Former NBA Star Micheal Ray Richardson Dies At Age 70
Former NBA guard Micheal Ray Richardson passed away at age 70 on Tuesday in Oklahoma following a battle with prostate cancer, per Marc J. Spears of ESPN.
Nicknamed ‘Sugar,’ Richardson was the fourth overall pick out of Montana in 1978 and spent his first four seasons in the NBA with the Knicks, earning three All-Star nods and a pair of All-Defensive first team berths during that time.
He subsequently played for the Warriors and Nets, making another All-Star team for New Jersey in 1985, before being banned from the league in 1986 for repeated violations of the NBA’s drug policy (testing positive for cocaine use).
Richardson continued to play in non-NBA leagues well into his 40s, spending time in the United States Basketball League and the Continental Basketball Association before playing in Europe from 1988-2002. He later coached multiple non-NBA teams in the United States and Canada.
In 556 career NBA appearances, Richardson averaged 14.8 points, 7.0 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.6 steals in 33.4 minutes per game. He led the league in steals per game three times and was also the NBA’s assist leader in 1979/80.
“The basketball world and anyone Micheal came in contact with lost a great sportsman,” Richardson’s attorney and friend John Zelbst said in a statement to Spears. “He lived life to the fullest. He overcame the most incredible odds to accommodate what he did in life. He serves as an example on how to redeem yourself and make something of yourself. I think he is the greatest NBA player that has never been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Incredible player, player, person and family man.”
Pacers Sign Jeremiah Robinson-Earl To Second 10-Day Deal
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl‘s initial 10-day contract with Indiana expired overnight on Monday, but he won’t be going anywhere. According to a press release from the team, Robinson-Earl has signed a second 10-day deal with the Pacers.
Robinson-Earl, who turned 25 last Monday, made five appearances during his first 10 days with Indiana, averaging 5.2 points and 6.8 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per contest. The 6’8″ forward has shot just 32.3% from the floor so far, making 10-of-31 field goal attempts, and the Pacers have been outscored by 47 points during his 88 minutes on the court.
Still, unless Indiana starts getting healthier within the next 10 days, Robinson-Earl will likely continue to play regular minutes for the banged-up club, which is missing Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin, and Obi Toppin, among several others.
The Pacers actually have a full 15-man roster, but have qualified for multiple hardship exceptions due to their injury situation, allowing them to temporarily exceed the usual roster limit. They also have Cody Martin on a 10-day hardship contract.
Robinson-Earl’s new deal will run through November 20, lining him up to be available for five more games. It will pay him $141,463 while carrying a cap hit of $131,970. He won’t be eligible to be brought back on another 10-day contract once it expires, since players can’t sign more than two 10-days with the same time in a given league year.
Mavericks Dismiss GM Nico Harrison
11:34 am: The Mavericks have made it official, announcing in a press release that they’ve parted ways with Harrison and elevated Finley and Riccardi as co-interim general managers, as previously reported. While Finley and Riccardi will run the front office for now, the Mavs indicated that they’ll conduct a “comprehensive” search for a permanent replacement for Harrison.
In addition to the press release, Dumont put out an open letter to fans addressing the decision.
“No one associated with the Mavericks organization is happy with the start of what we all believed would be a promising season,” Dumont’s letter reads, in part. “You have high expectations for the Mavericks, and I share them with you. When the results don’t meet expectations, it’s my responsibility to act. I’ve made the decision to part ways with General Manager Nico Harrison.
“Though the majority of the 2025-26 season remains to be played, and I know our players are deeply committed to a winning culture, this decision was critical to moving our franchise forward in a positive direction.
“I understand the profound impact these difficult last several months have had. Please know that I’m fully committed to the success of the Mavericks.”
9:25 am: The Mavericks are expected to move on from embattled president of basketball operations and general manager Nico Harrison, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, who reports (via Twitter) that Harrison’s dismissal is viewed as “imminent.”
ESPN’s Shams Charania and Tim MacMahon (Twitter link) confirm Stein’s reporting, stating that Harrison is expected to be let go at a 10:00 am Central time meeting on Tuesday.
MacMahon said on Monday that he believed it was a matter of “when, not if” Harrison will be fired, indicating that governor Patrick Dumont‘s trust in the Mavs’ top basketball executive has “disintegrated.” Christian Clark of The Athletic echoed that reporting this morning, writing that Harrison’s exit was considered inevitable.
A former Nike executive, Harrison had a significant hand in constructing a Mavericks roster that advanced to the NBA Finals in 2024, making key deals for P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford during that season. However, he has made a handful of missteps since then, most notably sending Luka Doncic to the Lakers last February in a shocking trade that incited a revolt among fans in Dallas.
While the Doncic blockbuster has overshadowed the rest of the Mavs’ recent moves, Harrison has made other questionable roster decisions within the past year, including another 2025 deadline deal that sent Quentin Grimes to Philadelphia for Caleb Martin. That trade moved the Mavs so close to their hard cap that they were unable to add any reinforcements – even on 10-day contracts – when their roster was decimated by injuries during the second half.
After missing the playoffs in the spring, the Mavericks were thrown a lifeline with a long-shot draft lottery win — they claimed the No. 1 overall pick despite having just a 1.8% chance and used that selection to draft top prospect Cooper Flagg. However, while Flagg figures to be the long-term franchise player in Dallas, his arrival hasn’t helped turn things around in the short term.
The Mavs are off to a 3-8 start this season, with a 2-5 record at home, where fans have frequently regaled the team with “Fire Nico” chants. As MacMahon writes for ESPN, that chant bubbled up several times during Monday’s loss to the Bucks, which was the first game Dumont had attended since the regular season opener.
While Dumont ultimately signed off on the Doncic trade last season, a fan who had a courtside conversation with the Mavericks’ majority owner at Monday’s game told Clark that Dumont said he “feels horrible” about the deal.
Injuries have played a part in the Mavs’ struggles since February’s trade deadline. Anthony Davis, the centerpiece of the return in the Doncic deal, appeared in just nine games for Dallas last season and has missed six of 11 contests so far this season due to a calf strain. Point guard Kyrie Irving, who became more important than ever without Doncic on the roster, sustained an ACL tear in early March and has been out since then.
Still, the Mavs knew entering the offseason that they wouldn’t have Irving available for a significant chunk of the season and Harrison’s most significant move to address that hole – signing free agent D’Angelo Russell – hasn’t worked out so far. Russell has started just three of 11 games this fall and hasn’t played up to his usual standards, making just 37.3% of his field goal attempts, including 27.8% of his three-point tries.
With Harrison on the way out, there has been a “push” from some members of the organization to try to bring back veteran executive Dennis Lindsey, according to Stein (Twitter link). A former advisor to Harrison in Dallas, Lindsey was hired in 2024 by the Pistons as their senior VP of basketball operations.
Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link), meanwhile, suggests there has been some chatter around the NBA about the possibility of head coach Jason Kidd moving into a front office role.
For now though, the Mavs figure to install an interim replacement for Harrison, per Stein and Mannix. Assistant general managers Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi are among the top candidates to take on increased roles, Mannix adds (via Twitter).
It remains to be seen what sort of vision a new head of basketball operations will have for the Mavs going forward — rebuilding around Flagg is a possibility, but not necessarily an inevitability. For what it’s worth, Stein reports (via Twitter) that Davis’ agent Rich Paul has established a strong relationship with Dumont and that the two parties communicate regularly.
Grizzlies’ Clarke Expected To Return In 6-9 Weeks
Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke is making good progress in his rehabilitation from knee surgery, according to the team, which announced today (via Twitter) that Clarke has been cleared to start ramping up to basketball activities and is expected to return to action in about six-to-nine weeks.
Clarke underwent an arthroscopic procedure in September to address synovitis in his right knee after having his 2024/25 season cut short due to a PCL sprain in that same knee. The 29-year-old Canadian hasn’t suited up for a game since March 19.
The right knee issues represent the second major health problem Clarke has dealt with recent years — he also suffered an Achilles tear in March 2023, which ended his ’22/23 campaign prematurely and limited him to just six outings in ’23/24.
Prior to his knee sprain in March, the 6’8″ forward had a relatively healthy 2024/25 season, averaging 8.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.0 assist in 18.9 minutes per game across 64 total appearances (18 starts). Clarke is an important part of Memphis’ frontcourt rotation when he’s available. The team had a +8.2 net rating during his time on the court last season, compared to a +3.0 mark when he wasn’t playing.
Even in a best-case scenario, Clarke likely won’t be back until around Christmas, based on the six-to-nine week timeline provided by the Grizzlies. If the final stages of his recovery process take closer to nine weeks than six, he won’t return until sometime in 2026.
In addition to missing Clarke, the Grizzlies have also been without second-year center Zach Edey this fall. But Edey – who is coming off ankle surgery – has recently been assigned to the G League for practice reps, suggesting his season debut isn’t far off.
Mavs To Make Michael Finley, Matt Riccardi Interim Co-GMs
Upon firing president of basketball operations and general manager Nico Harrison, the Mavericks will make Michael Finley and Matt Riccari their interim co-GMs, reports Tina Nguyen of FOX 32 Chicago (Twitter link).
Shams Charania and Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link) confirm the report, indicating that Finley and Riccardi will be promoted during a 10:30 am Central time meeting with Mavs governor Patrick Dumont.
A two-time All-Star and NBA champion as a player, Finley played in the NBA from 1995-2010 before transitioning to a front office role. He was hired by the Mavericks in 2012 and was promoted to VP of basketball operations in 2018. He later became the team’s assistant GM and VP of player personnel in 2021.
Riccardi, a native of the Dallas area, worked with the Nets for 13 years in scouting and executive roles, then was hired by the Mavericks in 2022 as their senior director of pro personnel. He was promoted during the summer of 2023 to an assistant GM position and was the Mavs’ representative in the drawing room on draft lottery night in May when the team won the No. 1 overall pick.
Marc Stein reported this morning that former Mavs advisor and current Pistons executive Dennis Lindsey could be a target for Dallas, while Chris Mannix of SI.com suggested there has been chatter about the possibility of head coach Jason Kidd moving to a front office role.
For now, Finley and Riccardi will run the show, and it’s possible one or both will receive consideration for the permanent job.
While it’s somewhat rare for a team to employ co-GMs, it’s not unprecedented. For instance, the Suns designated James Jones and Trevor Bukstein as co-GMs when they made a front office change just before the start of the 2018/19 season, then named Jones their lone, permanent head of basketball operations at the end of that season.
The Most Valuable Trade Exceptions For 2025/26
There are currently 53 entries on our list of traded player exceptions available to teams around the league. The vast majority of those exceptions - which allow a team to take on a certain amount of salary without sending out equivalent matching salary - won't expire until after the 2026 trade deadline, but the majority of them will also expire without being used.
In many cases, it's impractical for a team to use a trade exception. The exception might be too small to be legitimately useful, or the team might not be in position to add more salary to its books due to its position relative to the luxury tax line or the tax aprons.
In some instances, the best a team can do with an exception is to roll it over for another year. For instance, if a club holds a $10MM trade exception and ends up swapping one $10MM player for another, it could use the exception to acquire the new player, creating a new $10MM TPE for the outgoing player.
However, there are a handful of trade exceptions across the league that could be genuinely valuable at this year's trade deadline, allowing teams to absorb salary without sending out any themselves. We're taking a closer look in the space below at those exceptions, which will be worth monitoring in the coming months.
Lakers’ Reaves On Future: ‘I Want To Be In L.A.’
Lakers guard Austin Reaves essentially picked up where he left off on Monday following a three-game injury absence, registering 24 points, seven assists, and five rebounds across 29 minutes of action in a win over Charlotte. While he has only appeared in eight games so far, Reaves has maintained a scoring average exceeding 30 PPG and is boosting his value in a contract year.
As ESPN’s Dave McMenamin writes, Reaves and his camp turned down an extension offer from the Lakers during the summer, since L.A. is currently limited to offering about $87MM over four years. However, the 27-year-old expressed to McMenamin that he’d like to stick with the Lakers long-term and won’t necessarily be looking to extract every last dollar he can when he reaches free agency next summer.
“I’ve said it a million times. I want to be in L.A. I love it,” Reaves said. “Even though the other extension was turned down, that doesn’t mean that I’m trying to go get a f—ing gigantic number that don’t make sense. I want to be here, I want to win. I want to do everything that can help this organization be better. So I don’t try to think about those things.”
Although Reaves has a player option for 2026/27, the expectation is that he’ll decline that option next summer in order to sign a new contract. Based on the NBA’s latest salary cap projections, he’d be eligible for a contract worth up to $240.7MM over five years with the Lakers or a four-year, $178.5MM deal with another team.
As McMenamin outlines, two of Reaves’ “contemporaries” at shooting guard, Tyler Herro and Jordan Poole, are on deals that pay them about 20% of the cap. A comparable contract for Reaves would start at $33MM — with 8% annual raises, that would be worth about $147.8MM over four years or $191.4MM over five.
Of course, with a handful of retooling teams projected to have cap room in 2026, it’s possible a rival suitor will make an aggressive offer that makes life difficult for the Lakers and complicates Reaves’ decision.
“AR’s a stud,” an Eastern Conference team executive told McMenamin. “If I were the Brooklyn Nets, I would throw all the money at him. He has shown when he gets the keys to the engine, he can produce.”
In addition to increasing his on-court production this fall, Reaves is developing a close friendship with Luka Doncic, McMenamin notes. That figures to make him all the more valuable to the Lakers, who are seeking long-term complementary pieces for their franchise player.
“They both realized that they both enjoy talking trash — a lot,” head coach JJ Redick said of his backcourt duo. “And their personalities in that regard are very similar. And so they can create a little bit of chemistry with each other just by being their natural selves.”
According to McMenamin, Redick has also encouraged Reaves to take on more of a leadership role with the team this season, and the former undrafted guard has responded well to that push.
“The biggest thing was him taking a step forward as a leader and recognizing that it’s as much his team as it is LeBron (James)‘ team or Luka’s team,” Redick told ESPN. “And acknowledging that he does have innate, natural leadership skills and being able to tap into those more consistently. I told him, he’s out of excuses. You’re no longer the undrafted guy who’s a young player. You’re one of the (main) guys now, and he’s been very responsive to that.”
Darius Garland Exits Monday’s Game With Left Toe Injury
November 11: Garland’s latest injury is affecting his left big toe, the same one he underwent surgery to address during the offeason, Fedor confirms for Cleveland.com (subscription required). According to Fedor, there was “palpable concern” about the setback on Monday night.
Garland will undergo further evaluation on Tuesday to determine the severity of the injury, Fedor adds.
November 10: All-Star point guard Darius Garland has been ruled out for the remainder of Monday’s contest in Miami after sustaining a left toe injury. He will be reevaluated after the game, the Cavaliers announced (Twitter link via Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com).
According to Fedor (Twitter links), Garland came up limping in both the first and second halves. While the 25-year-old was able to shake off the discomfort the first time around, he took an intentional foul to leave the game in the second half and went straight back to the locker room.
It’s a worrisome development for the Cavaliers, as Garland just made his season debut last Wednesday after working his way back from offseason surgery on his left big toe. It’s unclear if Garland’s latest injury is on the same toe.
Garland had an excellent regular season in 2024/25, averaging 20.6 points, 6.7 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 30.7 minutes per game. He posted a .472/.401/.878 shooting line and earned the second All-Star berth of his career.
However, a turf toe injury forced Garland to the sidelines for the final two games of the Cavs’ first-round series vs. Miami and the first two games of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Indiana. Surgery was ultimately deemed necessary to address that toe injury, and Garland underwent a procedure in early June.
Prior to Monday’s game, Garland had made two appearances this fall, averaging 14.0 PPG and 6.5 APG in 27.0 MPG.
Sam Merrill, Lonzo Ball, Jaylon Tyson and Craig Porter Jr. are among the Cavs who could receive more minutes if Garland is sidelined beyond Monday’s game.
Injury Notes: Beal, Giddey, Harris, Adebayo, Curry
The Clippers are concerned that Bradley Beal could miss extended time with a left hip injury, head coach Tyronn Lue told reporters prior to Monday’s game vs. Atlanta (Twitter link via Justin Russo). Beal is currently undergoing tests to determine the severity of the injury, which was initially described as left hip soreness, tweets Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.
According to Kellan Olson of ArizonaSports.com (Twitter link), Beal said on Friday in Phoenix that he’s been dealing with an unspecified injury since last season, when he was a member of the Suns. The 32-year-old has battled a variety of health issues over the past several years, having played between 40 and 60 games each of the past six seasons.
In other Clippers news, John Collins received his first start with his new team on Monday. Lue said he plans to stick with Collins in the starting lineup “for a while,” per Russo (Twitter video link).
“We’ve been struggling rebounding the basketball, and career, statistically, he’s been a really good rebounder,” Lue said of the Collins, who will be an unrestricted free agent next summer if he doesn’t sign a veteran extension.
Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:
- While Josh Giddey missed Monday’s loss to San Antonio, head coach Billy Donovan said the Bulls don’t have any long-term concerns about his right ankle sprain, as Jamal Collier of ESPN relays. “We don’t feel like it’s anything too severe with his ankle,” Donovan said. “He didn’t have really much swelling after the game [Saturday]. He got some [treatment] yesterday and was just a little bit uncomfortable today at shootaround.” Giddey is considered day-to-day, according to Donovan.
- Pistons forward Tobias Harris is making progress from his high right ankle sprain, but there’s still no official timetable for his return, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said on Monday (Twitter links via Hunter Patterson of The Athletic and Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press). Harris, who missed his fifth straight game tonight against Washington, will be a free agent in 2026.
- Five-time All-Defensive big man Bam Adebayo was ruled out for the third consecutive Heat game on Monday vs. Cleveland, notes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (via Twitter). The 28-year-old forward/center was diagnosed with a sprained left big toe on Thursday after undergoing an MRI. Adebayo is considered day-to-day.
- Warriors superstar Stephen Curry (illness) was out again on Sunday during the win over Indiana, but he’s not on the injury report ahead of Tuesday’s game at Oklahoma City, as Anthony Slater of ESPN tweets. The 37-year-old guard contracted the illness last week and wound up missing three games, Slater writes for ESPN.com.
Nets Notes: Sharpe, Powell, Rookies, Clowney
Nets center Day’Ron Sharpe experienced left hamstring tightness in Sunday’s blowout loss to the Knicks, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Sharpe exited the game at the conclusion of the third quarter and didn’t return, finishing with 10 points and six rebounds in 12 minutes.
“No, there’s not been any testing. It’s just tightness. So we’ll do our evaluation and whatever we have to do,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said. “So, we’ll see. But he played extremely hard.”
Sharpe, who re-signed with Brooklyn on a two-year, $12.5MM deal over the offseason, could hit free agency again next summer if the Nets decline the $6.25MM team option on his contract for 2026/27. The 24-year-old is questionable for Tuesday’s game against Toronto, Lewis tweets, so the injury appears to be relatively minor.
We have more from Brooklyn:
- Rookie Drake Powell had the best game of his young career on Sunday, notching 15 points (on 5-of-8 shooting), three assists, two rebounds, one steal and one block in 23 minutes, Lewis adds. The former North Carolina shooting guard has missed some time this fall due to a right ankle sprain, but he looks to be fully healthy now.
- While Powell and Egor Demin appeared in Sunday’s game, fellow first-round picks Nolan Traore, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf were playing in the G League with the Nets’ affiliate in Long Island, according to Lewis. “We’re very well connected with how we want to do things. I want to challenge these guys and develop these guys. There’s not just one avenue. There’s different ways that we can do it,” Fernandez said. “The most important thing is that they take advantage of those minutes, and from there, we’ll decide [where] all of them [play].”
- At 1-9, the Nets are currently tied for the worst record in the league, and they have largely been playing their veterans, not their rookies. Since they’re tanking anyway, C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News argues all five of Brooklyn’s first-rounders should be learning on the fly in the NBA, not playing in Long Island.
- Lewis takes a look at how third-year forward Noah Clowney can continue to improve his game. The 2023 first-round pick has had some solid outings lately, but Fernandez wants to see improvement on the defensive end. “Yeah, I mean Noah always takes positive steps,” Fernandez said. “I need him to be better defensively. And he knows it. His voice needs to grow, and embracing the contact. [Teams are] playing with the two bigs, and whether you’re the low man, whether your communication is on or off the ball, all those things. Because he’s really smart. He’s about the right things. He knows it. And like everybody else, needs to grow into that fast. And I know he will. So, I like his aggressiveness, how he shoots the ball. And you’ve gotta keep taking positive steps.”