Dallas Mavericks Blog – Page 23 – NBA Blog

Mavericks re-sign Nerlens Noel

The Dallas Mavericks have re-signed center Nerlens Noel.

According to the Dallas Morning News, “restricted free agent center Nerlens Noel has ended a summer-long negotiations stalemate by signing a one-year qualifying offer of $4.1 million to return to Dallas for the 2017-18 season.”

Noel (6-11, 220), who was acquired by the Mavericks from the Philadelphia 76ers in a trade-deadline deal on Feb. 23, averaged 8.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 1.0 steal, 1.1 blocks and 21.9 minutes in 22 games (12 starts) with Dallas last year.

More from the Dallas Morning News: “The Mavericks source confirmed an earlier report by ESPN’s Chris Hayes. Saturday’s news comes less than a week after Noel replaced agent Happy Walters with Klutch Sports’ Rich Paul, who also represents LeBron James. It’s also a bold and risky move by Noel, who could have signed a more lucrative long-term deal with the Mavericks or another franchise before the regular-season begins on Oct. 17.”

For the 2016-17 season, Noel posted averages of 8.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 1.3 steals, 1.0 block and 20.5 minutes in 51 games (19 starts) with Philadelphia and Dallas.

The three-year veteran out of Kentucky holds career averages of 10.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.5 blocks and 27.6 minutes in 193 games (152 starts) with the Sixers and the Mavericks. He has shot 51.1 percent from the floor for his career.

A native of Malden, Mass., Noel was originally selected by the New Orleans Pelicans with the sixth overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. His rights were later traded to Philadelphia along with a future first-round pick in exchange for Jrue Holiday and Pierre Jackson.

As a rookie in 2014-15, Noel averaged 9.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.8 steals, 1.9 blocks and 30.8 minutes per game in 75 games (71 starts) while garnering NBA All-Rookie First Team honors.

In his lone season at Kentucky (2012-13), Noel averaged 10.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 2.1 steals, 4.4 blocks and 31.9 minutes en route to earning First Team All-SEC, SEC Defensive Player of the Year and SEC Rookie of the Year honors. On Jan. 29, 2013, Noel set the UK single-game record with 12 blocked shots in a victory over No. 16 Ole Miss.

Noel suffered a torn ACL in a game against the Florida Gators on Feb. 12, 2013, ending his 2012-13 season. Despite the injury, Noel declared for the 2013 NBA Draft following his freshman year. He missed the entire 2013-14 NBA season recovering from knee surgery.

The 23-year-old was the top-rated player by both ESPNU recruiting and Scout.com coming out of high school and was rated the second-best prospect by Rivals.com

The Mavericks’ 2017-18 training camp roster is now set at 20 players.

Mavericks sign Jeff Withey

The Dallas Mavericks have signed free agent center Jeff Withey.

Withey (7-0, 230) is a four-year veteran who was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in the second round (39th overall pick) of the 2013 NBA Draft. His draft rights were acquired by the New Orleans Pelicans on July 10, 2013. He spent his first two seasons in New Orleans before signing with the Utah Jazz as a free agent on Aug. 24, 2015. He has averaged 3.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 10.3 minutes in 197 career games (15 starts) with New Orleans and Utah.

The San Diego, Calif., native played four years at the University of Kansas where he saw action in 117 career games (76 starts) for the Jayhawks. In his senior campaign, Withey averaged 13.7 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.9 blocks per contest while earning NABC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, First Team All-Big 12 and Second Team All-American.

Mavs ready to begin 38th season

The Dallas Mavericks have announced their 2017-18 schedule, which will tip-off at American Airlines Center vs. Atlanta on Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m. CT.

The 2017-18 campaign will mark the Mavericks’ 38th season and their 17th playing at American Airlines Center. Dallas will play its first two games of the season at home before traveling to division-rival Houston on Oct. 21 for its first road test.

The Mavericks’ national TV schedule includes five games on ESPN, one on TNT and five on NBA TV.

All five of the Mavericks’ ESPN games will come against Western Conference opponents, with three of those coming on the road. The Mavericks’ first ESPN telecast will come at the Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 1. The remaining four ESPN games are: vs. San Antonio (Dec. 12), vs. Houston (Jan. 24), at Phoenix (Jan. 31) and at the Los Angeles Lakers (Feb. 23).

TNT’s lone Dallas game comes when the Mavericks visit the Golden State Warriors for the first time on Dec. 14.

Dallas will also have five games televised on NBA TV, all coming on the road.

Mavericks sign Maalik Wayns

The Dallas Mavericks have signed free agent guard Maalik Wayns.

Wayns (6-2, 200) is a two-year NBA veteran with career averages of 2.7 points and 1.0 assist in 29 career games (one start) with Philadelphia and L.A. Clippers.

The Philadelphia native spent last season as the starting point guard for Maccabi Rishon in Israel. He averaged 15.1 points, 4.1 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 30.1 minutes in 16 games, while shooting .445 from the floor, .413 from behind-the-arc and .737 from the foul line.

The former Villanova standout went undrafted in the 2012 NBA Draft after foregoing his senior season with the Wildcats. As a junior, Wayns averaged 17.6 points, 4.6 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 33.6 minutes on his way to earning Second Team All-Big East.

Mavericks sign guard P.J. Dozier

The Dallas Mavericks have signed free agent guard P.J. Dozier.

Dozier (6-6, 205) recently competed for the Los Angeles Lakers’ summer league team in Las Vegas this past July. In two games, he averaged 1.0 point, 1.5 rebounds and 5.0 minutes per game.

A native of Columbia, S.C., Dozier went undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft after two seasons at the University of South Carolina. As a sophomore in 2016-17, he averaged 13.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, a team-high 2.8 assists, 1.7 steals and 28.7 minutes per game in 36 games.

During the 2017 NCAA Tournament, Dozier averaged 15.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while helping the Gamecocks clinch their first-ever berth in the Final Four. He was named to the 2017 East Regional All-Tournament Team.

Mavericks sign Brandon Ashley

The Dallas Mavericks have signed free agent forward Brandon Ashley.

Ashley (6-9, 230) played on both of the Mavericks’ summer league teams this past July. In two games in Orlando, he averaged 8.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.0 steal in 21.0 minutes. In six games (all starts) in Las Vegas, he averaged 11.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.0 block in 20.0 minutes while shooting 47.4 percent (27-of-57) from the floor.

After going undrafted in the 2015 NBA Draft, Ashley spent the 2015 preseason with Dallas but was waived by the club on Oct. 24, 2015. He joined the Mavericks’ D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends, for the 2015-16 season. In 33 games (all starts) for the Legends, he averaged 14.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.0 steal, 1.4 blocks and 31.7 minutes en route to being named a 2016 NBA D-League All-Star.

In February 2016, Ashley signed with Germany’s Alba Berlin. In 14 games for Alba, he averaged 8.5 points and 5.7 rebounds in 19.6 minutes.

The San Francisco native was an early entry candidate for the NBA Draft after his junior season at the University of Arizona. He started all 38 games as a junior, averaging 12.2 points and 5.2 rebounds in 27.8 minutes while helping the Wildcats return to the Elite Eight for the second straight year. Ashley was also named Honorable Mention All-Pac-12 and the Most Outstanding player of the Pac-12 tournament as a junior.

Mavericks sign guard Gian Clavell

The Dallas Mavericks have signed free agent guard Gian Clavell.

Clavell (6-4, 185) recently competed for the Miami Heat’s summer league teams in both Orlando and Las Vegas. In five games in Las Vegas, he averaged 12.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 24.6 minutes while shooting 45.2 percent (19-of-42) from the field, 40.6 percent (13-of-32) from 3-point range and 91.7 percent (11-of-12) from the foul line.

A native of Caguas, Puerto Rico, Clavell also played for Brujos de Guayama in the BSN league this summer. He averaged 5.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in three games for the Puerto Rican club.

The former Colorado State standout went undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft after earning Mountain West Player of the Year honors as a redshirt senior last season. In 27 games for the Rams in 2016-17, he averaged a MWC-best 20.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.0 steals in 36.6 minutes.

Clavell spent two years at Northwest Kansas Technical College (2012-14) before transferring to CSU. He attended high school in Miami (at Hialeah Gardens HS), as did fellow Mavericks guard J.J. Barea (Miami Christian School), who also hails from Puerto Rico.

Clavell was included on the Puerto Rican national team’s preliminary list for the FIBA Americup 2017.

Mavericks waive Nicolas Brussino

The Dallas Mavericks have waived guard-forward Nicolas Brussino.

Brussino (6-8, 195) averaged 2.8 points, 1.7 rebounds and 9.7 minutes in 54 games (two starts) with Dallas as a rookie in 2016-17.

A native of Canada de Gomez, Argentina, Brussino signed with Dallas as a free agent on July 15, 2016.

Mavericks sign Maxi Kleber

The Dallas Mavericks have signed free agent forward Maxi Kleber.

Kleber (6-11, 220) spent the last eight seasons playing professionally in Germany and Spain, including the most recent two with Germany’s FC Bayern Munich. In 37 Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) games for Bayern Munich last year, he averaged 8.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 blocks en route to being named a BBL All-Star, All-BBL Second Team and BBL Most Effective Player.

In 17 EuroCup games for Bayern Munich in 2016-17, Kleber averaged 9.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists while being named All-EuroCup Second Team.

Kleber hails from Wurzburg, Germany, the same hometown as Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki. He has played for the German national team in international competition, including the 2014 Eurobasket qualification rounds.

Heat trade Josh McRoberts to Mavericks

The Miami Heat have traded forward Josh McRoberts, a 2023 second round draft pick and cash considerations to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for center AJ Hammons.

McRoberts (6-10, 240) played 22 games with 14 starts for the Miami Heat last season and averaged 4.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists in 17.3 minutes. He suffered a stress fracture in his left foot on 12/23 and missed the remainder of the season.

The 10-year career veteran has played for six teams (Portland, Indiana, L.A. Lakers, Orlando, Charlotte and Miami) after getting drafted 37th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in 2007. He has career averages of 5.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 19.2 minutes in 431 games (179 starts) while shooting a clip of 46.4% from the field and 70.5% from the line.

Hammons (7-0, 250) appeared in 22 games for Dallas as a rookie last season, averaging 2.2 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.6 blocks in 7.4 minutes per game.

The 46th overall selection in the 2016 NBA Draft also appeared in 15 games (14 starts) for the Mavericks G-League affiliate Texas Legends and averaged 12.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 25.7 minutes.

The center finished his four years at Purdue ranked on many of its all-time lists including rebounds (3rd), blocks (2nd) and scoring (17th). Hammons garnered Second Team All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Defensive Team honors as a junior and was named Big Ten All-Freshman Team in his first collegiate season.

The Gary, Ind., native attended high school at basketball-power Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) where he was named a McDonald’s All-American.