Dallas Mavericks Blog – Page 20 – NBA Blog

Rockets trade Chinanu Onuaku to Mavericks for Maarty Leunen

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a trade. The Dallas Mavericks have acquired center Chinanu Onuaku (Chih-NAH-noo On-ooh-AH-koo) from the Houston Rockets in exchange for the rights to Maarty Leunen. The Mavericks will also receive cash considerations and the right to swap Golden State’s 2020 second round pick (acquired by Dallas on 7/7/16) with Houston.

Onuaku (6-10, 245) was drafted by Houston in the second round (37th overall) of the 2016 NBA Draft. In two seasons with the Rockets, he averaged 3.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 12.3 minutes in six career games (one start). In four games for Houston in the 2018 MGM Resorts Summer League in Las Vegas, he averaged 5.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 11.8 minutes per game while shooting .500 from the floor and .833 from the line.

The Lanham, Md., native played two years at the University of Louisville before declaring as an early-entry candidate in the 2016 NBA Draft. As a sophomore, Onuaku averaged 9.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2.0 blocks in 24.6 minutes per game for the Cardinals and earned All-ACC Defensive Team and All-ACC Honorable Mention.

Leunen (6-9, 220) was acquired by the Mavericks from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for two-way forward Johnathan Motley and the rights to guard Renaldas Seibutis on July 23, 2018.

Mavs sign guard Codi Miller-McIntyre

The Dallas Mavericks have signed guard Codi Miller-McIntyre.

We will assume that the deal probably just brings Miller-McIntyre to training camp.

Miller-McIntyre (6-3, 191) was a four-year player at Wake Forest and went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft. As a Demon Deacon, he played in 117 collegiate games (112 starts) and averaged 11.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 30.8 minutes per contest.

The High Point, N.C., native spent his 2017-18 season with Parma Basket Perm in Russia and averaged 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 32.8 minutes in 24 league games (all starts). While with Parma Basket he earned a VTB United League All-Star nod as well as All-VTB League Honorable Mention.

Mavericks sign Terry Larrier

The Dallas Mavericks signed forward Terry Larrier today.

Larrier (6-8, 195) went undrafted as an early-entry candidate in the 2018 NBA Draft. He competed in six total summer league games for the Memphis Grizzlies (4 games) and the Mavericks (2 games) and averaged 1.3 points and 1.2 rebounds in 7.4 minutes per contest.

The Bronx, N.Y., native began his career at Virginia Commonwealth University before transferring to the University of Connecticut as a sophomore. Before declaring for the draft, Larrier averaged 13.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 34.0 minutes in 29 games (28 starts) as a junior.

Mavs sign Daryl Macon to two-way contract

The Dallas Mavericks have signed guard Daryl Macon to a two-way contract.

Undrafted in 2018, the 6-foot-3, 185-pound guard played a four-year collegiate career at the University of Arkansas.

This summer, Macon played in seven summer league games for the Miami Heat, averaging 7.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 22.4 minutes per outing.

The Little Rock, Ark., native began his career at Holmes Community College in Goodman, Miss., where he twice earned Region XXIII Player of the Year and National Junior College Athletic Association All-America honors.

Macon transferred to Arkansas after his sophomore season at Holmes and averaged 15.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 28.0 minutes in 71 games (51 starts) in two seasons as a Razorback. As a senior, Macon improved his averages to 16.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists while shooting .447 from the field, .421 from behind-the-arc and .875 from the foul line on his way to being named Second Team All-Southeastern Conference.

The 2018-19 season will mark the second year NBA two-way contracts will be implemented. NBA teams are allowed to have up to two players under two-way contracts who will spend the bulk of the season in the NBA G League and not more than 45 days with their NBA team.

Two-way players are paid a corresponding daily amount based on the number of days they play in each league. Only players with four-or-fewer years of NBA experience are able to sign two-way contracts, which can be for either one or two seasons.

Mavs sign Ding Yanyuhang, who has played professionally in China for years

The Dallas Mavericks yesterday signed guard-forward Ding Yanyuhang (pronounced yin-you-hong).

Ding (6-7, 205) has spent the last seven seasons playing professionally for China’s Shandong Golden Stars. In 45 games for Shandong in 2017-18, he averaged 26.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game en route to winning his second consecutive Chinese Basketball Association Domestic MVP award.

Ding played on the Mavericks’ Orlando and Las Vegas summer league teams in 2017.

The Xinjiang, China native has represented the Chinese national team in international competition, including the 2016 Olympic Games.

Clippers, Mavericks trade Johnathan Motley, Renaldas Seibutis and Maarty Leunen

The L.A. Clippers have acquired forward Johnathan Motley from the Dallas Mavericks, along with the draft rights to guard Renaldas Seibutis, in exchange for the draft rights to forward Maarty Leunen and cash considerations.

Motley, 23, appeared in 11 games for Dallas on a two-way contract last season, averaging 8.7 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 53.3 percent from the field in 16.0 minutes. The 6’10”, 230-pound forward also appeared in 34 games for the Mavericks’ G League affiliate, the Texas Legends, averaging 22.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists, while shooting 56.5 percent from the field in 32.5 minutes. He was named a 2018 G League All-Star and was selected to the Second-team All-NBA G League. A native of Houston, Texas, Motley spent three collegiate seasons at Baylor University, where he was named to the First Team All-Big 12 and won the Karl Malone Award as the nation’s top power forward as a junior.

Leunen (6-9, 220) has spent the last 10 seasons playing professionally overseas (Turkey, Italy and Germany), including the last three with Italy’s S.S. Felice Scandone. In 34 Serie A games for Scandone in 2017-18, he averaged 7.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. In 14 BCL games for Scandone last season, he averaged 7.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.0 steal per contest.

Leunen was selected by Houston in the second round (54th overall pick) of the 2008 NBA Draft after a four-year college career at Oregon (2004-08). On Jan. 22, 2016, his rights were traded to the Clippers in exchange for Josh Smith, the draft rights to Serhiy Lishchuk and cash considerations.

Seibutis (6-5, 180) was selected by Dallas in the second round (50th overall pick) of the 2007 NBA Draft. The Lithuanian guard has been playing professionally overseas since 2002-03. He spent the 2017-18 season with Spain’s Basket Zaragoza.

Mavs re-sign Dirk Nowitzki, who enters his 21st season

The Dallas Mavericks have re-signed 13-time NBA All-Star Dirk Nowitzki.

Per multiple reports, the Mavs legend will make $5 million for the season.

Nowitzki is now set to begin his 21st season with the Mavericks, which will be an NBA record for a player to suit up for a single franchise (previously tied at 20 seasons with Kobe Bryant and the L.A. Lakers).

He has guided the Mavericks toward many of the team’s greatest achievements. Nowitzki led Dallas to its first-ever 60-win season in 2002-03, first NBA Finals appearance in 2006, a franchise-high 67 wins in 2006-07 and to the organization’s first World Championship when the Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.

Nowitzki (7-0, 245), the most decorated Maverick in franchise history, is a 13-time NBA All-Star, earned All-NBA Team honors 12 consecutive years (2000-12), was named Most Valuable Player of the 2006-07 season and was MVP of the 2011 NBA Finals. He is a six-time Western Conference Player of the Month, a 16-time Western Conference Player of the Week, has competed in the All-Star Saturday Night Three-Point Contest four times, was the 2014 Magic Johnson Award recipient and was named the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year in 2017.

The career Maverick holds averages of 21.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 34.4 minutes in 1,471 games (1,440 starts) and holds the franchise’s top-spot in several categories including points, rebounds, field goals, three-point field goals, free throws, blocks, games, starts and minutes.

In the NBA Playoffs, Nowitzki’s game elevates to average 25.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 40.6 minutes in 145 postseason games (145 starts). He has led the Mavericks to three Western Conference Finals and two NBA Finals while moving into first place in several of the franchise’s postseason categories including points, rebounds, assists, blocks, steals, field goals, free throws and games.

On March 17, 2017, Nowitzki became just the sixth player in NBA history and first international player to register 30,000 career points. He currently sits at 31,187 career points, just 232 points behind the great Wilt Chamberlain (31,419) for fifth place on the all-time scoring list. Among other all-time NBA lists, he ranks 27th in rebounds, eighth in field goals, 11th in three-point field goals, sixth in free throws, fifth in games and third in minutes.

Nowitzki has also served as a pioneer for European players becoming the first European-born player to earn First Team All-NBA (04-05), start an All-Star Game (2007, Las Vegas) and be named the MVP (06-07).

The Wurzburg, Germany, native was the ninth overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft and was acquired through a draft day trade with the Milwaukee Bucks. Nowitzki re-signed with the Mavericks on Oct. 22, 2001. He then signed a contract extension with Dallas on Sept. 26, 2006, re-signed on July 9, 2010, re-signed again on July 15, 2014, re-signed again on July 27, 2016 and re-signed once more on July 6, 2017.

Mavericks sign rookie Ray Spalding

The Dallas Mavericks have signed second-round pick Ray Spalding.

Spalding (6-10, 215) was selected by Philadelphia with the 56th overall pick in this past year’s draft after a three-year college career at Louisville (2015-18). His draft rights were acquired by Dallas, along with the draft rights to the 60th overall pick Kostas Antetokounmpo, in exchange for the 54th overall selection Shake Milton.

As a junior in 2017-18, Spalding averaged 12.3 points (second on team), a team-high 8.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, a team-best 1.5 steals, 1.7 blocks and 27.7 minutes in 36 games (34 starts) for the Cardinals. He ranked fourth in the ACC in field goal percentage (.543), sixth in rebounding (8.7 rpg), third in offensive rebounding (3.14 orpg), 10th in steals (1.5 spg) and ninth in blocks (1.7 bpg). He was one of just two Division I players to average at least 8.5 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 1.5 steals in 2017-18 (Notre Dame’s Bonzie Colson). Spalding also posted 11 of his 13 career double-doubles as a junior.

The 6-10 forward played in all five games (started four) for Dallas at MGM Resorts NBA Summer League 2018 in Las Vegas, where he averaged 8.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.0 steal in 17.0 minutes.

Spalding attended Trinity High School in Louisville, Ky. He was a two-time first team all-state selection who led Trinity to a 24-6 record as a senior and a 118-21 record in his four-year career.

Dallas Mavericks hire Jenny Boucek and Stephen Silas as assistant coaches

The Dallas Mavericks have hired Jenny Boucek and Stephen Silas as assistant coaches.

Boucek (pronounced Boo-SECK) became just the third woman to coach in the NBA after spending last season with the Sacramento Kings (also Becky Hammond-San Antonio and Nancy Lieberman-Sacramento). Prior to joining the Kings, she spent three seasons as the head coach of the WNBA’s Seattle Storm (2015-17) and two-plus seasons as the head coach of the Sacramento Monarchs (2007-09).

Boucek was involved in the WNBA since its inaugural season in 1997 when she played for the Cleveland Rockers. Following a career-ending injury in 1998, she began her coaching career as an assistant with the Washington Mystics in 1999. She then spent three seasons (2000-02) in the same capacity with the Miami Sol and three seasons with the Seattle Storm (2003-05). In her first stint with Seattle in 2004, Boucek was a member of the franchise’s first WNBA Championship. The Storm won their second WNBA crown in 2010 with Boucek on staff in a similar role. Boucek is distinguished as the first athlete to play in the WNBA and subsequently serve as both an assistant and head coach in the league.

The Nashville, Tenn., native played collegiate basketball at the University of Virginia from 1992-96. Boucek helped lead the Cavaliers to four regular season Atlantic Coast Conference Championships and three NCAA Elite Eight appearances. She was a two-time GTE All-American, two-time ACC selection and two-time Defensive Player of the Year. She finished her career at Virginia with over 1,000 points.

Silas joins Dallas after spending the previous nine seasons as an assistant with the Charlotte Hornets, including the last as the team’s Associate Head Coach. The 2018-19 season will mark his 18th year as an assistant coach in the NBA.

During his recent stint with Charlotte, Silas served as the head coach of the team on several occasions. In 2015-16, he helped lead the Hornets to a division-best 48-34 (.585) record and the franchise’s second playoff appearance in a span of three years.

Silas joined the Hornets’ coaching staff on Dec. 26, 2010, after spending the previous four-and-a-half seasons as an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors. Prior to joining the Warriors, Silas served as an advance scout for the Washington Wizards during the 2005-06 campaign. He also spent five seasons as an assistant coach under his father, Paul Silas, with the original Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets (2000-03) and Cleveland Cavaliers (2003-05). Silas, who joined the original Hornets in the summer of 1999 as an advance and college scout, was promoted to assistant coach on June 5, 2000, making him the youngest assistant in the NBA at that time at 27 years old.

The Boston native graduated from Brown University in 1996, where he earned bachelor’s degrees in sociology and management and played four seasons for the Bears basketball team. Upon graduation, Silas spent three years as the assistant executive director of the National Basketball Retired Players Association in Providence, Rhode Island.

Mavericks waive Kyle Collinsworth

The Dallas Mavericks waived Kyle Collinsworth today.

Collinsworth (6-6, 210) was most recently signed by the Mavericks on Feb. 8, 2018 and remained on the roster for the duration of the season. During his 2017-18 campaign with Dallas, he averaged 3.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 15.0 minutes in 32 games (2 starts).

The former BYU guard has also played in 56 games (35 starts) for the Mavericks’ G-League affiliate, the Texas Legends, over the past two seasons (2016-18). In 20 games (19 starts) for the Legends in 2017-18, he averaged 11.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.8 steals in 35.6 minutes per game.

A native of Provo, Utah, Collinsworth played four years at BYU and averaged 12.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.6 steals and 30.9 minutes per game in 140 games. He was a three-time First Team All-WCC selection (2014-16) and set the NCAA career triple-double record with 12.