Mavs Moneyball • October 19 2024

Mavericks sign and waive Chaplin and Lucas

Roster maneuvers late in preseason and training camp can sometimes appear confusing. The Dallas Mavericks’ signing and cutting of guards Jamir Chaplin and Jarod Lucas is a perfect example.
On Friday, the Mavericks publicly announced the signing of Chaplin and Lucas a little after 1 p.m. Central Time. Less than 24 hours later, the team announced that it had waived both of them.
One day in the NBA. Tough break, right? Well, not so fast. This might be the break both players need to realize their N...

Mavs Moneyball • October 17 2024

Quentin Grimes is getting comfortable in Dallas

When Derrick Jones Jr. decamped for the Los Angeles Clippers in free agency this past summer, the Dallas Mavericks had to pivot. Jones Jr. was a key starter, giving the team an athletic two-way presence. Dallas turned around and signed two players to fill the void he left.
The Mavericks signed Naji Marshall and traded Tim Hardaway Jr. and three second-round picks to the Detroit Pistons for Quentin Grimes. Both transactions became official on July 6. They have played in all three preseason games...

Mavs Moneyball • October 8 2024

Jazian Gortman gives Mavs a scoring spark off the bench in preseason debut

There’s not a lot to glean from the NBA preseason as a whole. However, it is a proving ground for players on the cusp of a roster spot. Dallas Mavericks guard Jazian Gortman is such a player.
Gortman didn’t take long to make an impact in Dallas’ preseason opener and made the most of his sparse minutes. Being a scoring spark off the bench turned heads and garnered him some well-deserved attention.
“Gortman’s tough,” Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said during his postgame press conference. “I...

Mavs Moneyball • July 13 2024

What to watch for from the Mavs during Summer League

Summer League is upon us. Thousands of raucous NBA diehards will descend on the Thomas and Mack Center on the campus of UNLV to watch beautiful chaos unfold on the hardwood for 10 long days.
The Dallas Mavericks begin their five-game campaign in the desert Saturday night against the Utah Jazz. It’s the final game of the day, and fans watching from home should expect to stay up late for this one.
It’s tough to gauge expectations for this iteration of the Summer Mavs. This year’s roster doesn’t...

Mavs Moneyball • December 24 2023

AJ Lawson scores career-high 17 points against the Spurs

AJ Lawson is making the most of his opportunities. The Dallas Mavericks’ two-way wing is seeing additional playing time with a slew of injuries befalling the team. He walked away from Saturday night’s 144-119 win over the San Antonio Spurs, having notched one of the best performances of his career.

He recorded career highs in points, field goals made, rebounds, assists, and minutes played, finishing the game with 17 points, seven field goals made, seven rebounds, and three assists in 30:35 minu

Mavs Moneyball • December 13 2023

Dante Exum erupts for 17 fourth quarter points against Lakers

Dante Exum has been a bright spot for the Dallas Mavericks. In Wednesday night’s 127-125 win over the NBA In-Season Tournament champions Los Angeles Lakers, Exum showed that he can be more than just a role player filling spot minutes. He showed that he can step up and help carry the team in big games.

Exum erupted against L.A. in the fourth quarter. Knocking down shot after shot, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the rest of the Lakers must have felt like they were in Dante’s Inferno. Exum poure

Mavs Moneyball • December 12 2023

Olivier-Maxence Prosper is making the most of his opportunities

Opportunities are coming more regularly for Olivier-Maxence Prosper. On Monday night, the rookie wing played valuable minutes for the shorthanded Dallas Mavericks in the team’s 120-113 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

While some of Prosper’s increased playing time can be attributed to a slew of injuries befalling the team, he’s proven capable of playing within himself and handling the workload. He showed that same capable poise again on Monday.

“It’s all about being ready and next-man-up mental

Mavs Moneyball • November 11 2023

Derrick Jones Jr. deserves consideration for Most Improved Player

Derrick Jones Jr. continues to impress as a member of the Dallas Mavericks. Now in his eighth season at age 26, the veteran journeyman is coming alive. Playing alongside All-Stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in Dallas’ starting lineup, Jones looks comfortable and is making head-turning plays.

Known for his athleticism and defense, he has been a force on both sides of the ball this season. He’s the team’s primary wing defender and is helping fuel a potent offense, knocking down open shots from

Mavs Moneyball • October 31 2023

Derrick Jones Jr. has his best scoring game since 2020

Derrick Jones Jr. came alive Monday night. The 26-year-old NBA veteran, now in his eighth season, isn’t known as a scorer. Instead, he’s considered a defensive-minded Swiss Army knife with the ability to guard multiple positions. Last night, he bucked that one-dimensional perception.

Against the Memphis Grizzlies, Jones had one of the best scoring performances of his career. He had 22 points, helping the Dallas Mavericks improve their record to 3-0 with a 125-110 victory on the road.

“For me p

Mavs Moneyball • October 24 2023

Dereck Lively II is set to begin his NBA journey as a starter

Dereck Lively II played one of the best games of his life in the Dallas Mavericks’ preseason finale against the Detroit Pistons. Lively had 14 points, five rebounds, two assists and a block in 24 minutes of action as Dallas beat Detroit, 114-104. His 14 points were a preseason career-high. It was also the most points he has scored in a game since high school. Too bad none of it counts.

Lively will get a chance to record meaningful statistics and prove himself in the regular season soon enough.

Mavs Moneyball • October 8 2023

Mavericks looking at positives as they depart Abu Dhabi for Madrid

The Dallas Mavericks wrapped up their trip to the United Arab Emirates and play in the NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2023 on Saturday. Despite dropping both games to the Minnesota Timberwolves thanks to a lackluster effort on both ends, the team is looking at the positives from the trip before it flies to Madrid to take on Real Madrid Tuesday.

“I thought the trip was a positive in so many ways when you look at the health [of the team],” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “We leave here healthy and headed t

Mavs Moneyball • September 30 2023

Mavericks hope to get Doncic close to 100% healthy before regular season

Luka Doncic’s health was a primary concern as the Dallas Mavericks began training camp this week. The Slovenian superstar sustained a thigh injury while playing for his home country in the FIBA World Cup earlier this summer.

Initially, Doncic indicated that the injury might be serious, raising the question of what he can and can’t do in camp, especially as the Mavericks underwent two-a-days the first two days of practice. However, as he spoke with the media on Wednesday, he said he’s still unde

Mavs Moneyball • July 25 2023

Jordan ‘Jelly’ Walker is grateful for the chance to compete for a roster spot

Jordan Walker is in the midst of the busiest year of his life. The 23-year-old guard from the University of Alabama-Birmingham helped lead the Dragons to the NIT Championship game in March, signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Dallas Mavericks in June, played in Summer League in July, and became a father for the first time just days ago.

Despite everything already happening this year, there’s still more to come. Walker, who goes by the nickname Jelly*, will compete for a roster spot during tr

Mavs Moneyball • July 8 2023

The Mavericks arrive in Las Vegas seeking personal growth, Summer League championship

The Dallas Mavericks begin NBA Summer League play Saturday afternoon. Dallas will face an Oklahoma City Thunder team loaded with young talent in its opening game in Las Vegas. Unlike in previous years, the Mavericks have a team built around a core of players already under contract.

Dallas is led by second-year guard Jaden Hardy; first-round draft picks Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper; two-way players AJ Lawson, Mike Miles Jr., and McKinley Wright IV; and undrafted guard Jordan “Jel

Mavs Moneyball • June 5 2023

The Mavericks should embrace the chaos and pursue LeBron James

Recent reports indicate that Kyrie Irving contacted LeBron James to encourage the superstar to leave the Los Angeles Lakers and join him and Luka Doncic on the Dallas Mavericks. If true, it’s an unbelievably bold move from the free agent to be, signaling the start of an eventful month for the Mavericks.

Ordinarily, the outlandishness of James joining the Mavs is an idea reserved for click-bait stories from content mill websites. These aren’t ordinary times, however. The reports are credible. As

Mavs Moneyball • June 4 2023

Mavericks workout Dick ahead of possible Dick pick at No. 10

University of Kansas sharpshooter Gradey Dick had a pre-draft workout with the Dallas Mavericks this week. While the team won’t officially confirm the workout — per team policy, Dallas doesn’t release the names of players it brings in for workouts — Dick recently posted a video from the Mavericks locker room inside the team’s training facility on Instagram.

Dick, the 6-foot-8 shooting guard from Kansas, is a projected lottery pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. The Mavericks currently hold the No. 10 p

Mavs Moneyball • May 24 2023

The No. 10 pick gives the Mavericks options

Homeowners find themselves at a crossroads in the hit HGTV series Love It or List It. After living in their home for years, they’ve reached an impasse and must weigh the viability of staying in their current home or finding a new one that better suits their needs. Designer Hilary Farr and realtor David Visentin help sway the homeowners one way or the other in a friendly competition.

Farr takes stock of the current home and remodels it to improve its functionality, while Visentin shows them avai

Mavs Moneyball • May 18 2023

The Spurs drafting Victor Wembanyama is a worst-case scenario for the Mavs

Tuesday night’s NBA Draft Lottery was an omen of bad things to come. While the Dallas Mavericks were able to keep their first-round pick, thanks in part to some strategic late-season tanking, they didn’t move up from their pre-lottery position despite having a better than three percent chance of doing so. It’s a tale as old as time.

Because they didn’t move up, Dallas will miss out on selecting teenage French sensation Victor Wembanyama, the consensus No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. The San A

Mavs Moneyball • April 8 2023

The Mavericks’ failed 2022-23 season is finally over

Despite the spin from the front office and various media members, it was clear early on that the Dallas Mavericks’ season was destined to end in disappointment. What no one predicted, however, was just how much of a failure it would be.

With their 115-112 loss to the Chicago Bulls Friday night, Dallas was eliminated from play-in contention with one game to go in the regular season. It will be the first time the Mavericks have missed the postseason since the 2018-19 season, and it will go down a

Mavs Moneyball • March 12 2023

Christian Wood getting less minutes doesn’t make sense

Christian Wood rodethe bench, watching the Dallas Mavericks squander another double-digit lead. This time it came at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies, who rallied from down 11 points in the fourth quarter to notch a 112-108 win.

Wood helped build the 11-point lead but subbed out with 7:28 remaining in the final frame and the Mavericks up 92-87. He never checked back in. After the game, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd explained his approach to managing Wood’s minutes.

“You look at just the de

Mavs Moneyball • February 27 2023

Mavericks collapse to Lakers shows urgent need for both players, coaches to get serious

The Dallas Mavericks lost embarrassingly — again — on Sunday afternoon. The rebuilt Los Angeles Lakers were in town, fighting to improve their seeding. After falling behind by 27 points, things looked grim for the Lakeshow. It wouldn’t matter.

Over 28 minutes, spanning the last few minutes of the second quarter and the entire second half, the Mavericks squandered their lead as the Lakers chipped away. L.A. walked away with a 111-108 win.

There were a lot of factors playing into Dallas’ abysmal

Mavs Moneyball • January 16 2023

‘It’s disrespectful’ — Mark Cuban doesn’t like the latest Luka Doncic mural in Deep Ellum

A new painting in Deep Ellum is causing quite a stir. On the side of St. Pete’s Dancing Marlin, a neighborhood bar and grill, muralist Preston Pannek hung a painting of Dallas Mavericks phenom Luka Doncic. Rather than just featuring a likeness of the Slovenian superstar, it includes a message.

The painting shows Doncic holding a sign over his head that reads, “PLEASE SEND HELP,” with some of Doncic’s recent astonishing stat lines surrounding it. It’s a sentiment that many Mavericks fans have ex

Mavs Moneyball • December 26 2022

Scenes from the Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki statue unveiling ceremony

On a chilly Christmas morning in front of the American Airlines Center, the Dallas Mavericks, current and former players, fans, and city officials gathered to pay tribute NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki. In a 20-plus minute ceremony, the team unveiled a statue honoring the future Hall-of-Famer.

The statue was created by artist Omri Amrany, who worked closely with Nowitzki and Holger Gerschwinder to accurately capture Dirk’s signature one-legged fadeaway jump shot. Inscribed on the base of the statue a

Mavs Moneyball • November 28 2022

Spencer Dinwiddie puts the Mavericks’ loss to the Bucks into perspective

From the outside looking in, the Dallas Mavericks appear to be spiraling. The team completed a winless three-game road trip through the Eastern Conference, losing four-in-a-row overall, and dropped below .500 for the first time since October 29. Now, Dallas is pursuing Kemba Walker to try and help right the ship.

While the Mavericks showed some fight against the Bucks, the loss magnified the team’s struggles. The loss may not sting so much had Dallas not squandered opportunities throughout the