Category: Dallas Mavericks Blog

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Three-team NBA trade sends Trevor Ariza to Thunder, James Johnson to Mavericks

In a three-team trade today, the Dallas Mavericks have acquired forward James Johnson from the Oklahoma City Thunder. In the deal, the Mavericks sent guard Delon Wright to the Detroit Pistons and forward Justin Jackson to the Thunder. The Pistons dealt forward Trevor Ariza to Oklahoma City. The Thunder acquired a 2023 second round pick (best from either Dallas or Miami) and a 2026 second round draft pick from Dallas.

Ariza (6-8, 215) has appeared in 1,064 career games (731 starts) with New York, Orlando, L.A. Lakers, Houston, New Orleans, Washington, Phoenix, Sacramento and Portland, registering averages of 10.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.49 steals in 29.7 minutes per contest. Last season the former NBA champion split the season between Sacramento and Portland. In his time with Portland, the Miami native appeared in 21 games (all starts) and averaged 11.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.62 steals in 33.4 minutes per game, shooting 49.1 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from three-point range.

Jackson (6-7, 220) has seen action in 214 career games (58 starts) with Sacramento and Dallas, recording averages of 6.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 19.5 minutes per game, shooting 43.1 percent from the floor. Last season with Dallas, the North Carolina product appeared in 65 games (three starts), averaging 5.5 points and 2.4 rebounds in 16.1 minutes per contest, shooting 84.0 percent from the free throw line.

Johnson has appeared in 634 career games (220 starts) with Chicago, Toronto, Sacramento, Memphis, Miami and Minnesota, averaging 8.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 20.6 minutes per game, shooting 47.7 percent from the field. He was originally acquired from Minnesota on Nov. 20.

Mavericks will reportedly hire Zach Guthrie as assistant coach

While the league prepares for the draft and a free agent frenzy like no other, coaching job news continues to roll out. Here’s the Desert News:

The shuffle on the Utah Jazz’s bench is reportedly continuing.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Sunday morning that assistant coach Zach Guthrie is leaving to take an assistant role with the Dallas Mavericks. It would mark the fifth assistant coach transaction involving the Jazz this offseason, as Johnnie Bryant left for the New York Knicks, while Utah has hired Dell Demps, Keyon Dooling and Sergi Oliva.

Both the Mavs and Jazz made the playoffs this past season, and both should contend to do so in 2020-21.

With help from Mark Cuban, Delonte West begins rehab

Former NBA player Delonte West has spent years majorly struggling with serious problems off the court. But finally, there’s good news. Here’s Boston.com reporting:

Former Celtics guard Delonte West is taking the first steps toward rehabbing his life.

In a tweet on Friday, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban shared an image of West — who has struggled with bipolar disorder, homelessness, and substance abuse — smiling while riding a horse.

“Ladies & Gentlemen, I present to you, Delonte West,” Cuban wrote.

Cuban wanted to add that while West is off to a good start, the journey is far from complete.

“A long, long, long way to go, but he has taken the first steps and shared these with all of us as a thank you for the love and support.”

Definitely click that link atop this entry for more on West, and what Mark Cuban did to help.

Hopefully, West stays on a positive path. We’re rooting for him.

Mavericks forward Kristaps Porzingis undergoes knee surgery

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that Kristaps Porzingis underwent surgery to address a lateral meniscus injury of his right knee. Porzingis suffered the injury in Game 1 of the Mavericks’ opening-round series against the L.A. Clippers on Aug. 17.

Porzingis will begin rehab immediately and there is no timetable set at this time.

Injuries are now a concern for Porzingis, who is signed to a huge contract through the 2023-24 season. He reportedly has a player option for that last season.

Per ESPN.com, “Porzingis sat out a season and a half after tearing the ACL in his left knee in February 2018 in what ended up being his final game for the New York Knicks.”

He’s a huge part of what was the best offense in the NBA last season. Young superstar Luka Doncic led the Mavs in scoring at 28.8 points per game, Porzingis was second at 20.4 PPG, and guard Tim Hardaway Jr. was third with 15.8 PPG.

Mavericks news: Kristaps Porzingis diagnosed with knee injury

Dallas Mavericks forward-center Kristaps Porzingis has been receiving treatment for a lateral meniscus tear of his right knee and further treatment options are being explored at this time. Porzingis suffered the injury in Game 1 of the 2020 NBA Playoffs.

Porzingis has not been medically cleared to play for the remainder of the Mavericks’ first-round series against the L.A. Clippers, and will not be available.

In three first-round games (all starts) against the Clippers, Porzingis averaged 23.7 points and 8.7 rebounds in 31.3 minutes per game while shooting 52.5 percent (21-40 FGs) from the field, 52.9 percent (9-17 3FGs) from beyond the arc and 87 percent (20-23 FTs) from the foul line.

The Clippers have a 3-2 series lead. Game 6 has been rescheduled for Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Luka Doncic interview after Game 3 Mavs loss to Clippers

The Mavericks lost to the Clippers Friday, to fall down 1-2 in their best-of-seven first-round playoff series. Details on the game are here.

Below are Luka Doncic interview quotes from postgame:

On the play where he injured his ankle and his current pain level: “I don’t know how it happened but it’s not that bad. I had luck; it’s my left ankle, it’s not my right. It’s a little sprain. We’ll know more tomorrow.”

On trying to play after the injury and the decision to come out of the game: “I just wanted to get in. I know we still had a chance to win. I wanted to help my teammates. I could run a little bit but I couldn’t push off of my left leg. It was better to go out and let somebody [else] play.”

On whether he can play on Sunday: “I don’t know the answer to that. We’ll see tomorrow. I have an MRI tomorrow and then we’ll see. I think we’ll know more tomorrow.”

On whether he wanted to come back in as the Mavs cut the deficit to eight: “I want to go back in every time. We always have a chance — we have great players. They fought to come back to eight. I want to be with my team on the floor and watch the game to the end. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a win. But we fought.”

On if he thought he could finish the game: “I don’t think so. I could run but I couldn’t push off my left leg. We have great players, so it’s better to go with someone who can go 100 percent.”

On the play of Kawhi Leonard: “He’s always in the zone. He’s a top-three player in the league. It’s really tough to stop him. He’s an amazing player, amazing defender. It’s really hard to stop him. I think Maxi [Kleber] is doing an amazing job, DoeDoe [Dorian Finney-Smith], too. It’s just hard. He’s an amazing player.”

Clippers beat Mavericks 130-122, take 2-1 playoff series lead

On Friday, the Clippers beat the Mavericks 130-122 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series. Below are Mavs team notes on the loss:

Luka Doncic recorded 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, making him the first player in franchise history to record a triple-double in the playoffs.

Doncic (21 years, 175 days) becomes the third-youngest player ever to record a triple-double in the playoffs (Magic Johnson, LeBron James). The sophomore guard left the game with a left ankle sprain midway through the fourth quarter.

Kristaps Porzingis finished tonight’s game with 34 points and 13 rebounds. Porzingis becomes the first player to record 30+ points and 10+ rebounds for Dallas in a playoff game since Dirk Nowitzki (34p-11r) in Game 3 of the 2011 NBA Finals.

Seth Curry came off the bench and scored a playoff career-high 22 points to go with 3 assists. Curry shot 9-11 from the floor and a perfect 4-4 from beyond the arc. Curry’s previous high was 16, a mark he hit twice in the 2019 playoffs with Portland.

Tim Hardaway Jr. also scored a playoff career-high 22 points to go with 6 rebounds and 2 assists. Hardaway Jr.’s previous high was 19 points, set with Atlanta (at Washington, 4/19/17).

Dorian Finney-Smith finished with 11 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, all of which were career playoff highs.

Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 37 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists tonight. The veteran is 3rd in the Playoffs thus far with 33.3 points per game, trailing only Utah’s Donovan Mitchell (35.7) and Orlando’s Nikola Vucevic (33.5).

The Clippers saw seven players score in double figures tonight. Joining Leonard was Landry Shamet (18), Ivica Zubac (15), Marcus Morris Sr. (14), Montrezl Harrell (13), Paul George (11) and Lou Williams (10).

Mavericks clinch spot in 2020 NBA playoffs

Led by young superstar Luka Doncic, the Dallas Mavericks are back in the playoffs. Here’s ESPN.com reporting:

The Dallas Mavericks weren’t in the mood to celebrate the end of the franchise’s three-year playoff drought.

The Mavs officially clinched a playoff berth due to the Memphis Grizzlies’ 108-106 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday afternoon. Hours later, Dallas dropped to 0-2 in the NBA bubble with a 117-115 loss to the Phoenix Suns in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

“Our goal was to make the playoffs, and we achieved that, but for me and for us, we’re going to try to win every game now that we have left in the regular season,” said Mavs center Kristaps Porzingis, who scored 30 points in the loss. “Then, we’ll see where we end up in the playoffs and go from there. This is not a sprint. This is a marathon, and with each day, with each game, with each practice, we want to be a better team and better individually.”

Through Sunday’s games, the teams that so far have clinched Western conference NBA playoffs spots are the Lakers, Clippers, Nuggets, Rockets, Jazz, Thunder and Mavs.

The Grizzlies are currently in 8th place, with the Spurs, Trail Blazers and a few other teams not far behind.

Rodrigue Beaubois signs in Turkey with Anadolu Efes Istanbul

Here’s Euroleaguebasketball.net with an update on former NBA guard Rodrigue Beaubois, who is 6-foot-1, 170 pounds and played in the NBA from 2009-13, averaging 7.1 points per game for the Dallas Mavericks:

Anadolu Efes Istanbul moved towards keeping its team together by bringing back guard Rodrigue Beaubois, who signed on a two-year deal with the club on Monday. Beaubois (1.90 meters, 32 years old) has played the last two seasons with Efes, helping the club reach the 2019 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game. Last season he averaged 9.5 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 26 games in 2019-20. He joined Efes in 2018 after two years with KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz.

Mavericks sign Trey Burke as Substitute Player for NBA restart at Disney World

The Dallas Mavericks have signed guard Trey Burke as a substitute player for the remainder of the 2019-20 season.

Burke (6-0, 185) returns for his second stint with Dallas after appearing in for 25 games (one start) for the club last season. After being acquired by the franchise in the seven-player trade that brought Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee to Dallas on Jan. 31, 2019, Burke averaged 9.7 points and 2.6 assists in 17.4 minutes for the Mavericks over the second half of the 2018-19 campaign.

Per the Dallas Morning News, “mandatory team workouts are scheduled to begin on July 1. The 22 teams are scheduled to arrive in the Orlando “bubble” at staggered times between July 7-9, then hold one-week training camps and prepare for the July 30 resumption of the season, with each team playing eight regular-season games.”

The seven-year veteran holds career averages of 10.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 22.9 minutes in 386 games (128 starts) with Utah, Washington, New York, Dallas and Philadelphia. After signing with the 76ers last summer, Burke appeared in 25 games for Philadelphia this season and averaged 5.9 points, 2.1 assists and 13.2 minutes before being waived on Feb. 6.

Burke was an early entry candidate for the 2013 NBA Draft after his sophomore season at Michigan. He was selected ninth overall by Minnesota before having his draft rights traded to Utah for the 14th and 21st picks. As a first-year player, he averaged 12.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 32.3 minutes in 70 games (68 starts) for the Jazz en route to earning All-Rookie First Team honors.

The Columbus, Ohio, native, was named the National College Player of the Year, a Consensus First Team All-American and the Bob Cousy Award winner as a sophomore while helping the Wolverines reach the national championship game in 2013.

Burke played both of his collegiate seasons alongside Hardaway Jr. at Michigan. Hardaway Jr. (24th overall pick) and Burke went on to become the first pair of Wolverines taken in the first round of a draft since Juwan Howard (fifth) and Jalen Rose (13th) in 1994.

The 27-year-old will wear No. 32.