Mavericks Sign George King To 10-Day Deal
DECEMBER 22: King’s 10-day contract is now official, the Mavericks announced today (via Twitter). It’ll run through December 31.
DECEMBER 21: The Mavericks are signing forward George King to a 10-day contract via a hardship exception, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The 59th overall pick in the 2018 draft out of Colorado, King spent his rookie season with Phoenix on a two-way contract, but appeared in just one NBA game and then was out of the league for two years. He played in Italy and Poland during the 2019/20 season, then spent the ’20/21 campaign in Germany with the Niners Chemnitz.
King joined the Clippers this fall on an Exhibit 10 deal and landed with the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario – the team’s G League affiliate – after failing to earn a spot on the regular season roster. In 11 NBAGL games this season, he has averaged 13.7 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 1.7 SPG with an impressive .534/.466/.818 shooting line in 31.3 minutes per contest.
Luka Doncic Could Be Back Thursday
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.
Mavericks Sign Marquese Chriss Via Hardship Exception
DECEMBER 21: The Mavericks have officially signed Chriss to his 10-day deal, according to the team (Twitter link). It will run through December 30.
DECEMBER 20: The Mavericks, having agreed to a deal with Theo Pinson, will also sign free agent forward/center Marquese Chriss to a contract via a hardship exception, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
Chriss, 24, was selected eighth overall in the 2016 draft by the Suns, but was traded from Phoenix to Houston after just two seasons. He played for the Rockets and Cavaliers in the 2018/19 season, then found a home in Golden State for the ’19/20 campaign, averaging 9.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 1.1 BPG in 59 games (20.3 MPG) for the Warriors.
Chriss projected to be a rotation player for the Dubs again last season, but broke his right fibula just two games into the season, ending his year. He was subsequently traded to San Antonio and waived.
The Trail Blazers signed Chriss to a non-guaranteed contract this fall, but he was beaten out by Dennis Smith Jr. for the last spot on the team’s regular season roster and was cut again.
The Mavs have two players in the health and safety protocols and a few other players dealing with injuries or non-COVID illnesses, so adding Pinson or Chriss will help them fill out the back of their active roster in the short term. Neither deal will count against the team’s cap.
Mavs’ Maxi Kleber Enters Protocols
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.
Mavericks Sign Theo Pinson To 10-Day Deal
1:44pm: Pinson’s 10-day contract with the Mavericks is now official, according to the team (Twitter link).
8:22am: The Mavericks intend to sign shooting guard Theo Pinson to a 10-day contract via the hardship provision, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Pinson, 26, was in camp with the Celtics in the fall, but was waived before the regular season began and ended up joining Boston’s G League affiliate, the Maine Celtics. In 12 games (32.8 MPG) for Maine, he has averaged 16.4 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 4.4 APG on .425/.405/.833 shooting.
Pinson spent time with the Nets and Knicks between 2018-21, appearing in a total of 68 NBA games during that time. He had a very limited role in Brooklyn and New York, averaging 3.0 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 9.0 minutes per contest.
Dallas currently has two players – Reggie Bullock and Josh Green – in the health and safety protocols. Based on the NBA’s new roster rules, that means the Mavs are required to sign at least one replacement player.
Timberwolves’ Beverley, Vanderbilt Enter Protocols
The Timberwolves‘ COVID-19 outbreak appears to have affected a couple more players, as Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that guard Patrick Beverley and forward Jarred Vanderbilt have entered the health and safety protocols.
Beverley and Vanderbilt join Anthony Edwards, Josh Okogie, and Taurean Prince in the protocols, bringing the total number of Wolves players impacted to five.
If Beverley and Vanderbilt have tested positive for COVID-19, they’ll be out for 10 days or until they return two consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart.
The news may be of concern to the Mavericks, since both Beverley and Vanderbilt were in the starting lineup when Minnesota faced Dallas on Sunday night. Beverley played almost 31 minutes, while Vanderbilt logged over 38 minutes.
Two Mavs Assistant Coaches Enter Protocols
- A pair of Mavericks assistant coaches have entered the health and safety protocols, per head coach Jason Kidd, who said the team will be without Jared Dudley and Darrell Armstrong for the short term (Twitter link via Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News).
- In his latest ESPN.com mailbag (Insider link), Kevin Pelton explores how the Grizzlies are winning without Ja Morant and whether the Mavericks can count on regression to the mean for several slumping shooters.
COVID Updates: Josh Green, Ziaire Williams, Okogie, Morant, Carlisle
Mavericks second-year wing Josh Green has entered the league’s health and safety protocols, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link). Green, the 18th overall pick of the 2020 draft, hasn’t seen much action so far this season, appearing in 17 games for a total of 125 minutes (7.4 MPG). He’s averaging 2.4 PPG and 1.5 RPG.
Rookie Ziaire Williams has entered the protocols for the Grizzlies, writes Evan Barnes of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Williams, the 10th overall pick of the 2021 draft, has also been dealing with an ankle sprain that has sidelined him for the past six games. Through 19 games (17.8 MPG), the 20-year-old is averaging 4.7 PPG and 1.5 RPG.
Timberwolves wing Josh Okogie has entered the protocols as well, the team announced (via Twitter). In 20 contests this season (13.9 MPG), Okogie is averaging 2.6 PPG and 2.2 RPG.
If the three players tested positive, they will need to isolate for at least 10 days or until they return two consecutive negative PCR tests a minimum of 24 hours apart.
Here are a couple more COVID-19 related updates:
- Grizzlies star Ja Morant has exited the health and safety protocols, Barnes writes in a separate piece. Memphis is taking a “wait and see” approach with its star point guard, as he’s still dealing with a knee sprain suffered in late November. However, Morant is back with the team and will likely be on the bench tonight against Portland, Barnes tweets. The Grizzlies have surprisingly gone 10-1 without Morant and currently hold the fourth seed in the West with a 19-11 record.
- Head coach Rick Carlisle is back with the Pacers after exiting the health and safety protocols, according to James Boyd of the Indianapolis Star (via Twitter). Carlisle led Indiana’s practice Sunday and is expected to coach the team Tuesday at Miami, Boyd relays.
Reggie Bullock Placed In Protocols
Mavericks forward Reggie Bullock has entered the league’s health and safety protocols, the team announced on social media (Twitter link).
Bullock becomes the sixth player to be placed in protocols today, joining Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Miles McBride, Evan Mobley and Marcus Morris. According to our tracker, a total of 59 players are currently waiting to exit the protocols.
Dallas will be without Bullock, along with Willie Cauley-Stein (personal), Luka Doncic (ankle soreness), Josh Green (illness), Frank Ntilikina (illness) and Eugene Omoruyi (right foot) for its game against the Timberwolves on Saturday.
Bullock signed a three-year, $30.5MM contract to join the team in free agency. In 27 games this season, he’s averaged just 5.6 points per contest, shooting 35% from the floor and 27% from three-point range.
Luka Out Through At Least Sunday
- Mavericks star Luka Doncic was ruled out for Wednesday’s contest against the Lakers and will miss the team’s game at Minnesota on Sunday as he continues to rehab his sore left ankle, Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News relays. The Mavs lost to the Lakers in overtime, 107-104.