteed of receiving his $4,765,339 salary for ’23/24.

Green didn’t play much as a rookie in Dallas after being selected 18th overall in the 2020 draft, but saw more regular minutes last season, averaging 4.8 PPG and 2.4 RPG on .508/.359/.689 shooting in 67 appearances (15.5 MPG). He has received rave reviews from coaches and teammates for the work he did this past offseason, suggesting that he may be in line for a larger role in ’22/23.

The Mavs don’t have to make decisions on any other rookie scale team options before this year’s October 31 deadline, since they didn’t have a first-round pick in the 2021 draft.

Mavericks Eyeing Facundo Campazzo

October 9th, 2022 at 5:44pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks are weighing the possibility of signing free agent point guard Facundo Campazzo, according to Marc Stein, who tweets that the team has yet to make a decision one way or the other.

Stein first reported over a month ago that the Mavs were considering adding another ball-handler after having lost Jalen Brunson in free agency. Superstar Luka Doncic and veteran guard Spencer Dinwiddie will handle the majority of the point guard responsibilities, but the club is short on reliable veteran options behind those two.

As Stein notes (via Twitter), the Mavericks came into training camp intending to give their in-house backups a shot to claim point guard minutes behind Doncic and Dinwiddie, with Frank Ntilikina, Josh Green, and Tyler Dorsey among the players in the mix. However, the fact that the team is still mulling adding Campazzo or another veteran suggests that none of those players has put a stamp on the role so far this fall.

The Mavs have 14 players on standard guaranteed contracts, so if they don’t mind the additional luxury tax penalty that would come with carrying a 15th man into the regular season, they could comfortably add one.

Campazzo, 31, spent the last two seasons with the Nuggets after establishing himself as one of the best point guards in Europe in his 20s. He averaged 5.6 points, 3.5 assists, and 1.1 steals per game in 130 appearances (20.1 MPG) across his two seasons in Denver, making just 37.2% of his shots from the floor.

Following the expiration of his contract with the Nuggets, Campazzo looked like a candidate to head back overseas, but he spoke in August about wanting to continue playing in the NBA. He’s still an unrestricted free agent, as he continues to exhaust all his options stateside.

As Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News observes (via Twitter), Campazzo has one notable connection to the Mavericks — he’s good friends with Doncic, having played alongside the All-NBA guard with Real Madrid from 2015-18.

Limited Preseason Contests Was Purposeful

October 8th, 2022 at 10:37am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks are playing three preseason games, the fewest of any team in the league, and that’s by design, according to Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News. Coach Jason Kidd wants to keep his team fresh and healthy for the regular season. “I wanted to see less preseason games just to have the data to see how we handle it,” Kidd said. “A lot of teams are playing four, five or six, so I went on the other side to see if we can play three. … It could be something that we don’t ever do again, or if the players say they like it, it’ll be something we’ll do again.”

Josh Green Turning Heads At Mavs' Camp

October 4th, 2022 at 7:33pm CST by Luke Adams

Mavericks coaches and players are continually pointing to former first-round pick Josh Green as the player who came to camp in the best shape and improved the most in the offseason, according to Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News, who notes that a leap from Green would be huge for a Dallas team that lost Jalen Brunson.
John Hollinger of The Athletic is bearish on the Mavericks‘ chances of matching or exceeding their 52 wins from last season, projecting the team to finish eighth in the West at 46-36.

NBA GMs High On Cavs’ Offseason Moves, Bucks’ Title Chances

October 4th, 2022 at 11:28am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers‘ acquisition of Donovan Mitchell made their offseason the most successful of any NBA team, according to the league’s general managers. In his annual survey of the NBA’s top basketball decision-makers, John Schuhmann of NBA.com writes that 41% of the GM respondents picked Cleveland as having made the best offseason moves, while 59% chose the addition of Mitchell as the move that will have the biggest impact.

The Timberwolves and Jazz were on opposite ends of one of the summer’s other blockbuster trades, but the two clubs tied for second (along with the Sixers) in the GM vote for which teams made the best overall offseason moves. Minnesota’s trade for Rudy Gobert was the second-leading vote-getter for the offseason’s most impactful single acquisition, earning 31% of the vote.

The team viewed by the majority of GMs as the title favorite for 2023 didn’t earn any votes for having the best offseason. According to Schuhmann, 43% of the poll respondents picked the Bucks to win next year’s Finals, with GMs apparently betting on continuity in Milwaukee. The Warriors (25%), Clippers (21%), and Celtics (11%) also received votes.

Here are a few more interesting results from Schuhmann’s GM survey, which is worth checking out in full:

NBA general managers expect the Clippers – who will have Kawhi Leonard back – to be the most improved team in 2022/23. L.A. received 41% of the vote, with the Cavaliers and Pelicans at 17% apiece.
The Celtics‘ trade for Malcolm Brogdon earned the most votes (28%) for the summer’s most underrated acquisition. The Sixers‘ signing of P.J. Tucker and the Clippers‘ addition of John Wall were the runners-up, with 14% each.
Asked which team has the most promising young core, NBA GMs overwhelmingly chose the Cavaliers (41%) and Grizzlies (38%). The Pistons (10%) were the only other club to get multiple votes.
NBA GMs view Magic forward Paolo Banchero as the best bet to win Rookie of the Year (79%) and also chose him as the 2022 draftee most likely to be the best player in five years (31%), narrowly edging Thunder big man Chet Holmgren (28%). As for the steal of the draft, GMs were split between Pistons big man Jalen Duren and Rockets forward Tari Eason (14% apiece), among many others.
Mavericks star Luka Doncic was picked as the favorite to win MVP, earning 48% of the vote from NBA GMs. Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks came in second with 34%.