Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks are giving veteran forward Maxi Kleber a new contract before the team opens training camp.

Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Kleber is finalizing a three-year, $33 million extension that will keep him with the Mavs through the 2025-26 season.

Kleber has spent his entire NBA career with the Mavs after spending six seasons playing professionally overseas. The German signed with the team in July 2017 and established himself as a key role player primarily off the bench.

Since the start of the 2018-19, Kleber has averaged more than 20 minutes per game in each of the past four seasons.

This marks the second extension Kleber has received from Dallas. The 6'10" power forward got a four-year, $35 million deal in July 2019 that included a team option that the Mavs exercised for this season.

There is some risk for the Mavs with this deal. Since playing a career-high 74 games in 2019-20, Kleber has missed 45 regular-season games over the past two seasons because of injuries.

Kleber will be looking for a bounce-back performance in 2022-23 after an inconsistent showing last season. He averaged 7.0 points per game and set career lows in field-goal percentage (39.8) and free-throw percentage (70.8).

The Mavericks have reasons to be optimistic about Kleber turning things around. He averaged 8.3 points per game and made 38.8 percent of his three-point attempts in 124 games from 2019-21.

Expectations are high in Dallas coming off an appearance in the Western Conference Finals last season. Luka Doncic is an established superstar and a potential MVP candidate this season.

Role players like Kleber will need to play at a high level, especially with Jalen Brunson leaving to join the New York Knicks in free agency, if the Mavs are going to meet their expectations in 2022-23.

We're about to find out how valuable Jalen Brunson really is.

The 25-year-old left a significant void in the Dallas Mavericks' backcourt when he signed with the New York Knicks. He thrived in his first full season as a regular starter and hit a new level when the playoffs arrived.

Losing Brunson was bad enough for the Mavs. Compounding the situation is that they lacked the salary-cap space to sign a replacement and already used a first-round pick and salary filler to land Christian Wood.

As a result, Dallas might have to lean even more on Luka Doncic, who's already on pace through his first four years to have the highest usage rate (35.1 percent) in NBA history, per Basketball Reference.

Replicating a fourth-place finish in 2021-22 won't be easy for head coach Jason Kidd.

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2022-23 Mavericks Schedule Details

Season Opener: at Phoenix Suns (Oct. 19)

Championship Odds: 25-1 (via FanDuel)

Full Schedule: NBA.com

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Top Matchups

Minnesota Timberwolves (Dec. 19, Dec. 21, Feb. 13)

The Minnesota Timberwolves made the single most aggressive move of the offseason when they acquired Rudy Gobert from the Utah Jazz.

Did the Timberwolves give up too much for the three-time All-Star? Probably. But that's the tax teams in smaller markets like Minnesota have to pay in order to get players with the Frenchman's resume.

You can't blame a franchise with two playoff appearances since 2004 for pushing in all of its chips, either, when it looks to have a roster that can be a steady postseason contender.

At the least, Gobert should raise the Timberwolves' ceiling in the regular season. The Cleveland Cavaliers also showed with Lauri Markkanen, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen that super-big lineups could be a way to counteract the current tactical trends in the NBA.

The Timberwolves figure to be stiff competition for Dallas in the battle to secure a top-four seed.

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Denver Nuggets (Nov. 18, Nov. 20, Dec. 6, Feb. 15)

The same can be said of the Denver Nuggets, which will have Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. back to support two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic.

You don't need to wade into the analytics discourse to convey the Serb's value to Denver. He averaged 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 1.5 steals and shot 58.3 percent from the field.

The Nuggets were mostly a one-man show and managed to still win 48 games and claim the sixth seed in the West.

Murray is coming off a torn ACL, and Porter's back injury is even more concerning because of what it portends for his future. Maybe neither player is the same upon returning to the court. But getting 60 percent of Murray and Porter is more than zero percent, which is what they basically combined to deliver in 2021-22. (Porter was limited to nine appearances.)

There are plenty of reasons to question the Nuggets' championship credentials, but they aren't going anywhere as a top-half team in the West.

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Season Forecast

Doncic had a bit of a reality check last year when he conceded in December his preseason conditioning probably wasn't where it needed to be. Players at his level simply can't afford to cut corners when it comes to off-court preparation.

Following an uneven start, the three-time All-Star hit his stride midway through 2021-22. Here are his stats through January and then from February on:

• 36 games, 25.6 PTS, 8.9 REB, 8.9 AST, .444 FG%, .309 3P% 
• 29 games, 31.9 PTS, 9.4 REB, 8.6 AST, .472 FG%, .398 3P%

Still, it remains to be seen whether Doncic performing at an MVP-type level for a full season will be enough for the Mavericks in 2022-23. From top to bottom, their roster may not be much better than it was last year, while others in the West are potentially on the way up.

The New Orleans Pelicans should have a healthy Zion Williamson again. The Los Angeles Clippers are immediately back to being a title threat now that they can pair Kawhi Leonard alongside Paul George. And then there's the aforementioned Timberwolves and Nuggets.

All of those teams finished below Dallas in the standings.

Because Doncic is so good, you can't take another 50-win season off the table, but the odds of the Mavericks hitting that mark might be low.

Record Prediction: 47-35

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After their entertaining seven-game series in the Western Conference Semifinals, the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns won't have to wait long to reignite their rivalry.

Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic reported Monday that the two teams will open their 2022-23 season with a matchup on Oct. 19.

The Mavericks surprisingly emerged victorious from their playoff series to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2011. The Suns entered last year's playoffs as the No. 1 seed after finishing with a league-best record of 64-18. Phoenix needed six games to get past the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round, but the team looked to have returned to form when it opened its series against Dallas with back-to-back wins.

However, the Mavs upped their defensive intensity when they returned to their home floor to win the next two games. The Suns then cruised to a 30-point win in Game 5 to push the Mavericks to the brink of elimination, but things fell apart for Phoenix in the next two contests.

The Mavs took a 113-86 win at home in Game 6 before returning to Phoenix and shocking the masses with a 123-90 blowout victory in Game 7. Suns star shooting guard Devin Booker shot a combined 9-of-31 from the field over the final two games of the series. Conversely, Luka Doncic put the Mavs on his back with a combined 68 points in Games 6 and 7.

Phoenix will surely be seeking revenge after its disappointing playoff exit. The Suns maintained their entire core, with veteran point guard Chris Paul returning for another run and young center Deandre Ayton re-signing after testing restricted free agency.

Dallas notably lost second-leading scorer Jalen Brunson after he signed with the New York Knicks, but the team added size by trading for center Christian Wood and signing veteran big man JaVale McGee.

After a couple of years of taking criticism for his seemingly inconsistent commitment to staying in peak shape during the offseason, Luka Doncic is apparently motivated to prove his doubters wrong.

Doncic's svelte frame is already making waves across social media, and his personal kinesiologist, Anze Macek, said the slights have been a factor in keeping the Dallas Mavericks star working this offseason.

"Luka is a global star. In plain sight. People follow him every step of the way, as far as possible. Therefore, evil tongues also appear very quickly. Maybe they are trying to get to him by commenting on each photo. But that's really not a good way," Macek told SportKlub Slovenija. "He always has an answer. This only further motivates him and drives him forward."

Doncic has been working with fellow Slovenian and Chicago Bulls guard Goran Dragic throughout the offseason as they prepare to represent their country in the 2022 EuroBasket tournament.

"He remains active," Macek said. "I am in contact with him almost on a daily basis. He keeps his shape. He will improve everything during the national team practices where he will prepare with maximum effort."

Doncic admitted to taking too much time off last offseason, which led to him arriving at Mavericks camp out of shape and playing his way into form as the season went along. He reached the apex of his form in the postseason, spearheading the Mavs' surprising run to the Western Conference Finals while averaging 31.7 points per game.

If Doncic can be in playoff-caliber shape at the beginning of the regular season, we could be looking at the 2022-23 NBA MVP.

This just in: Mark Cuban thinks Luka Doncic is very good at basketball.

The Dallas Mavericks governor appeared on the Full Send podcast recently and called Doncic one of the two best players in the NBA.

"Top one or two. He's a beast. He's so good and he's adding stuff to his game this summer. I mean he's gonna come back even better," Cuban said (via Basket News).

Cuban did not say which player he'd put in the conversation with Doncic, likely wanting to avoid a fine from the league office for tampering.

Doncic has been an All-Star and first-team All-NBA selection each of the last three years, putting together a Hall of Fame-caliber resume at the age of 23. He's finished no worse than sixth in MVP voting each of the last three seasons.

The 6'7" guard is coming off the apex of his NBA career, leading a less-than-stellar Mavericks team to the Western Conference Finals before losing to the Golden State Warriors.

There's little question Doncic is one of the building blocks to the NBA's next generation. Once Cuban gets a more championship-caliber team around Doncic, it's likely the Mavs governor's star player will get recognized in the way he wants.

The Dallas Mavericks aren't expected to be a suitor for Russell Westbrook, either as trade partners or in a free-agent signing, if the 33-year-old is bought out this year.

"So you guys told me that you heard [Dallas might be a fit for Westbrook] and I checked in. I got a very quick, 'Hell no,'" ESPN's Tim MacMahon said on Friday's The Hoop Collective (49:25 mark).

Whether Westbrook will be traded this summer, and where he ends up, remains one of the major storylines of the NBA offseason, alongside the future destinations for players like Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Donovan Mitchell.

Westbrook had a disastrous first year with the Lakers, averaging 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists while shooting just 44.4 percent from the field, 66.7 percent from the free-throw line and 29.8 percent from three.

His inability to space the floor off the ball, his poor defense and his struggles fitting in with LeBron James and Anthony Davis—and his inability to carry the Lakers' offense when that pair was out injured—played a major part in the team's 33-49 record and lackluster overall season.

Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported on Monday that James, Davis and Westbrook "huddled up on a phone conversation the first weekend of NBA Summer League in Las Vegas with each expressing their commitment to one another and vowing to make it work."

But Westbrook's longtime and now-former agent, Wasserman's Thad Foucher, suggested after the sides parted ways that Westbrook wanted to move on from the Lakers, while he thought the veteran point guard should try to make it work for one more season in Los Angeles.

Given that Westbrook is set to make $47 million this upcoming season, a trade won't be simple.

As for the Mavericks, the team did lose impactful point guard Jalen Brunson to the New York Knicks in free agency this summer, but it's hard to see how a ball-dominant player like Westbrook would fit next to ball-dominant superstar Luka Doncic.

Westbrook struggled alongside James. Playing off the ball in Dallas while Doncic works his magic seems like an arguably worse fit, even if Westbrook eventually becomes available on the buyout market.

The Dallas Mavericks and JaVale McGee reached an agreement on a three-year, $20.1 million contract, per Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic.

Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports first reported news of the agreement.

The Milwaukee Bucks also reportedly had interest in the center, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon, but the Mavericks landed the free agent.

McGee joined the Phoenix Suns on a one-year, $5 million contract last offseason. He handled a key reserve role, averaging 9.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks across 74 appearances (17 starts) while serving as the chief backup to star center Deandre Ayton.

The 34-year-old Michigan native has also made stops with the Washington Wizards, Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers since being selected in the first round of the 2008 draft.

Even as the NBA has evolved toward post players who can stretch the floor, McGee has illustrated the ability to make an impact as an old-school center.

In April, the three-time NBA champion explained on 98.7 FM Arizona Sports he was brought to Phoenix not only for his on-court impact but also to help provide guidance for Ayton on the "intricacies" of the position.

"That's definitely one of my job descriptions," McGee said. "My job description was to come here and work hard, anchor the defense on the second unit and also mentor Deandre to be a great center, even though he's already a great center at this young age."

While the University of Nevada product has shown he can still play starter-level minutes when injuries arise, that combination of a reserve and leadership role figures to remain his main task for the remainder of his career.

McGee has averaged 8.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 821 regular-season games across 14 seasons. Along with his NBA titles, he also captured a gold medal as part of Team USA at the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

He is a solid addition for the Mavericks for much the same reason he found a comfort zone in Phoenix. He can provide strong defense and efficient offensive contributions while also bringing a battle-hardened leadership voice to the locker room.

McGee should provide some much-needed frontcourt balance for Dallas as the team tries to take the next steep toward contention.

The Dallas Mavericks now have a Jalen Brunson-sized hole in their backcourt after he made a commitment to the New York Knicks on a four-year, $104 million contract, his agents confirmed to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The 25-year-old wasn't the most decorated player to hit free agency this offseason, but he was one of the bigger wild cards.

Since the 2018 second-round pick was an unrestricted free agent, the Mavericks couldn't simply match an offer sheet he received. He's also a proven contributor who doesn't qualify as a top-tier star.

For teams in smaller markets looking to make a big splash, Brunson was a prime target to consider.

ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported in April that sources around the league thought the Villanova product could collect $20 million annually and that his value had gone as high as $25 million.

When it came to the Mavericks, Jalen's father, Rick, made it clear to MacMahon the young guard wasn't going to take anything less than his market rate.

"We've got to figure out if Dallas wants him. Not words," he said. "Ain't no discount. So don't put it on us. Don't tell me you love me. Show me."

Leaving the Mavericks also presented Brunson with the opportunity to occupy a role that was likely unattainable as long as he shared a bench with Luka Doncic.

According to Basketball Reference, the Slovenian had the eighth-highest usage rate (37.4 percent) for a single season in 2021-22. He also has the 10th (36.7 percent in 2019-20) and 17th-highest (36.0 percent in 2020-21) marks.

That the Mavs have such an offense based around Doncic can make it difficult for other guards to shine, and those players might ultimately prefer different surroundings in which they're more empowered.

Through his first three years, Brunson was used largely as a backup. In 2021-22, he proved himself as a starter, which couldn't have been timed much better ahead of his impending free agency.

He averaged 16.3 points, 4.8 assists and 3.9 rebounds in 79 appearances. He also shot 50.2 percent from the field and 37.3 percent from beyond the arc.

The 2022 playoffs were another great proving ground for the 6'1" playmaker. He averaged 27.8 points in Dallas' first-round win over the Utah Jazz. With Doncic out injured, his 41 points propelled the Mavs to a 110-104 Game 2 victory.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg33LJFV0dE

Extrapolating what a player did in the playoffs beyond that can be dangerous when that player doesn't have an extended track record already. But Brunson was so good for Dallas in the postseason.

Jalen Brunson has 20+ points in 5 straight playoff games.

He has never had 20+ points in more than 2 straight games in his regular-season career. pic.twitter.com/mGSMWEYId6

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 26, 2022

Luka has been amazing since he first stepped foot in the league. We all knew that.

But Jalen Brunson and Dorian Finney-Smith were the difference makers this series. They were massive.

— Jason Gallagher (@jga41agher) April 29, 2022

It felt like a confirmation of sorts to cement how he had arrived as a valuable contributor on a franchise with lofty aspirations. Even assuming Brunson reverts back more to what he was during the 2021-22 regular season, he still showed he can do a bit of everything on the court.

His departure could be a big blow for the Mavs because there isn't a straightforward way of replacing him. Spencer Dinwiddie outperformed expectations after arriving from the Kristaps Porzingis trade, but the backcourt gets pretty thin after him and Doncic.

Given its salary-cap situation, Dallas can't turn around and sign a guard who's an upgrade over Brunson or at least at his level.

In time, this could work out for the Mavericks. Brunson could fall back to Earth in a big way and turn his contract into a bit of an albatross for New York. For now, this is a clear setback in the franchise's quest for a championship.

From the Knicks' perspective, the Kemba Walker experiment was a disaster as Walker didn't make it one full season before it became clear the team wanted to move on. Derrick Rose, meanwhile, was limited to 26 games because of injuries.

In order to avoid another losing season, New York absolutely had to upgrade at point guard, and the state of the market at the position made Brunson a top priority.

Free-agent point guard Jalen Brunson is expected to land a massive contract this offseason, and he will reportedly meet with three teams when negotiations open Thursday evening.

Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported Wednesday that Brunson will have discussions with the Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks and Miami Heat on the first day of free agency.

Haynes noted that Brunson will host the meetings in New York. The Knicks have been widely regarded as the favorites to sign the 25-year-old. ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported Tuesday that New York was preparing to offer Brunson "a four-year deal in excess of $100 million." The Knicks have made multiple moves to clear cap space, and Brunson's father, Rick Brunson, was hired as an assistant coach on Tom Thibodeau's staff.

While it seems like signing with the Knicks is an inevitability for Brunson, it appears that he's interested in exploring the possibility of earning a sweeter deal. NBA insider Marc Stein reported that it was Brunson's camp that requested to meet with both Dallas and Miami.

The Mavericks are reportedly pessimistic at the chance of re-signing Brunson, but they have a certain advantage over his other suitors. Dallas can offer Brunson a maximum five-year, $125 million contract, but it's unlikely that the team wants to commit such a substantial chunk of salary to him. Haynes reported that the Mavs were hoping to come to an agreement on a five-year contract worth $106 million.

The Heat, who are considered a "dark-horse team," might have the longest odds of landing Brunson. Miami would likely need to complete a sign-and-trade for the rising point guard.

The New York Knicks appear to be going all-in for impending free agent Jalen Brunson.

The Knicks are expected to offer Brunson a four-year, $110 million deal when free agency opens Thursday in an attempt to pry him away from the Dallas Mavericks, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

The deal would pay Brunson $27.5 million annually. For comparison, Chris Paul is making $28.4 million per year with the Phoenix Suns and Kyle Lowry is making $28.3 million annually with the Miami Heat.

The most New York can offer Brunson is $131 million over four years, according to SNY's Ian Begley.

That said, it's unclear if the Mavericks would be willing to offer Brunson a similar deal. According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, Dallas' price point to re-sign the 25-year-old is $22 million per year or $110 million total value.

The maximum amount the Mavericks can offer Brunson is $175.45 million over five years, according to Spotrac. It's hard to imagine the franchise offering him a deal worth $35.1 million annually when starting point guard Luka Doncic is estimated to make $36.6 million in 2022-23.

At one point, the Mavericks were confident in re-signing Brunson this summer, but it appears the franchise's thoughts might have changed.

The Athletic's Tim Cato reported earlier this week that the Mavericks have "anticipated" Brunson leaving for "weeks." NBA insider Marc Stein also reported that "there is a growing resignation in Dallas, sources say, that the Knicks are indeed Brunson's top choice and his inevitable destination."

The Knicks have positioned themselves well to make a run at Brunson this summer. By trading Kemba Walker, Nerlens Noel and Alec Burks to the Detroit Pistons, the franchise has cleared $30 million in cap space, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

New York cleared $19 million by trading Noel, Burks and cash to the Pistons on Tuesday. The Knicks traded Walker, who is expected to negotiate a buyout, to the Pistons last week, which cleared $9 million.

The Knicks have been considered a landing spot for Brunson since before his father joined Tom Thibodeau's coaching staff.

The franchise's interest comes as little surprise, as he had a breakout 2021-22 season, averaging 16.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists while shooting 50.2 percent from the floor and 37.3 percent from deep in 79 regular-season games

In addition, he averaged 21.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 46.6 percent from the floor and 34.7 percent from deep in 18 playoff games.

If the Knicks fail to land Brunson this summer, it's unclear how the team plans to deal with its point guard problem.