Mark Cuban Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Cuban Expects To Lock Up Porzingis This Offseason

February 4th, 2019 at 6:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said newly-acquired Kristaps Porzingis intends to sign a long-term deal this summer, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reports.

Porzingis will be a restricted free agent in July once the team goes through the formality of extending a qualifying offer. He could receive a maximum five-year, $158MM contract as the Mavs seek to build around the big man and rookie playmaker Luka Doncic.

When asked about Cuban’s comment, Porzingis responded, “We’re on the same page.”

Porzingis could take his chances by signing the $4.5MM qualifying offer and entering unrestricted free agency the following summer. Cuban shrugged off that scenario.

“It’s not a concern I have,” Cuban told MacMahon. “Everything so far, all the conversations so far, have been very positive. Unless it’s something that we don’t expect pops up, hopefully he’ll be a Maverick for the next 20 years.”

Porzingis, who was often at odds with New York’s front office, is energized by the prospect of playing with Doncic.

“I get excited every time I think about it,” Porzingis said. “I really think we can be something special.”

Dallas acquired Porzingis along with shooting guards Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee and point guard Trey Burke for point guard Dennis Smith Jr., center DeAndre Jordan, guard Wesley Matthews and two future first-round picks.

Cuban indicated last week that he didn’t expect Porzingis, who tore the ACL in his left knee last winter, to play this season. Porzingis confirmed that during his introductory press conference on Monday, saying he expected to sit this season.

“There’s no rush,” he said. “I’ve been patient this whole time, and I’m going to keep staying patient, which is one of the hardest things for me to do. We’re going to make the right decisions.”

Trade Rumors: Davis, Hill, Ball, Mavs, Favors

February 4th, 2019 at 5:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

One key to an Anthony Davis trade is whether the Pelicans can acquire a player with All-NBA potential as part of the package. That’s among the priorities for New Orleans’ front office, which is also seeking young talent, draft picks and salary-cap relief for Davis, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. If the Pelicans view Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma or Lonzo Ball as that type of player — all of whom are rumored to be in the latest offer from the Lakers — that would increase the possibility of Davis going to Los Angeles. If New Orleans sees that potential in the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum, the team may wait until the offseason, when Boston has the freedom to trade for Davis.

We have more trade buzz from around the league:

The Pelicans are hoping to dump Solomon Hill‘s contract in any trade involving Davis and if the Lakers were to acquire him, they would use the stretch provision on his contract, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Hill is making $12.52MM this season with another guaranteed $12.76MM next season. That three-year stretch would count as $4,257,927 annually and the Lakers would also have an empty roster charge of $897,158 added during the offseason if they waived him, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
Lonzo Ball‘s outspoken father is at it again, telling ESPN that if his son gets traded, he wants him to land with the Suns, Ohm Youngmisuk tweets. “We want to be in LA. But if he’s traded, I don’t want Lonzo in New Orleans,” LaVar Ball said. “Phoenix is the best fit for him. And I am going to speak it into existence.”
In the aftermath of the blockbuster deal with the Knicks for Kristaps Porzingis, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says the team is laying low prior to Thursday’s trade deadline, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News tweets. “We’re not actively pursuing anything,” Cuban said.
The Wizards have significant interest in Jazz forward Derrick Favors, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic. Favors has been rumored to be part of the package Utah would send to the Grizzlies for Mike Conley. The Jazz are also interested in Otto Porter Jr. and Washington would want Favors in any deal involving its small forward, Jones adds. However, the Wizards are considered unlikely to move Porter this week.

Porzingis Unlikely To Play This Season

February 1st, 2019 at 6:09pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kristaps Porzingis is unlikely to play for the Mavericks this season as he continues his recovery from a torn ACL in his left knee suffered a year ago, Dallas owner Mark Cuban told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.

This comes as no surprise, as the Mavs view Porzingis as a long-term asset. They acquired him in a surprising blockbuster trade with the Knicks on Thursday.

He’ll be a restricted free agent this summer, at which point he could sign his one-year qualifying offer, sign an offer sheet with another team, or negotiate a new deal directly with the Mavs. The Mavericks were willing to gamble that they’ll lock up Porzingis this offseason or the summer of 2020, when he could become an unrestricted free agent.

An All-Star a year ago, Porzingis averaged 22.7 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and 2.4 BPG with a .439/.395/.793 shooting line in 48 games in 2017/18. He has yet to play this season and will obviously have to scrape off a lot of rust if he doesn’t play until next season.

Southwest Notes: Davis, Smith Jr., Cuban

December 25th, 2018 at 5:50pm CST by Austin Kent

There’s no imminent news that would ruin Christmas dinner for Pelicans fans per se, but Kevin Garnett believes that Anthony Davis to the Lakers “has to happen.”

Martin Rogers of USA Today spoke with the former All-Star about the rumors that LeBron James is courting the Pelicans’ superstar center. Garnett, of course, strung together a Hall of Fame-worthy career as a lone wolf in Minnesota before a 2007 trade put him in a position to win a title with the Celtics.

“Anthony Davis playing in New Orleans, I don’t want to say they are wasted days, but they are non-days,” Garnett said. “He needs to be somewhere where he can be with another guy and they can have a run at a championship. He has been [with the Pelicans] long enough. It is time for a change now. This is it. No better time to do this.”

There’s more out of the Southwest Division:

The struggling Pelicans blew a 19-point first-half lead and lost to the upstart Kings this week. Point guard Jrue Holiday thinks that the squad and the coaching staff need to get on the same page. “It’s kind of the same story for us,” Holiday told Michael Wagaman of The Associated Press. “Between the coaches and the players, we have to get on the same page when it comes down to the last four minutes.“
The Mavs have only employed the services of Dennis Smith Jr. once since December 4. Fortunately, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News write, the sophomore has shown great progress from his wrist injury and plans to be back in the lineup before the new year.
Mavs owner Mark Cuban and forward Harrison Barnes plan to chat to clear the air after coming away with different stances on a contentious comment made by the former. Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News wrote about Cuban’s implication that American-born players failed to learn fundamental basketball skills at a young age as well as their European counterparts.

Mavericks Notes: Jordan, Smith Jr., Cuban, Nowitzki

November 15th, 2018 at 7:08pm CST by JD Shaw

Mavericks guard Dennis Smith Jr. came to the defense of DeAndre Jordan this week, backing up the 30-year-old by denying a report from ESPN that Jordan’s selfish play has rubbed some teammates the wrong way.

“That news be fake shawty and we already know it,” Smith Jr. wrote on Instagram with a picture of himself and Jordan. “Our eyes on da prize.”

Jordan appeared to steal a rebound from rookie Luka Doncic in a contest earlier this month, prompting some to believe his own ambitions were being placed before the team’s aspirations. Also coming to Jordan’s defense was assistant coach Darrell Armstrong, who took to social media with a statement of his own (hat tip to the Dallas Morning News).

“I’m just here to send out some good vibes to DeAndre Jordan who is one of our leaders of this team,” Armstrong said. “He’s not selfish. He’s a guy who plays hard, tries and gives energy to these guys. For an article to come out like that, I don’t like it. I’ve been a veteran leader in my career. When you lead you lead by example and then you lead by being vocal. That’s what leaders do. Stealing rebounds? We need rebounds. Mavs fans, you know when we need rebounds. That’s something big for someone to say he’s selfish to take a rebound from Luka.”

There’s more out of Dallas tonight:

Mavs owner Mark Cuban expressed his support of Jordan, a player he signed to a free agent contract this past summer. “It’s so ridiculous,” Cuban told the Dallas Morning News. “I mean, for godsakes, we’re No. 1 in defensive rebounding after being a horrible rebounding team [pre-Jordan]. And every guy on the team recognizes that.”
Cuban also made an appearance on Dallas-based radio station 1310 The Ticket to discuss a variety of topics, including the Mavs’ sexual harassment investigation. “All I can tell you is that’s behind us now, and we’re a completely different organization on the business side,” Cuban said, according to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News. Cuban was asked several different questions in the roughly 10-minute interview.
Cuban hopes Dirk Nowitzki will stay with the Mavericks for another season, according to a separate article from the Dallas Morning News. Nowitzki has yet to play this season due to an ankle injury after appearing in 77 games with the Mavs last year.

NBA Concludes Investigation Into Mavs’ Workplace Misconduct

September 19th, 2018 at 1:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The investigation into alleged workplace misconduct within the Mavericks‘ business offices, which began seven months ago, has concluded. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter), the Mavs and the NBA have come to an agreement that team owner Mark Cuban will donate $10MM to organizations that “promote women in leadership roles and combat domestic violence.”

As Wojnarowski observes, the maximum fine that the NBA could have levied upon Cuban and the Mavs was $2.5MM. The agreement between the two sides will ensure that four times that amount will go to organizations dedicated to preventing what happened in the Mavs’ business offices from happening elsewhere.

In addition to the $10MM in donations from Cuban, the Mavericks will also be required to provide the NBA office with quarterly updates, report any significant employee misconduct to the NBA, and implement more extensive training programs related to sexual harassment and misconduct, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Investigators also recommend the Mavs increase the number of women on their staff, expand their HR department, and institute clear protocols for investigating workplace misconduct.

As for the investigation’s actual findings, Wojnarowski says (via Twitter) that the Mavs were found to have “serious workplace misconduct by former and current employees,” along with “improper or ineffective management.”

Claims that former Mavs president and CEO Terdema Ussery was responsible for inappropriate comments and/or touching were substantiated by 15 current or former employees, Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter). Ussery was described in SI.com’s initial report as having earned a reputation as a “serial sexual harasser.”

According to Brandon George of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link), investigators found no evidence that Cuban was aware of Ussery’s misconduct, as none of the 215 witnesses interviewed during the probe said they informed Cuban of Ussery’s behavior.

The NBA’s statement on the investigation is available here, while the full report can be found here.

Southwest Notes: Cousins, Mavs, Anderson, Nowitzki

July 9th, 2018 at 9:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry denies that Anthony Davis didn’t want DeMarcus Cousins to return, William Guillory of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. Cousins stunned the basketball world by signing a one-year, $5.3MM deal with the Warriors but it had nothing to do with his relationship with New Orleans’ franchise player, according to Gentry.

“Someone said A.D. didn’t want DeMarcus back, and that couldn’t be further from the truth,” the Pelicans’ head coach said. “I don’t know where that came about, but it couldn’t be further from the truth.”

In other news around the Southwest Division:

The Mavericks don’t plan on having a full roster heading into training camp, Dwain Price of Mavs.com tweets. “Unless something falls in our lap we’ll keep an open roster spot,” owner Mark Cuban told Price.
Kyle Anderson‘s defensive metrics were a major reason why the Grizzlies gave the small forward an offer sheet the Spurs didn’t match, according to Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com. He ranked fourth in steals percentage, sixth in defensive rating and 13th in steals per game and rated as the league’s second-best defending small forward last season behind the Sixers’ Robert Covington. Offensively, Anderson could be used an additional ball handler and initiate half-court sets, Wallace adds.
If the Mavericks show significant improvement, Dirk Nowitzki could play beyond next season, Cuban said in a Sirius XM radio interview that was relayed by the Dallas Morning News. The Mavs will re-sign Nowitzki, who is currently a free agent, once they finish their offseason moves after turning down their team option.”I’d say it’s under 50 percent right now (he’ll retire after next season) but if he’s playing 77 games and we’re getting better, and we’re starting to win games? You know what a competitor he is — he’s going to want to come back.”

Givony’s Latest: Kings, Doncic, Porter, Gilgeous-Alexander

June 21st, 2018 at 8:21am CST by Dana Gauruder

ESPN draft expert Jonathan Givony posted his latest mock on Thursday morning, along with the updated information regarding what teams are planning to do. Here’s some of the most noteworthy nuggets he passed along:

The Kings will target Duke forward Marvin Bagley III if they keep the No. 2 overall pick but they have their eyes on Missouri forward Michael Porter Jr. if they trade down in the lottery.
Hawks ownership has pushed for Euroleague guard Luka Doncic with the No. 3 pick because of star power. The compromise between the front office and ownership could be trading down and then selecting Oklahoma point guard Trae Young.
Porter is favored by Mavericks owner Mark Cuban at No. 5 but they’re also considering Texas center Mohamed Bamba and Duke center Wendell Carter Jr.
Kentucky guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander appears to be on the rise and Givony has him going at No. 6 to the Magic.
If the Clippers don’t trade their picks at No. 12 and No. 13, they’ll draft one of the top three college point guards – Gilgeous-Alexander, Alabama’s Collin Sexton or Young – if any are still on the board.
Boston College guard Jerome Robinson, Maryland forward Kevin Huerter and Texas A&M big man Robert Williams are under consideration with the Clippers’ second first-rounder.

Southwest Notes: Ariza, Cuban, Scandal

May 27th, 2018 at 4:56pm CST by marksuleymanov

Rockets veteran Trevor Ariza has suited up for seven teams in his NBA career, including two separate stints in Houston. As he heads for unrestricted free agency this summer, and the possibility of an eighth team in his future looms, ESPN’s Zach Lowe chronicled Ariza’s well-traveled and decorated career.

As Lowe writes, after various trades early in his career, Ariza questioned why he was constantly changing uniforms and couldn’t stick with one team. It all started coming together for Ariza when he joined the Lakers and evolved his style to the now invaluable “3-and-D,” where you shoot well from the perimeter and play solid defense. Ariza’s former teammate Kobe Bryant spoke glowingly of Ariza in the story.

“We were inseparable,” Bryant said. “If you saw Trevor, you saw me. He didn’t need me to show him how to work. He had it already — that ambition.”

In Houston, Ariza’s role, and therefore his style of play, has been altered to suit the Rockets’ needs. And it has worked so far as the team is one win away from the NBA Finals. Lowe’s piece is well worth the read and provides further insight into how Ariza has become a self-described chameleon in the NBA.

Check out more Southwest Division notes below:

Brandon George and Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News conducted an investigation into a former team employee, nicknamed “Pants DJ,” who allegedly showed and viewed pornographic content at work and made inappropriate gestures. Chris Hyde, a former account executive with the Mavericks, allegedly carried on this behavior for six years and, despite a warning from team owner Mark Cuban, continued it.
As the Mavericks enter the summer, the team has cap space to utilize in free agency and Cuban does not see a reason to save if upgrades are available, even before the NBA Draft, Sefko writes.
In case you missed it, Rockets point guard Chris Paul will likely miss Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals tomorrow night as he nurses an injured hamstring.

Mavericks Notes: Lottery, Cuban, Free Agency, Porter

May 16th, 2018 at 10:56pm CST by Arthur Hill

Michael Finley joked that he was tempted to demand a recount when the Mavericks landed the fifth pick at Tuesday’s lottery, relays Dwain Price of Mavs.com. Dallas’ VP of basketball operations decided to remain professional at the event and is optimistic the team can land an impact player. The Mavs came into the lottery with the third best chance to win the top choice and a guarantee to fall no lower than sixth.

“It’s a deep draft with some great young talent, so at the fifth pick I think we’ll still be able to get a player that can come in and help us immediately,” Finley said. “It’s a wide variety of sizes and talent in the draft when you look at some of the point guards, some of the wing guys and the big guys.

“Like I said, it’ll give us a great opportunity to get one of those players, and hopefully that player can help us so we won’t be at this lottery next year.”

There’s more tonight from Dallas:

The ping pong balls didn’t bounce the Mavericks’ way, but there’s no guarantee the team will hold onto the No. 5 pick, owner Mark Cuban tells Dalton Trigg of 247Sports.com. “We are never content,” Cuban said. “We will be open to any and all options.”
The Mavericks should be careful not to try to make up for the lottery disappointment by becoming overly aggressive in free agency, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. He advises the team to build slowly and not do something risky like offering a max deal to DeMarcus Cousins, who continues to recover from a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Dallas will take a long look at Missouri’s Michael Porter Jr. with the fifth pick, Sefko states in a separate piece. Porter missed almost the entire college season with back problems, but his physical gifts still make him a promising NBA prospect. Magic executive Pat Williams, whose team owns the sixth pick, said DeAndre Ayton, Luka Doncic, Marvin Bagley III and Jaren Jackson Jr. are expected to be the first four taken, with Porter, Mo Bamba, Wendell Carter and maybe Trae Young going right afterward.