Jeremiah Robinson-Earl

Central Notes: Davis, Prince, Jackson, Robinson-Earl

The Pistons have been mentioned as a possible suitor for Anthony Davis but The Detroit Free Press’ Omari Sankofa II (subscription required) doubts Detroit will make a deal for the Mavericks big man.

According to Sankofa’s sources, the Pistons haven’t had discussions with the Mavericks regarding a trade for Davis. Moreover, it appears unlikely the Pistons will be among the teams looking to acquire him.

Sankofa notes Davis’ age, salary and injury history make him an awkward fit on a team loaded with young players. He also points out that the front office isn’t eager to make the roster both older and more expensive, especially with restricted free agent Jalen Duren potentially signing a huge extension in the summer.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

  • It has been nearly a month since Bucks forward Taurean Prince underwent neck surgery. He spoke about the procedure for the first time on Thursday following a shootaround. “It was definitely a tough process, definitely tough getting the news,” he said, per Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “The only way to hoop again would be to get the surgery. So, that was my mindset from the jump. And really just taking everything in and knowing how serious of a situation it was, so just being thankful that I’m still here to speak and be able to have an opportunity to hoop again. I’m gonna play again, for sure.” Prince, who holds a $3.81MM option on his contract for next season, is still unable to do any physical activity but is looking forward to eventually returning to action. “I still feel like I got a lot in the tank,” he said. “I’m only 31. God blessed me with these talents so I feel like I should exert ‘em till the end. And after that I’ll have plenty of life to live and plenty of time to be a great husband and a great dad.”
  • Pacers guard Quenton Jackson is playing for the G League’s Noblesville Boom tonight and then will rejoin the NBA team in Philadelphia on Friday, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star tweets. Jackson hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since he suffered a hamstring strain on Nov. 3. Jackson’s ramp up to action is going well, coach Rick Carlisle told Dopirak. Jackson is listed as questionable for Friday’s contest.
  • Veteran forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl is pondering his options after he was waived by the Pacers on Wednesday, Carlisle told Dopirak (Twitter link). One of those options is for Robinson-Earl to join the Boom in the G League. Robinson-Earl averaged 4.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in 17 appearances (17.6 MPG) for Indiana but fell out of the team’s rotation this month.

Pacers Re-Sign Garrison Mathews, Waive Jeremiah Robinson-Earl

12:10 pm: The Pacers have officially signed Mathews to a standard contract and waived Robinson-Earl, according to a press release from the team.


10:52 am: Garrison Mathews‘ second 10-day contract with the Pacers expired overnight, but he won’t be going anywhere. According to Tony East of Forbes (Twitter links), Indiana is re-signing Mathews to a standard contract and will waive forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl in order to create room on the roster.

Mathews, who first joined Indiana’s roster last month on a hardship deal, made just 2-of-13 shots and scored nine points in 46 total minutes during his first 10 days with the team and admitted he was “a little surprised” when he was brought back on a second 10-day contract.

However, the 29-year-old shooting guard was more productive over the course of that second contract, having averaged 8.5 points per game on .500/.467/.750 shooting in his past four outings (19.3 MPG).

Even if the Pacers still qualify for a hardship exception, they’d be ineligible to use it on Mathews, since a player can’t sign more than two 10-day deals with a team in a single season. So in order to hang onto him, they’ll need to sign him to a standard contract, giving him a spot on their 15-man roster.

Indiana took the same route with Robinson-Earl earlier this season after he played out a pair of 10-day hardship deals — veteran point guard Monte Morris was waived in order to allow the Pacers to retain Robinson-Earl on a standard contract. Robinson-Earl averaged just 4.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in 17 appearances (17.6 MPG) for Indiana but has fallen out of the team’s rotation as of late, getting DNP-CDs in Friday’s game in Chicago and Monday’s contest vs. Sacramento.

Assuming Robinson-Earl is officially cut on Thursday, the Pacers will carry a dead-money cap hit of $589,306 for him. That takes into account his two 10-day deals ($131,970 apiece) and a prorated portion of his non-guaranteed contract ($325,366).

Mathews will sign a non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (Twitter link), which will allow the Pacers to maintain some flexibility with their 15th roster spot prior to the league-wide salary guarantee date next month.

Pacers Retain Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Waive Monte Morris

November 21: The Pacers have officially signed Robinson-Earl and waived Morris, the team confirmed today in a press release. As we outlined in a separate story, Indiana also added Garrison Mathews on a 10-day hardship contract.


November 20: The Pacers intend to re-sign forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to a non-guaranteed contract as his second 10-day deal concludes, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the team will waive point guard Monte Morris in order to create room on its 15-man roster.

The Pacers were able to sign Robinson-Earl to a pair of 10-day deals because they qualified for a hardship exception, which allows a team to temporarily exceed the usual 15-man limit. The NBA awards a hardship exception to a club if it has at least four injured players who have missed three consecutive games and are projected to miss at least two more weeks.

Indiana may still have four players who meet that criteria, with Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles), Obi Toppin (foot), Aaron Nesmith (knee), and Kam Jones (back) all sidelined. However, a team can’t sign the same player to a third hardship contract, so the Pacers have to move Robinson-Earl to the standard roster in order to retain him beyond his current 10-day deal, which will expire on Thursday night.

Robinson-Earl, 25, has appeared in 10 games and made three starts since joining the Pacers, averaging 5.2 points and 6.2 rebounds in 20.3 minutes per contest. The fifth-year veteran is shooting just 36.4% from the floor and Indiana is being outscored by 15.7 points per 100 possessions during his time on the court, but the club likes what it has seen from the former Pelican enough to keep him around for at least a little while longer.

According to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (Twitter link), Robinson-Earl will sign a two-year, minimum-salary deal. His salary for this season would become fully guaranteed if he remains under contract beyond January 7, and he’ll have a non-guaranteed team option for 2026/27.

If Indiana still qualifies for a hardship exception, the team could sign a new player to a 10-day contract once Robinson-Earl has officially been moved to the standard roster. While Morris theoretically could be that player, he would have to clear waivers first and didn’t make much of an impact in his first six games with the Pacers, averaging 3.0 points and 1.5 assists in 10.8 minutes per night, with a .350/.250/.500 shooting line.

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.

Central Notes: Bulls, Giddey, Robinson-Earl, Mitchell

Isaac Okoro saw plenty of the Bulls‘ relentless fast-paced attack while playing for the division rival Cavaliers, so he’s glad he doesn’t have to defend against it anymore, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times (subscription required). Chicago has been exhausting opponents and putting up huge scoring numbers on its way to a 5-0 start.

“It wears you out throughout the game,” Okoro said. “I remember when I was in Cleveland last year and we were playing here, it was like, ‘The Bulls are going to play fast, just try and slow them down in transition.’ But that pace really gets to you. It gets you fatigued by the fourth quarter and then you lose your legs, your shot starts coming up short, and now being here now, playing with that pace and seeing teams fold by the fourth quarter, you see the legs go. You see the hands start going on the knees, and that’s what you want to see. You want to see the opponent tired because that’s when you start killing them.”

Cowley notes that the up-tempo style has become more effective because the Bulls are getting an enormous scoring contribution from their reserves. After ranking 14th in bench points last season with 36 per game, Chicago has moved up to second at 49 PPG. He adds that those numbers could increase further when Coby White and Zach Collins recover from early-season injuries.

There’s more from the Central Division:

  • Josh Giddey‘s long contract standoff was the Bulls‘ top story of the summer, but so far his new deal looks like a bargain, observes Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic. Giddey posted a career-high 32 points Friday night, along with 10 rebounds and nine assists, and Lorenzi states that he has taken full control of the offense in his second season with Chicago. “Being in a place where, obviously the contract stuff is out the way now, that’s off my back this season,” Giddey said. “I’m in a place where I’m wanted. I love being here. I’m happy here. Having confidence from your teammates and your coaches to trust me to go out there and make plays. That’s what you need as a player.”
  • Jeremiah Robinson-Earl was headed for the G League before Obi Toppin‘s injury gave him a path to join the Pacers, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Robinson-Earl said he’s “grateful for the opportunity” after signing a 10-day hardship contract earlier today. “He’s proven and shown to be an adaptable guy,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “Over the last day and a half since he’s been here, he’s picked things up very quickly. He’s a very fundamentally sound player. He shoots it, he passes it, he makes the right play. Knows who he is as a player and plays to his strengths.”
  • Donovan Mitchell joined the Cavaliers‘ growing injury list for Friday’s loss to Toronto. He sat out the game with left hamstring tightness, per The Associated Press, joining Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Max Strus on the sidelines.

Pacers Add Jeremiah Robinson-Earl On 10-Day Hardship Contract

2:00 pm: Robinson-Earl’s 10-day hardship contract with the Pacers is now official, per a team press release.


11:11 am: The Pacers are planning to sign forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to a 10-day contract via the hardship exception, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets.

Indiana’s star player, Tyrese Haliburton, is out for the season after suffering a right Achilles tendon rupture during the Finals. The Pacers are also currently without guards T.J. McConnell (hamstring), Kam Jones (back), Bennedict Mathurin (toe), Andrew Nembhard (shoulder) and Johnny Furphy (foot). Additionally, forward Obi Toppin just underwent a procedure on his foot that will keep him out of action for at least three months.

A team qualifies for a hardship exception when it meets all of the following criteria:

  1. It has at least four players unavailable due to injury or illness.
  2. All four of those players have missed at least three consecutive games.
  3. All four of those players are expected to remain sidelined for at least two more weeks.

Robinson-Earl played 66 games with the Pelicans last season, including nine starts. He averaged 6.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 18.8 minutes per game. He was waived by Dallas prior to the season opener after signing an Exhibit 9 contract with the team during the offseason.

Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd praised Robinson-Earl during training camp and expressed hope that he could find another NBA opportunity.

“When you talk about him being a pro — he should be on an NBA roster,” Kidd said. “When you look at what he does, he’s consistent. He comes to work every day and does his job. He can shoot it, he can pass it, he can defend. It’s really sad that he’s not on an NBA roster for whatever reason.”

His G League rights are held by the Texas Legends.

Stein’s Latest: Connaughton, Knicks, Mazzulla, Curry, Mavs

Charlotte’s decision to release Spencer Dinwiddie — after signing the veteran guard to a guaranteed minimum-salary contract over the summer — surprised some people around the NBA, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).

There was some speculation that the Hornets might waive Pat Connaughton instead, but Stein hears the team decided to keep the veteran wing because he’s popular in the locker room and has championship experience. Another key factor: the Hornets remain cautiously optimistic they might be able to use Connaughton’s $9.4MM expiring contract in a trade before February’s deadline, Stein writes.

Here’s more from Stein:

  • The Knicks attempted to speak to several employed head coaches when they were looking for a replacement for Tom Thibodeau, but all of their formal requests were denied. According to Stein, there have been rumblings that New York also informally explored the possibility of trying to pursue Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla, which obviously went nowhere — a month after the Knicks hired Mike Brown, Mazzulla signed an extension with Boston. While the Celtics vaguely referred to Mazzulla’s agreement as a multiyear extension, Stein hears the 37-year-old likely received a six-year contract.
  • There’s zero doubt that the Warriors will eventually re-sign Seth Curry — the only question is when, says Stein. While Golden State could technically bring Curry back on November 11, waiting a bit beyond that date would give the Warriors more breathing room below their second apron hard cap, and they are believed to be considering that path, per Stein.
  • The Mavericks waived NBA veterans Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Dalano Banton and Dennis Smith Jr. on Friday. Their G League affiliate — the Texas Legends — controls the returning rights of Robinson-Earl and Banton, and Dallas expects both players to open the season with the Legends, according to Stein. The Mavs are also optimistic that Smith with play for the Legends, but Stein points out that the former lottery pick’s rights are currently held by the Wisconsin Herd — an NBGL trade between Wisconsin and Texas would need to occur for that to happen. Banton was on an Exhibit 10 deal with the Mavs (Robinson-Earl and Smith were on Exhibit 9s), so he’s the only player of the group who will receive a bonus if he spends at least 60 days with the Legends.

Mavericks Notes: Flagg, Nembhard, Robinson-Earl, Coaching Staff

Cooper Flagg, the top pick in the draft, started at point guard in the Mavericks’ last two preseason games. Will head coach Jason Kidd keep him there? It’s uncertain, but Kidd liked what he saw, according to Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal.

“There’s a lot of good, positive stories here, and so we have some time to make a decision,” Kidd said. “But I think [Flagg] has done an incredible job of handling the situation of running the team. The other thing that I think is going unnoticed is that his teammates enjoy him running the team.”

Flagg averaged 12.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game across those two starts. The 6’8” forward struggled to defend the Lakers’ Gabe Vincent, who knocked down five three-pointers in the first five minutes on Wednesday.

“No matter if you’re 6-4, 6-2 or 6-8, when you’re in a pick-and-roll in this league against guys who know how to run the pick-and-roll, it’s hard,” Kidd said, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “It becomes a two-man game, and we’ll get better at that. But [with] his competitiveness, he’s going to figure it out sooner than later, and the more he’s in these situations, I think the long run he’s going to benefit.”

Here’s more on the Mavs:

  • The summer addition of Ryan Nembhard on a two-way deal was met with little fanfare, but he could be part of the early-season rotation due to his strong preseason play, Afseth writes. Nembhard racked up 20 assists, compared to two turnovers, in 64 minutes. “He is steady,” Kidd said. “[He] understands how to play the game. Ryan is a point guard who sets the table. In the games that we have put him in a different rotation spot, he has had success finding guys. Even when we talk about misses, we’re getting great looks with him running the show. He is steady, gets us organized, and our pace does not drop off when he is at the point guard.”
  • The team waived Jeremiah Robinson-Earl on Thursday but not before he made a strong impression on Kidd. “When you talk about him being a pro — he should be on an NBA roster,” Kidd told Afseth. “When you look at what he does, he’s consistent. He comes to work every day and does his job. He can shoot it, he can pass it, he can defend. It’s really sad that he’s not on an NBA roster for whatever reason.”
  • The assistant coaching staff this season includes two former head coaches, Frank Vogel and Jay Triano, plus highly-respected Popeye Jones, Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News notes. They were all added during the offseason, with Vogel sporting the reputation of being a defensive mastermind and Triano considered an offensive savant. “We feel that we have a championship staff that can compete at a high level to help our younger players become the stars that we all think they can become,” Kidd said. In an interview with The Athletic’s Dan Woike, Vogel recalls leading the Lakers to a championship in the Florida “bubble” during the COVID-19 season.

Mavericks Release Banton, Robinson-Earl, Smith

The Mavericks have requested waivers on Dalano Banton, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Dennis Smith Jr., the team announced today (Twitter link).

All three NBA veterans were on non-guaranteed contracts for training camp. Banton’s deal contained both Exhibit 9 and Exhibit 10 language, meaning he’s now eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he reports to the Texas Legends and spends at least 60 days with Dallas’ G League affiliate.

Robinson-Earl and Smith, meanwhile, were on Exhibit 9 deals, protecting the Mavs in the event of an injury to either player, which thankfully did not occur.

Banton was the 46th overall pick in the 2021 draft and has played in 216 regular season games for Toronto, Boston and Portland over the past four seasons. In ’24/25, he made a career-high 67 appearances, averaging 8.3 points, 2.4 assists, and 2.0 rebounds in 16.7 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .391/.324/.728.

The Canadian guard looked like a relative long shot to make Dallas’ roster, given that he was signed a week after training camp had gotten underway.

Robinson-Earl, a 6’9″ forward/center, was also selected in the second round of 2021 (32nd overall) and has appeared in 197 regular season contests for Oklahoma City and New Orleans over the past four seasons. In ’24/25, he averaged 6.3 PPG and 4.8 RPG in a career-best 66 games (18.8 MPG) for the Pelicans, posting a shooting slash line of .455/.341/.836.

Robinson-Early had by far the largest role of the three players during preseason, appearing in all four games for the Mavs while averaging 7.3 PPG and 4.0 MPG in 12.2 MPG.

Despite being out of the NBA last season, Smith is undoubtedly the most familiar face for Mavs fans. Dallas selected the 6’2″ guard No. 9 overall back in 2017, but wound up trading him to New York during his second season as part of the Kristaps Porzingis blockbuster.

Smith has developed into a strong point-of-attack defender, but has struggled to score efficiently throughout his seven-year career. He drew praise from head coach Jason Kidd multiple times during training camp.

The moves seemingly indicate that the Mavs intend to keep guards Dante Exum and Brandon Williams on their standard roster. Exum’s minimum-salary contract is fully guaranteed, but he has dealt with a right knee injury during training camp and preseason and could miss extended time.

While Williams’ deal is only partially guaranteed for $200K in 2025/26, Dallas has been encouraged by the 25-year-old’s development over the past couple seasons, having promoted him from a two-way deal at the end of ’24/25.

The Mavs now have 18 players under contract.

Mavs Notes: Starters, Kyrie, Smith, Robinson-Earl, Coaches, Lively

The Mavericks made one very significant roster addition over the summer, drafting No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg out of Duke. But the club’s starting five has yet to be determined heading into training camp, per Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).

“This is competition,” head coach Jason Kidd said. “We’re going to look at a lot of combinations.”

Kidd has indicated that everyone aside from All-Star guard Kyrie Irving is expected to fully participate in practice, tweets Christian Clark of The Athletic. For now, free agent signing D’Angelo Russell is expected to start in Irving’s stead.

There’s more out of Dallas:

  • Irving continues to improve from the ACL tear he suffered last March. Kidd, however, offered a measured take on his recovery to date, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “He is doing quite well, as we can see, but he’s not ahead of schedule, and so let’s not say that,” Kidd said. “That’s unfair to him and to the Mavs because it’s not true. Is he on schedule? It looks like it.” Mavs president of basketball operations Nico Harrison had suggested in July that the star guard was “ahead of schedule” in his rehab process.
  • New Mavericks additions Dennis Smith Jr. and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl signed non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 agreements, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). The agreements protect the team in the event that either player sustains an injury in training camp or the preseason and don’t count against the cap unless they carry over to the regular season.
  • Kidd weighed in on Dallas losing assistant coaches Sean Sweeney, Jared Dudley, and Alex Jensen to other teams this summer, Curtis tweets. “The guys who left will be missed,” Kidd said. “Sweeney, Duds and Alex… It’s a compliment that we must be doing something right. Not wrong.”
  • Third-year Mavericks center Dereck Lively II indicated during his media day session that he has grown this summer, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter link). Lively, who was listed at 7’1″ last season, claims he is currently 7’2″ or 7’3″.