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Heat Suspend Jimmy Butler Indefinitely

January 27th, 2025 at 3:51pm CST by Rory Maher

3:51pm: Butler’s indefinite suspension is now official, according to the Heat (Twitter links).

“The suspension is due to a continued pattern of disregard of team rules, engaging in conduct detrimental to the team and intentionally withholding services,” the team said in a statement. “This includes walking out of practice earlier today.”

As Marks points out (via Twitter), the “withholding services” line means Butler will lose 1/91.6th of his salary per game, which works out to $2,663,685 over the next five contests.

3:03pm: The Heat plan to suspend six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler indefinitely, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN.

According to Charania, Butler walked out of shootaround on Monday morning after he was informed that the team planned to start Haywood Highsmith over him going forward.

While Butler’s latest suspension is considered indefinite, he will miss a minimum of five more games, tweets Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. As Will Guillory of The Athletic observes, that five-game timeline isn’t a coincidence — it means he won’t suit up for the team again prior to the February 6 trade deadline (Twitter link).

Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald hears Butler wasn’t pleased with the news and angrily left mid-shootaround. That gave the Heat cause to suspend him without pay while also ensuring he won’t get injured in a game before the deadline (Twitter link).

The language the Heat use in their press release will be key to determining how much money Butler could miss out on, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter links). Butler will be docked $532,737 per game if Miami calls it failure to render services, while conduct detrimental to the team would cost Butler $336,543 per contest.

As Jackson and Anthony Chiang write for The Miami Herald, the original plan had been for Butler to play on Monday following a two-game suspension, though his role going forward was a major question mark. Overall, Butler has been suspended nine games to this point; that figure will now rise to at least 14.

The first suspension, covering seven games, was referred to as conduct detrimental to the team; the second, covering two games, was for a “continued pattern of disregard of team rules, insubordinate conduct and conduct detrimental to the team, including missing… a team flight to Milwaukee.” The National Basketball Players Association plans to file a grievance to dispute the suspension, and Butler could get some of his salary back in the future.

It has been exactly eight years since Butler came off the bench, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. Obviously, the 35-year-old wasn’t interested in that scenario after butting heads with management for the past several weeks.

“It kind of feels normal now at this point,” Tyler Herro said of having Butler back from a suspension again Monday morning, prior to the breaking news. “Kind of is what it is, but nothing’s guaranteed. We’ve just got to be ready to roll with whatever cards we’re dealt tonight. We’ve just got to be ready to go.”

Butler has been at odds with Miami over his contract, which pays him $48.8MM in 2024/25, with a $52.4MM player option in ’25/26. Last offseason, he was hoping to decline that option and add an additional year (and more money) onto his maximum-salary deal, but the Heat had no interest in that scenario; in fact, president Pat Riley publicly criticized Butler for his lack of availability, which reportedly caught Butler off guard.

Charania first reported that the Heat were open to listening for trade offers for Butler, who has repeatedly let it be known that he intends to decline his player option to hit free agency in the offseason. About a week after that reporting, the team announced that it wouldn’t trade Butler, but then he privately asked to be traded and Miami then said it did plan to deal him.

The Suns have reportedly been the most aggressive team in pursuit of Butler, but this news doesn’t mean there’s any progress between the two teams in trade talks, per John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link). The major hold-up in a potential deal is that Miami has no interest in taking on Bradley Beal‘s maximum-salary contract, which covers two more seasons beyond ’24/25 and features a full no-trade clause.

Jaren Jackson Jr., Scottie Barnes Named Players Of The Week

January 27th, 2025 at 2:34pm CST by Rory Maher

Grizzlies forward/center Jaren Jackson Jr. has been named the Western Conference’s Player of the Week, while Raptors forward Scottie Barnes has won the award in the East, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).

It’s the first time either player has won the weekly award, according to their respective teams.

Jackson, who was named Defensive Player of the Year in 2023, had a stellar week for Memphis, which went 4-0 to extended its overall winning streak to six games. He averaged 25.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 blocks in his four appearances, posting an excellent shooting line of .576/.381/.826. He also averaged a staggering plus-17.5 per game over that stretch (the team’s average margin of victory was 12.3 points).

The 25-year-old big man is a strong candidate to be named to his second All-Star team later this week, as he leads the Grizzlies in scoring and is their best — and most important — defender. Memphis is currently 31-15, the No. 3 seed in the West (mere percentage points behind No. 2 Houston, which is 30-14).

Barnes, meanwhile, helped guide Toronto to a somewhat surprising 3-0 week, with two victories over Atlanta and one vs. Orlando. He filled the stat sheet by averaging 22.0 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.7 SPG and 1.0 BPG on .468/.364/.857 shooting. Impressively, his average plus/minus was even better than Jackson’s (+19.3).

After starting the season with an atrocious 8-31 record, the Raptors have won five of their past six games and are now 13-32. While he has played at an All-Star caliber level when healthy, Barnes has missed 13 games due to injuries and the team’s record will likely be weighed against him. The fourth-year forward earned his first All-Star nod in 2023/24.

According to the NBA, the other nominees were Lakers teammates Anthony Davis and LeBron James, Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Clippers teammates James Harden and Norman Powell, Anfernee Simons and Amen Thompson. Bucks teammates Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, Jalen Brunson, Cade Cunningham, Tyrese Haliburton, Tyrese Maxey and Jayson Tatum were nominated in the East (Twitter link).

No Untouchables In Bulls’ Trade Talks

January 27th, 2025 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, and Lonzo Ball have been the Bulls players most frequently cited this season as trade candidates, but head of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas would be open to moving just about anyone on the roster if he thinks the deal is in the team’s best long-term interests and helps Chicago keep its top-10 protected 2025 first-round pick, says Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.

Cowley identifies Matas Buzelis as the only exception, but clarifies that the rookie forward isn’t “completely untouchable” either.

The report doesn’t come as a real surprise. Chicago has also reportedly made forward Patrick Williams available, and Cowley suggested last month that guards Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu aren’t off the table in trade talks.

The Bulls also aren’t likely to be especially attached to reserves like Jalen Smith, Jevon Carter, Chris Duarte, Torrey Craig, and Talen Horton-Tucker, while youngsters Dalen Terry and Julian Phillips haven’t established themselves as long-term keepers.

That leaves Josh Giddey, who was viewed as Chicago’s probable point guard of the future when the team acquired him last summer from Oklahoma City in exchange for Alex Caruso. Giddey didn’t sign a rookie scale extension last fall and has had an up-and-down first season as a Bull, but I’d still be a little surprised if he’s moved by next Thursday, given that his value on an expiring contract would be limited.

A source tells Cowley that Karnisovas has come down to some extent on what teams viewed as “unrealistic” asking prices for his top trade chips earlier in the season, though that doesn’t mean he’s simply willing to sell off players to the highest bidder.

Discussing the latest on Vucevic within a trade rumor round-up on his Substack, Marc Stein of The Stein Line reports that the Bulls are still seeking a first-round pick in return for the veteran center. Stein describes the Warriors as “at the front of the line” of Vucevic suitors, but says Golden State has been unwilling to offer more than second-round capital to this point.

As for LaVine, he was at the center of one of the season’s earlier notable trade rumors when a report in mid-December indicated that the Nuggets had real interest in the Bulls guard. However, LaVine has been on a tear since then, further increasing his value by staying healthy and averaging 27.0 points per game on .524/.467/.786 shooting over his past 18 games. Nuggets guard Jamal Murray has heated up too, putting up 21.3 PPG and 5.9 APG with a .485/.404/.913 shooting line during the same time frame.

As Bennett Durando of The Denver Post writes, Murray’s resurgence will likely make “big-game hunting less of a priority” for the Nuggets, while LaVine’s heater will make it more difficult for Denver to meet Chicago’s asking price. So the odds of a trade sending LaVine to the Nuggets look slimmer than they did a month ago.

In case you missed it, we wrote about another Bulls-related rumor earlier today, passing along word that Chicago has talked to the Suns about Bradley Beal.

Bulls, Suns Have Discussed Bradley Beal

January 27th, 2025 at 10:26am CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls are “absolutely involved in conversations with the Suns involving possible Jimmy Butler situations,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst stated on Monday’s episode of his Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link).

While Windhorst was careful about what he did and didn’t say in addressing the discussions between Chicago and Phoenix, he made it clear that Bradley Beal‘s name has come up in those conversations and that the Bulls aren’t looking to reacquire Butler themselves.

“If I’m talking about a three-team trade and Jimmy Butler is on one end and (he’s) not going to Chicago, we’re talking about Bradley Beal,” Windhorst said. “… The bottom line is that the Bulls and the Suns have talked and the concept of Bradley Beal ending up in Chicago has been discussed. I’m not saying it’s going to happen. I’m not saying it’s close or whatever. Obviously, Beal has a no-trade clause.”

As we’ve written many times in recent weeks, the Suns and Butler have strong mutual interest. And in order to acquire the Heat star, whose cap hit is $48.8MM, Phoenix would need to include Beal and his $50.2MM cap hit in its outgoing package for salary-matching purposes.

However, Miami reportedly has no interest in taking on Beal’s maximum-salary contract, which comes with a no-trade clause and covers two more seasons beyond this one. That means at least one more team would need to be included in a deal sending Butler to Phoenix in order to take on Beal’s contract and to send the Heat the sort of assets they’re looking for.

While it’s possible the Bulls could be that team, their most obvious salary-matching fit in such a deal – Zach LaVine ($43MM) – may not appeal to the Heat because his contract runs beyond the 2025/26 season. Multiple reports have indicated that Miami is prioritizing cap flexibility in 2026 and is strongly opposed to taking on salary beyond that season.

During the Hoop Collective discussion, Windhorst’s ESPN colleague Tim Bontemps also questioned why the Bulls would be motivated to swap out LaVine for Beal, given the limited draft assets the Suns could offer as sweeteners and the All-Star caliber season LaVine is having so far this year (24.0 PPG on .512/.444/.792 shooting).

Phoenix has three first-round picks available to trade, but each of them includes “least favorable” language and seems likely to end up in the 20s. Bontemps argues that the Bulls will be able to get better value for LaVine, who would reportedly prefer to remain in Chicago past the trade deadline, if they wait until a little later in his contract to move him.

Chicago could theoretically trade for Beal without including LaVine, since the team has other trade candidates – starting with Lonzo Ball ($21.4MM) and Nikola Vucevic ($20MM) – whose salaries could be aggregated to match Beal’s incoming figure. But that would leave the Bulls with both Beal’s and LaVine’s maximum-salary contracts on their books and overlapping skill sets on their roster.

Although there are permutations of a multi-team Butler deal that might make sense for all of the Suns, Bulls, and Heat, it would likely require at least one additional trade partner and wouldn’t be easy to construct. It would also require Beal to agree to waive his no-trade clause in order to join a team that’s likely lottery-bound.

Presumably, the discussions between Chicago and Phoenix are about figuring out what that path might look like. There’s no indication they gained any real momentum.

For what it’s worth, one report last week linked LaVine to the Bucks. It sounded like no more than speculation, but maybe there’s a viable scenario that sends Butler to Phoenix, Beal to Chicago, LaVine to Milwaukee, and various pieces to Miami.

It’s also worth noting that both the Bulls and Suns have other trade candidates who are making nearly identical salaries this season and are strong candidates for changes of scenery: Chicago forward Patrick Williams ($18MM) and Phoenix center Jusuf Nurkic ($18.13MM).

Williams is a former No. 4 overall pick who showed three-and-D promise earlier in his career but whose development has stalled. Nurkic has been a starter for most of his 11-year NBA career, but has fallen out of Phoenix’s frontcourt rotation. It’s possible the Suns would be willing to roll the dice on unlocking untapped potential in Williams, who is still just 23. It’s also possible the Bulls would like the idea of taking on a contract that will end in 2026, three years before Williams’ does.

However, Windhorst didn’t say anything during the Hoop Collective podcast about either of those players being discussed.

Isaiah Thomas Rejoining Jazz’s G League Team

January 27th, 2025 at 9:15am CST by Luke Adams

In search of another NBA opportunity, veteran guard Isaiah Thomas is signing a G League contract and rejoining the Jazz‘s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

A two-time All-Star, Thomas was a Sixth Man of the Year runner-up in 2015 and finished fifth in MVP voting back in 2017 after averaging 28.9 points per game for the Celtics.

However, a right hip injury sidetracked his career, as concerns about his health, age (36 in February), and limited contributions on defense made it more difficult for him to find NBA work in recent years. He has only appeared in 31 regular season games since the start of the 2020/21 season.

If the idea of Thomas joining the Salt Lake City Stars as he seeks an NBA comeback sounds familiar, it’s because he took the same route last March.

During a brief stint for Utah’s G League team last winter, the 5’9″ guard scored at least 30 points in four straight games, earning an NBA call-up with the Suns, who signed him to a pair of 10-day contracts and a rest-of-season deal near the end of the 2023/24 regular season.

Although he spent the final month of the 2023/24 season – and the playoffs – in Phoenix, Thomas played a very limited role for the Suns, getting into six regular season games and scoring eight points in 19 total minutes on 3-of-10 shooting. He also saw four garbage-time minutes in a single postseason appearance.

Mavericks Sign Kylor Kelley To Two-Way Deal, Waive Gortman

January 26th, 2025 at 5:49pm CST by Dana Gauruder

In need of another big man due to injuries, the Mavericks have added center Kylor Kelley on a two-way deal and waived guard Jazian Gortman, the team tweets.

Kelley joins Dallas after spending this season with the G League’s South Bay Lakers, where he appeared in nine regular season games (seven starts) and averaged 9.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.7 blocks per game. In 14 Tip-off Tournament games for South Bay, he averaged 12.1 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.6 APG and 2.9 BPG in 13 starts.

The seven-footer was on an Exhibit 10 deal with the Lakers during training camp but was waived prior to the start of the regular season.

Kelley spent the 2023/24 season with the Maine Celtics, Boston’s affiliate, and earned NBAGL All-Defensive honors after averaging a league-leading 2.9 blocks per game in 29 regular season appearances (22.0 MPG). Kelley, 26, also contributed 7.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest.

Dallas’ frontcourt depth has been ravaged by a spate of injuries. Maxi Kleber suffered a broken right foot on Saturday. The team announced Wednesday that Dereck Lively suffered a stress fracture in his right ankle and will be reevaluated in four weeks. Dwight Powell is dealing with a strained right hip that has kept him out of action since January 17.

Gortman originally signed with Dallas on July 10, and had his contract converted to a two-way deal on Oct. 18. He appeared in 16 games for the Mavericks this season, averaging 1.5 points in 3.6 minutes per night.

Gortman also saw action in 12 total games, all starts, for the Mavericks’ G League team, the Texas Legends. In five regular season outings for the Legends this year, he averaged 21.4 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 7.2 APG and 1.6 SPG.

Sixers Confident About Joel Embiid’s Return, Won’t Pursue Tanking Strategy

January 26th, 2025 at 10:59am CST by Arthur Hill

While there may be advantages to tanking the rest of the season, the Sixers made their intentions clear with a pair of huge wins this weekend. They defeated the East-leading Cavaliers at home on Friday and topped the Bulls on Saturday to pull to within a game of Chicago for the 10th spot in the conference.

Philadelphia is still committed to winning despite a horrendous start and a 17-27 record midway through the season, writes David Aldridge of The Athletic. Injuries have limited Joel Embiid to 13 games so far, but majority owner Josh Harris told Aldridge that the organization remains confident he’ll be able to return and lead the Sixers into the playoffs.

“We’re still really happy with Joel,” Harris said. “He’s a warrior. I’ve seen this. He’s fought through a lot of injuries. You remember when we started, in his first (two) years, he didn’t play at all. And then, in his third year, he played 30-something games. And then, he fought through all of that, and became the MVP. So, he’s fighting right now, and we’re fighting. And I’m hopeful and optimistic that we’ll get through.

“I want him to get his body right and get on the court. If he gets back on the court, everything’s going to fall into place. I know him as a person, and I know him as an individual, and I know how hard he’s working. I think he’s also super-smart and very in-tune with his body. He has a whole team around him, and we have a whole team around him. He’s getting the absolute best care and best advice. I’m hopeful that he’ll fight through this and make it happen, and that’s what we’re going to plan for right now.”

Embiid is currently dealing with swelling in his left knee that began during a workout last week. He was projected to miss at least seven to 10 days, so an update on his status should be coming soon. Before that, he sat out the previous six games due to a sprained left foot that has since healed.

According to Aldridge, the Sixers don’t believe Embiid’s knee issue will require surgery and they remain hopeful that he’ll return to action “sooner rather than later.” They don’t view extended rest as the best solution, considering him to be more effective when he’s playing and practicing regularly.

Aldridge also hears that the Sixers aren’t convinced that the benefits of a tank would be worthwhile, despite the fact that they would keep their 2025 first-round pick if it lands in the top six. With 17 wins already, it would be difficult for the club to get higher than fifth or sixth in the lottery race.

League sources tell Aldridge that the front office doesn’t see much difference between the quality of a pick in that No. 5-6 range or a selection a little later in the first round that would have to be sent to Oklahoma City. He adds that it would be difficult to sell a tanking strategy to Paul George, who came to Philadelphia on a four-year, $212MM contract in free agency last summer, or to Tyrese Maxey, who recently agreed to a five-year, $204MM extension.

“To be honest, we don’t know what we look like, because we haven’t been healthy. So, to be honest, we might have enough in here already,” George said after the win over Cleveland.

The Sixers’ history of tanking also has to be considered, Aldridge adds. Embiid was the only real prize to show from four years of losing during “The Process” era, and fans might not be on board with heading down that road again, even if it’s only for half a season.

Harris emphasized that he has no interest in pursuing that strategy.

“I would say that, again, we always start with trying to build elite teams,” he said. “We started this season with two potential Hall of Famers, and one All-Star. We were very excited about the season. Obviously, it’s been a disappointing season. No one’s happy with where we are. We’re not happy. I go to a lot of games. We want to be winning and creating the contending team that we’ve had over the last five years. The injuries haven’t helped us. The elite team we had hasn’t been on the court more than seven games, where they started and finished the game. We won six of seven of those. I think we got it right.

“But what’s happened is, obviously, Joel hasn’t played a lot. He’s the lynchpin of the whole thing. When he doesn’t play, the pressure comes on Paul, and it comes on Tyrese. And Tyrese has had to carry a lot of the load, and, in some cases, Paul has had to carry a lot of the load. And people have had to do things that they weren’t necessarily prepared for.”

Jusuf Nurkic Doesn’t Believe Suns Will Be Able To Trade Him

January 26th, 2025 at 8:57am CST by Arthur Hill

Jusuf Nurkic talked more about his diminished role with the Suns before Saturday’s game, telling reporters that he and coach Mike Budenholzer went two months without speaking to each other, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.

Sources confirmed to Rankin that Phoenix has been making an effort to trade the 30-year-old center. Nurkic is aware that’s the team’s preference, but he’s skeptical that it will happen.

“Yeah, for sure,” Nurkic responded when asked if he believes he’ll still be with the Suns after the February 6 trade deadline. “Because we are the Phoenix Suns and new (collective bargaining agreement) and all the rules, it’s not easy to get traded when you’re over the second tax apron. Even that, I can’t control.”

Nurkic has barely played since being removed from the starting lineup earlier this month. He saw 14 minutes off the bench on January 6 at Philadelphia and 19 the next night at Charlotte, but has been out of action ever since. He said Budenholzer didn’t give him advance notice that he wouldn’t be used in a January 9 game against Atlanta or a January 11 contest against Utah.

“We don’t have a relationship,” Nurkic said. “So, it’s fine. For me, just be a pro and do the best I can. Work and stay ready for whatever might be, but there is no chaos or bringing that to this team. They already have plenty of it. Trying to be as professional as I can and work my ass off for something else.”

Nurkic then missed four games due to the flu and two more for “return to competition reconditioning.” He said he feels better now, but he wasn’t used in Saturday’s win over Washington.

Budenholzer addressed Nurkic’s comments after the game, saying he understands that the veteran big man is “frustrated.” He also disputes Nurkic’s claim that he hasn’t been informed about his situation.

“There’s been conversations that have been had. There’s been communication, but we’ve got three or four guys that play the same position,” Budenholzer told reporters. “We’re going to go with who we think gives us our best chance. You’ve got to earn your minutes. And that’s been communicated.”

While Nurkic has been out of action, the Suns bolstered their center ranks by acquiring Nick Richards from Charlotte. Richards made his third straight start Saturday night, delivering 20 points and 19 rebounds, so he appears set as the starter moving forward. If Nurkic stays in Phoenix, he’ll have to battle for minutes with Mason Plumlee and Oso Ighodaro, who are both currently ahead of him on the depth chart.

As Nurkic mentioned, the Suns’ second apron status limits their options in making a trade. They can’t aggregate salaries and they can’t take back more money than they send out in any deal. Also working against a potential Nurkic trade is his contract, which has one season left at $19.375MM.

“It’s hard to understand why,” Nurkic said of being relegated to the end of the bench. “As you know, I try to do whatever they want from me. I play my role or whatever, but at the end of the day, it’s the NBA. That’s why (Ighodaro) and young guys get to play. It’s always next man up, but I’m just glad I’m not out there for two minutes. … I know who I am as a person and as a player. Like I said, ‘one door close, another will open eventually.’ That’s what I’m working for and hoping for.”

Paul George To Undergo MRI On Finger

January 25th, 2025 at 11:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Paul George suffered an injury to his left pinky finger during Saturday’s game at Chicago and will undergo an MRI on Sunday, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).

Sixers coach Nick Nurse told reporters that George jammed the finger, which caused him to be removed from the game in the second quarter. George played just under 13 minutes, finishing with nine points, one rebound and one assist.

It’s been a difficult season for George and the Sixers in general, although Saturday’s win pulled them to within one game of the Bulls for 10th place and the final play-in spot in the East. They were expecting to be among the league’s top teams after adding George in free agency, but he and Joel Embiid have suffered a series of injuries that have wrecked the season.

George has missed 14 games already with a variety of ailments, including left groin soreness that forced him to sit out twice last week. He has appeared in 30 games in his first season with Philadelphia, and his scoring average of 17.4 PPG is down more than five points from what it was with the Clippers last season. However, he’s collecting 5.8 rebounds and dishing out 4.8 assists per night, which are both above last season’s averages.

The Sixers were already missing five rotation players for tonight’s game, including rookie guard Jared McCain, who was lost for the season after surgery on his left meniscus. Embiid is dealing with swelling in his left knee and hasn’t played since January 4. Backup center Andre Drummond sat out while recovering from an injury to his left toe, Caleb Martin has a strained right hip and KJ Martin hasn’t played since December 23 due to a stress reaction in his left foot.

Both Martins are expected to return to practice next week and their availability will be determined from there, Pompey states in a full story on the game.

Maxi Kleber Sidelined With Broken Right Foot

January 25th, 2025 at 8:18pm CST by Arthur Hill

Mavericks big man Maxi Kleber suffered a broken right foot in Saturday’s loss to Boston, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The team confirmed the news (via Twitter), adding that Kleber will be reevaluated later this week.

Kleber was injured late in the third quarter when he fell to the ground while backing up after a missed shot by Jaylen Brown, according to The Dallas Morning News (video link). He continued playing defense after the Celtics got the rebound, but began limping when he tried to contest a shot by Derrick White (video link).

Kleber hopped around on one leg before leaving the game during a stoppage in play. The team announced that he had been ruled out with what was originally believed to be an ankle injury.

Kleber had been playing on a restriction of 20 minutes per game after dealing with an oblique issue in early January. He has been considered one of Dallas’ top trade candidates due to his $11MM cap hit, but suffering a serious injury so close to the deadline will hurt his value. He’s under contract for $11MM again next season before becoming a free agent in 2026.

Kleber has been a valuable contributor mostly in a reserve role throughout his eight years in Dallas. He has appeared in 34 games this season and was averaging 3.1 points and 2.8 rebounds in 19.0 minutes per night coming into today.

The timing of the injury is devastating for the Mavericks, who are already missing Dereck Lively and Dwight Powell from their big man rotation. The team announced Wednesday that Lively suffered a stress fracture in his right ankle and will be reevaluated in four weeks. Powell is dealing with a strained right hip that has kept him out of action since January 17.

“It’s a hole. It’s tough,” coach Jason Kidd told reporters after the game (Twitter video link from Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News). “I’ve never seen anything like it, and it’s not gonna get any better.”

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