Dallas Mavericks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Mavericks Select Cooper Flagg With No. 1 Overall Pick

June 25th, 2025 at 7:11pm CST by Rory Maher

As expected, the Mavericks have selected Duke forward Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NBA draft.

The consensus top prospect is coming off a wildly successful freshman season with the Blue Devils, having won numerous major awards, including ACC Player of the Year and AP Player of the Year, among several others.

Flagg was the driving force behind Duke’s 35-4 record and helped the team reach the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament before losing to Houston, another No. 1 seed.

The 18-year-old combo forward stuffed the stat sheet all season, leading the stacked Blue Devils in points (19.2), rebounds (7.5), assists (4.2), steals (1.4) and blocks (1.4) per game, with a strong shooting line of .481/.385/.840. Flagg made 37 appearances in 2024/25, averaging 30.7 minutes per contest.

Dallas had just a 1.8% chance of claiming this year’s top pick, jumping up from No. 11 to No. 1 when the team won the draft lottery last month. It was the first time in 17 lottery appearances that the Mavericks ended up with a better pick than their odds dictated.

In addition to being viewed as the best prospect in his class, Flagg is also (at least) a year younger than many of his peers, having reclassified from 2026 — he won’t turn 19 until December 21.

The former Blue Devil star will join a Mavericks roster headlined by 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis and nine-time All-Star Kyrie Irving, who reached an agreement earlier this week on a new three-year contract to remain in Dallas.

Mavericks Reportedly Among Leaders For D’Angelo Russell

June 25th, 2025 at 1:58pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Mavericks have emerged as a leading potential free agent destination for veteran guard D’Angelo Russell, sources inform Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter link).

The Mavericks would likely only be able to offer Russell the NBA’s taxpayer mid-level exception, worth an estimated $5.7MM in 2025/26, given their current cap situation. Still, Dallas could give the Ohio State alum the opportunity to start at point guard until nine-time All-Star Kyrie Irving returns from his ACL tear.

While much could change this offseason, the Mavericks’ roster doesn’t project to be heavy on play-makers or backcourt depth even once Irving returns, so Russell would likely still be in line for significant run on a fully healthy Dallas team.

Splitting his 2024/25 season between the Lakers and Nets, the 29-year-old averaged 12.6 PPG, 5.1 APG and 2.8 RPG across 58 healthy games. His 39.0% mark on shots from the floor and 31.4% rate on three-point attempts were well below his stronger career shooting line of .427/.365/.796.

Dallas will be able to offer Russell or another free agent point guard more than the veteran’s minimum largely due to the fact that Irving’s new three-year, $119MM contract will feature a more team-friendly cap hit in 2025/26 than his now-declined $43MM player option, Stein observes.

Russell is one of several free agent point guards who has been linked to the Mavericks this week, along with fellow former All-Star Chris Paul, plus Dennis Schröder and Malcolm Brogdon. The Kings are rumored to be a leading suitor for Schröder.

Kings Viewed As A Leading Suitor For Dennis Schröder

June 25th, 2025 at 7:20am CST by Luke Adams

The Kings are viewed as a leading suitor for free agent point guard Dennis Schröder, according to league sources who have spoken to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).

Sacramento is in the market for a point guard after having traded De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio earlier this year and has been considering potential targets on the trade market and in free agency. Schröder, according to Stein and Fischer, is expected to command a contract that starts in the neighborhood of the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which projects to be worth $14.1MM. The Kings, who have plenty of breathing room below the luxury tax line, should be in position to offer most or all of that exception.

It was an up-and-down 2024/25 season for Schröder, who thrived in Brooklyn, struggled in Golden State, then helped fill a Jaden Ivey-shaped hole in Detroit down the stretch. On the season, he averaged 13.1 points and 5.4 assists in 28.1 minutes per game across 75 outings for those three teams, posting a shooting line of .406/.342/.838.

The Kings won’t be Schröder’s only suitor. The Pistons have expressed interest in re-signing him, and he’s also expected to be an option for a Mavericks team in need of a point guard while Kyrie Irving recovers from his ACL tear. Sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN that Schröder, D’Angelo Russell, Chris Paul, and Malcolm Brogdon are among Dallas’ point guard targets.

However, the Pistons have other free agents – Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. – to try to re-sign, so it’s possible Schröder won’t be a top priority with Ivey on his way back from his broken leg. As for the Mavs, they’ll likely only be able to offer the $5.7MM taxpayer mid-level exception.

We have more on the Kings:

Sacramento’s front office has signaled that it’s open to a wide range of trade inquiries, per Stein and Fischer, with previous reporting from The Sacramento Bee indicating the team was gauging the market for Malik Monk and Devin Carter. According to The Stein Line duo, it’s worth noting that the Jazz previously expressed interest in Carter when the Kings inquired about Lauri Markkanen last summer before he ultimately signed an extension with Utah.
The Kings are viewed by agents and rival executives as a strong candidate to trade into the back half of the first round on Wednesday, Stein and Fischer report. They point to Utah’s pick at No. 21 as one possible target for the Kings, but notes that some teams believe Sacramento is working on a deal for the Thunder‘s second first-rounder at No. 24.

Kyrie Irving Declines Option, Re-Signs With Mavs On Three-Year Deal

June 24th, 2025 at 8:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

July 6: Irving has officially re-signed with the Mavericks, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

June 24: Mavericks star guard Kyrie Irving is declining his $43MM player option and intends to sign a three-year, $119MM contract with the team as a free agent in July, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (Twitter link). The deal, which is nearly identical to the one he signed in 2023, will include a player option for the 2027/28 season.

The nine-time All-Star is recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee, which he injured in early March.

Irving was enjoying a typically strong season prior to the injury. He averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.3 steals in 50 starts. Most of the outings came with Luka Doncic alongside him in the backcourt, so his assist totals could spike when he returns as the team’s primary ball-handler.

The deadline for Irving to opt in was today and it wasn’t surprising that the option was declined for more long-term security. As far back as April, it was reported that Dallas preferred to re-sign the 33-year-old to a three-year deal.

Irving’s first-year salary on his new contract will be lower than the option he declined, reducing the Mavs’ team salary and moving them below the second tax apron. That will enable Dallas to use the $5.7MM taxpayer mid-level exception to pursue a lead guard in free agency to run the team while Irving recovers, according to Marc Stein (Twitter link).

The Mavericks are optimistic that Irving can return to action sometime in the middle of next season. The Mavericks were hopeful that the combination of Irving and Anthony Davis would produce a championship in the short run. The unexpected addition of Cooper Flagg via winning the lottery will make them even more dangerous in the coming years.

Irving was the No. 2 free agent on our top-50 rankings and becomes the first player on that list to reach a contract agreement with his current team.

Stein’s Latest: Gafford, Irving, VanVleet, Collins, Thybulle

June 24th, 2025 at 9:02am CST by Arthur Hill

The terms of Daniel Gafford‘s three-year extension will keep him trade-eligible without a six-month waiting period, but that doesn’t mean the Mavericks are looking to deal the 26-year-old center, Marc Stein of The Stein Line writes in his latest column (Substack link). Stein confirms that Gafford’s new contract, which will start with the 2026/27 season and is projected to be worth about $54MM, contains no options for him or the team.

Stein states that Dallas’ front office expects “considerable” trade interest in Gafford, but is reluctant to part with him after injuries limited Dereck Lively to 36 games during his second NBA season. Stein notes that forward P.J. Washington is also eligible for an extension this summer and says the Mavericks plan to hold onto him as well.

This is an important day for the organization, Stein adds, as it’s the deadline for Kyrie Irving to pick up a $43MM player option. If Irving passes on the option, Stein views that as a sign that he has an agreement with the Mavericks on a new long-term deal that will likely be announced early in free agency. It’s also possible that Irving could pick up the option and negotiate an extension after the moratorium is lifted or he could decide to test free agency next summer. A source tells Stein that Irving remained undecided as of Monday night.

Stein shares more inside information from around the league:

The Rockets may decline their $44.9MM option on Fred VanVleet, but Stein states there’s “no scenario” where he won’t be with the team next season. A source tells Stein that Houston and VanVleet would “do a new deal” if the option is turned down by Sunday’s deadline. Stein points out that the original deadline on the team option was five days after the Rockets’ season ended, but VanVleet and the team reached an agreement to push it back to late June. Stein also notes that Kevin Durant will be eligible for a two-year extension once he officially joins the team next month, suggesting it’s possible that VanVleet and Durant will both be signed to new deals that cover the next three seasons.
Stein reports that Jazz center Walker Kessler has been “unavailable for some time” and speculates that could have led to recent rumors that the Lakers are interested in John Collins. Stein calls it a “mischaracterization” to suggest that L.A. is a trade suitor for Collins.
The Trail Blazers expect swingman Matisse Thybulle to pick up his $11.5MM player option by today’s deadline, Stein adds.

Wolves Assistant Micah Nori Interviewing With Knicks

June 24th, 2025 at 8:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori is the latest high-profile candidate to interview for the Knicks‘ head coaching vacancy, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Nori, 51, has been an NBA assistant since 2009 and came to Minnesota as lead assistant prior to the 2021/2022 season. He is best known for replacing Chris Finch as the team’s sideline coach during last year’s playoffs after Finch was injured in a collision with a player.

Nori recently interviewed for the Suns’ head coaching job before Jordan Ott was hired, and he was among the list of nine finalists for the position. He also had interviews with the Pistons and Cavaliers last summer.

Nori, who started his NBA career in Toronto and also spent time with Sacramento, Denver and Detroit, has established himself as one of the NBA’s top assistant coaches and has been viewed as a likely future head coach for several years. In a recent interview, Minnesota president of basketball operations Tim Connelly predicted that Nori would land a head coaching job soon.

Nori is the third known candidate to conduct a formal interview for the Knicks’ opening, joining former Kings coach Mike Brown and former Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins. Numerous reports indicate that New York is also monitoring Jason Kidd’s status in Dallas in case he doesn’t receive an extension this summer and tries to force his way out.

Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney, who is headed to San Antonio to become associate head coach under Mitch Johnson, turned down an opportunity to interview with New York, according to Steve Popper of Newsday. Popper suggests the Knicks’ pursuit of Sweeney is a sign that they recognize Kidd may be an unrealistic option.

Celtics To Trade Holiday To Blazers For Simons, Second-Round Picks

June 23rd, 2025 at 10:38pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics and Trail Blazers have agreed to a trade that will send Jrue Holiday to Portland in exchange for Anfernee Simons and a pair of second-round picks, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

The second-rounders going to Boston will be the Knicks’ 2030 pick and the Trail Blazers’ own 2031 selection, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link).

The move comes less than two years after the teams got together to make a trade sending Holiday from Portland to Boston in October 2023. In that deal, the Blazers – who had just acquired Holiday from the Bucks in the Damian Lillard blockbuster, acquired Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams, and two future first-round picks from the Celtics.

Holiday helped the Celtics win a championship in 2024, but had seen his role dialed back significantly since arriving in Boston, having taken a back seat offensively to higher scorers like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis, and even Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard.

In 2024/25, Holiday averaged just 11.1 points per game, his lowest mark since his rookie year in 2009/10. He also contributed 4.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 steals in 30.6 minutes per night, along with a .443/.353/.909 shooting line in 62 outings (all starts).

Given Holiday’s relatively modest role in Boston and a contract that will pay him $32.4MM next season and $104.4MM in total over the next three years, he was considered a strong trade candidate this summer for a Celtics team looking to reduce its payroll.

Boston will do just that in this deal, as Simons is on track to earn approximately $27.7MM in 2025/26, which is the final year of his contract. Although that’s only about $4.7MM less than what Holiday will make, the swap will generate a projected $40MM+ in tax savings for the Celtics, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Boston is deep in luxury-tax territory and will face more punitive “repeater” taxpayer penalties next season.

The Celtics are still projected to be about $18MM above the second tax apron for ’25/26, per Marks, but they continue to engage in trade discussions involving other players on their roster, sources tell Charania (Twitter link), so more cost-cutting moves are likely coming.

Besides saving some money in the trade, Boston will add a talented 26-year-old guard in Simons, who has averaged 19.9 points and 4.5 assists per game with a .436/.381/.901 shooting line over the past four seasons in Portland since taking on a featured role with the club. Simons should help make up some of the offense the Celtics lost when Tatum went down this spring with an Achilles tear that is expected to sideline him for most or all of next season. Simons will also be eligible to sign a contract extension with the C’s beginning in July.

The Trail Blazers, meanwhile, will bring in a defensive-minded veteran who will help shore up the team’s perimeter defense while serving as a veteran mentor for Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe, two young guards still on their rookie scale contracts. Holiday turned 35 earlier this month and the back end of his contract could become cumbersome, but Portland presumably believes he can help the team take another step forward after it improved from 21 wins in 2023/24 to 36 victories this past season.

Although Simons was the Blazers’ leading scorer last season, the team had a better net rating when he was off the court (-0.2) than when he was on it (-4.6) and went 8-4 in games he didn’t play.

Assuming the trade doesn’t expand to include additional pieces, the Blazers will become hard-capped at the first tax apron for the 2025/26 league year as a result of taking back more salary than they send out in this deal. The team projects to be roughly $6.6MM below the luxury tax line and $14.7MM below the first apron once the move is finalized, notes Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).

The Kings, Raptors, and Mavericks were among the other teams who had interest in Holiday, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic. They’ll have to look elsewhere for point guard help now, as the Blazers intend to hang onto Holiday in the hopes of making a push for a playoff spot next season, per Fischer (Twitter link).

Draft Notes: Latest Mocks, Murray-Boyles, Jakucionis, NIL Impact, Seniors, Team Needs

June 23rd, 2025 at 5:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The latest ESPN mock draft has plenty of guards going in the lottery. Their experts, Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo, believe that eight guards and/or wings will come off the board within the first 13 picks.

After Cooper Flagg (Mavericks) and Dylan Harper (Spurs), ESPN’s latest mock has guards V.J. Edgecombe (Sixers), Kon Knueppel (Hornets) and Jeremiah Fears (Jazz) rounding out the top five. Ace Bailey, formerly considered a top three pick, slips to the Wizards at No. 6. The Suns, who are acquiring the No. 10 pick from the Rockets, are projected to take South Carolina big man Collin Murray-Boyles.

Here’s more draft-related info:

In his latest mock draft, The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie says he thinks the Sixers trading down from the No. 3 slot remains a real possibility. The Hornets have also had discussions moving both up and down the board from the No. 4 spot, while Texas wing Tre Johnson could be a surprise selection in the top five, Vecenie writes, adding that Johnson could go as high as No. 3.
Speaking of Murray-Boyles, he worked out for the Trail Blazers over the weekend, as did Illinois guard Kasparas Jakucionis, Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian tweets. ESPN ranks Murray-Boyles at No. 13 overall with Jakucionis at No. 10. Portland owns the No. 11 pick.
Just 32 non-international early entrants from colleges and other basketball teams or leagues and 14 international players remain in the draft, a dramatic drop-off from recent years. What’s the difference? NIL money has motivated most prospects to stay in college, unless they believe they’ll go in the first round, as Amanda Christovich of Front Office Sports details. “If you are not a guaranteed first-round pick, top-20, top-30 guy—unless you really do not want to play college basketball anymore, we are recommending and most of them are staying in school as long as they possibly can,” Michael Raymond, president and founder of Raymond Representation, told Christovich.
The draft is usually headed by one-and-dones and other underclassmen. However, there are more seasoned college players who will come off the board this year. HoopsHype’s Cyro Asseo de Choch takes a look at the cream of the senior crop.
The Athletic’s Law Murray breaks down the biggest draft needs for each team, identifying the picks each of those clubs hold.

Knicks Considering James Borrego In Head Coaching Search

June 23rd, 2025 at 9:04am CST by Arthur Hill

James Borrego could become a target in the Knicks‘ ongoing search for their next head coach, according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, who hears the team has “tossed around” the idea of speaking with the veteran coach.

Borrego, 47, has been an assistant to Willie Green with the Pelicans for the past two seasons. He previously spent four years as the head coach in Charlotte, compiling a 138-163 record and winning 43 games in his final season. Edwards notes that Borrego is a client of CAA, the agency formerly run by team president Leon Rose, and he has built a strong reputation for “offensive creativity and analytics-forward approach.”

Borrego has worked in the league since 2010, spending time as an assistant coach with the Hornets, Magic and Spurs before getting the head coaching opportunity. He also served as interim head coach in Orlando during the 2014/15 season, compiling a 10-20 record in 30 games.

Taylor Jenkins and Mike Brown appear to be the current front-runners for the job after interviewing with the Knicks last week, Edwards adds, but he states that the team’s interest in Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd is still worth monitoring. He notes that Kidd hasn’t received an extension in Dallas, in contrast with two other coaches New York requested permission to interview. Ime Udoka agreed to a long-term extension with the Rockets on Thursday, while Billy Donovan is reportedly working on an extension with the Bulls.

Edwards still considers Kidd to be a “long shot” to join the Knicks, even though changes are being made to his coaching staff. Edwards confirms that none of Kidd’s assistants were given extensions after the team reached the NBA Finals last season, and Sean Sweeney is leaving to become the associate head coach in San Antonio. Contracts for assistants Jared Dudley and God Shammgod will expire at the end of the month, and they have both received interest from other teams, sources tell Edwards.

Spurs To Hire Mavs Assistant Sweeney As Associate Head Coach

June 22nd, 2025 at 5:13pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney has agreed to become the associate head coach of the Spurs under Mitch Johnson, Shams Charania of ESPN tweets. The Spurs’ interest in Sweeney was previously reported by Marc Stein.

Sweeney has been an assistant under Jason Kidd with the Nets and Bucks as well as the Mavericks. They’ll now lose him to an up-and-coming division rival.

Sweeney’s name has frequently popped up when head coaching jobs have come open but he has yet to land one of those coveted positions. He most recently interviewed for the Suns head coaching job.

Stein also reports that another Mavericks assistant, Jared Dudley, is being pursued by the Grizzlies and Cavaliers (Twitter link). According to The Athletic’s Fred Katz, the Mavericks opted not to extend the contracts of their assistant coaches after their 2024 run to the NBA Finals (Twitter link). That is apparently a contributing factor in those assistants seeking other jobs.

Dallas could try to convince former Lakers and Suns coach Frank Vogel, who is now a consultant to the organization, to take Sweeney’s spot, according to Stein (Twitter link). However, Vogel apparently is comfortable in his consultant’s role as he awaits another head coaching opportunity.

Another assistant, God Shammgod, is drawing interest from the Magic, Stein adds (Twitter link).