Dallas Mavericks

Jalen Brunson is going to secure a hefty new contract this summer, though there was little doubt about that following his impressive 2021-22 campaign.

The Dallas Mavericks point guard is in line to receive a contract that "meets or even exceeds" the four-year, $85 million deal Fred VanVleet signed with the Toronto Raptors in 2020, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.

While Brunson is expected to draw interest from several teams this summer, Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer reported there is a belief around the league that he will return to Dallas on an extension.

That said, there have been rumblings about Brunson possibly joining the New York Knicks after they hired his father, Rick Brunson, as an assistant coach under Tom Thibodeau. However, Stein reported that the Mavericks don't have "grave concern" about the younger Brunson possibly heading to New York.

In addition, The Athletic's Tim Cato reported earlier this week that the Mavericks intend to extend Brunson, who is supposedly open to remaining in Dallas.

"I've been told there's mutual interest on both sides to re-sign him," Cato wrote, "and Mark Cuban told Bally Sports the Mavericks can offer him more money than anyone else. It's a statement that indicates intent."

Regardless of where Brunson signs, he won't come cheap. League executives reportedly believe he'll receive a contract worth between $20-25 million per year, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon.

The maximum amount the Mavericks can offer Brunson is $175.5 million over five years, according to Spotrac. That equates to $35.1 million per year, which would put him in a range that includes Ben Simmons ($35.4 million per year), Luka Doncic ($36.6 million per year) and Trae Young ($36.6 million per year).

It's hard to imagine the Mavericks would pay Brunson that much, so it's no surprise that Stein reported he's expected to receive a deal similar to what VanVleet signed in Toronto.

The Mavericks selected Brunson in the second round of the 2018 NBA draft. He was solid during the first three years of his career but experienced a breakout 2021-22 campaign, averaging 16.3 points, 4.8 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting 50.2 percent from the floor and 37.3 percent from deep.

Brunson's big year helped the Mavericks finish fourth in the Western Conference with a 52-30 record. They reached the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2011 but fell to the Golden State Warriors in five games. 

The Dallas Mavericks don't have "grave concern" about Jalen Brunson joining the New York Knicks this summer despite the franchise hiring his father, Rick Brunson, as an assistant coach, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.

"It has been known throughout the league that [Tom] Thibodeau has wanted Rick Brunson on his staff from the moment he joined the Knicks entering the 2020-21 season and not because it will help New York lure Rick’s son, Jalen Brunson, away from the Mavericks in free agency this summer," Stein wrote.

Marc Berman of the New York Post reported Thursday that Brunson would be joining Thibodeau's coaching staff. The elder Brunson had previously served as an assistant under Thibodeau with the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Berman's report noted that "Rick Brunson told a confidant recently he just wants his son to sign the fairest deal representative of his market value." So, there's no guarantee he decides to team up with his father in New York.

Brunson, 25, is set to become an unrestricted free agent after spending the first four seasons in Dallas. The Mavericks selected him in the second round of the 2018 draft.

The Villanova product was solid in his first three seasons in Dallas, but he had a breakout 2021-22 campaign, averaging 16.3 points, 4.8 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting 50.2 percent from the floor and 37.3 percent from deep.

The point guard's impressive season helped the Mavericks finish fourth in the Western Conference with a 52-30 record and the team reached the Western Conference Finals, where they fell to the Golden State Warriors.

While a number of teams will likely be interested in Brunson this summer, Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer reported this week that there is a "growing sense" around the league that he will return to Dallas

That said, the Knicks are in desperate need of a point guard, so it wouldn't be surprising to see the team make some sort of run at Brunson. If they fail to sign Brunson, the team could look into other free-agent options.

Former Mavericks guard DeShawn Stevenson is auctioning off his 2010-11 NBA title ring from Dallas' victory over LeBron James and the Miami Heat, and the price is already pretty high for the special piece of memorabilia.

Stevenson's ring, which is being sold through SCP Auctions, has reached a bid in excess of $30,000.

The 10K gold ring includes more than 130 brilliant-cut diamonds, according to SCP Auctions. There are 31 diamonds that surround the Mavs logo in the center of the ring to commemorate the team's 31st season in the NBA.

One side of the ring features the team's motto, "The time is now," accompanied by the Larry O'Brien Trophy, and the opposite side includes Stevenson's name and number.

The Mavericks' 2011 Finals win is their first and only NBA title. They defeated the Portland Trail Blazers (six games), Los Angeles Lakers (four games) and Oklahoma City Thunder (five games) en route to the NBA Finals, where they defeated the Heat in six games.

Stevenson appeared in 21 playoff games for the team during that run, making 18 starts. He averaged 4.5 points per game.

The auction runs until Saturday at 10 p.m. ET.

The New York Knicks are reportedly finalizing a deal to sign Rick Brunson to serve as an assistant coach on Tom Thibodeau's staff, according to Ian Begley of SNY.

Brunson is the father of free-agent point guard Jalen Brunson, who is "on the Knicks' radar" this offseason, as the New York Post's Marc Berman reported in April.

Despite those potential links, Rick Brunson has a history with Thibodeau, serving as an assistant coach under him with the Chicago Bulls (2010-11 to 2011-12 seasons) and the Minnesota Timberwolves (2016-17 to 2017-18 seasons).

They have known each other since Brunson was at Salem High School in Massachusetts, per Begley, as Thibodeau was a coach at Salem State.

Brunson also served as an assistant for the Denver Nuggets (2006-07) and Charlotte Hornets (2012-13). He has been the head coach for Camden High School over the past three seasons in New Jersey.

Jalen Brunson, meanwhile, had a breakout season for the Dallas Mavericks in his fourth NBA season, averaging 16.3 points and 4.8 assists per game while shooting 50.2 percent from the field and 37.3 percent from three.

But he had some epic performances in the postseason, including a 41-point outburst in Game 2 of the team's first-round matchup with the Utah Jazz. He averaged 21.6 points per game in the postseason, helping the Mavericks reach the Western Conference Finals.

That performance guaranteed that Brunson is about to get paid in a major way.

Team governor Mark Cuban already expressed a desire to keep Brunson, adding in May that he believes the point guard wants to return to Dallas and that the Mavericks can offer him the most money.

"I think he wants to stay, and that’s most important," he said. "I think, again, J-Kidd [head coach Jason Kidd] has a big part to play in that, I think J.B. blossomed as a player, as much as anybody on the squad, you know, from where he was last year to how far he came this year, is a tribute to Jalen and how hard he worked."

If Brunson decides he does want a change of scenery, though, the Knicks have a major need at point guard and would be a logical suitor. As Begley noted, Brunson was a player the Knicks were "interested in prior to the trade deadline."

And now they'll have the family connection as they make their pitch.

Rising point guard Jalen Brunson is set to become a free agent, but it appears that he's not eyeing the open market.

The Athletic's Tim Cato reported Wednesday that the Dallas Mavericks intend to retain Brunson, and he's also open to remaining with the team.

"I’ve been told there’s mutual interest on both sides to re-sign him," Cato wrote, "and Mark Cuban told Bally Sports the Mavericks can offer him more money than anyone else. It’s a statement that indicates intent."

Brunson is expected to be one of the most coveted players in free agency after his breakout year. The 25-year-old averaged career-highs nearly across the board, posting 16.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists while shooting 50.2 percent from the field in 31.9 minutes per game.

The Mavericks made a surprise postseason run all the way to the Western Conference Finals, where they fell to the Golden State Warriors in five games. Brunson upped his game during the playoffs with an average of 21.6 points to help Dallas take down the top-seeded Phoenix Suns in the semifinal round.

When star point guard Luka Doncic was sidelined for the start of the first-round series against the Utah Jazz, Brunson answered the call as the team's top offensive option. He poured in a career-high 41 points to lead the Mavs to a Game 2 victory in a star-making performance.

While there is mutual interest in a reunion, Brunson won't come cheap for Dallas. ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported last month that league executives expect Brunson to garner a contract in the range of $20-25 million per year.

According to Spotrac, the maximum the Mavs can offer Brunson is a five-year deal worth $175.5 million. It remains to be seen if the organization believes he's worth such a large investment.

Mark Cuban is one of the most high-profile governors in the NBA, but don't expect him to add the Pittsburgh Pirates to his portfolio.

The Dallas Mavericks governor responded to a tweet from Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette discussing whether he would buy the Pirates with the simple message of "no chance."

Cuban purchased the Mavericks in 2000 and has never been shy about spending money to better the team on the court.

Dallas reached the Western Conference Finals this season and has made the playoffs 18 times in 22 years since Cuban took over. It reached the NBA Finals twice in that span and won the title during the 2010-11 campaign.

The idea of Cuban coming to Major League Baseball is not a new one.

After all, he attempted to purchase the Chicago Cubs before they ultimately went to the Ricketts family. A source told the Chicago Sun-Times around that time there was "zero chance" then-commissioner Bud Selig would have allowed the outspoken Cuban to buy the team (h/t ESPN).

Cuban previously said he had "no regrets at all" about losing out on the chance to purchase the Cubs during an appearance on 670 The Score's McNeil & Parkins Show.

"The reality is, when I was going into it (in 2008), my kids were really young," he said. "Now they're 10, 13 and 16, and they're too much fun. And between 82 games for the NBA and 162 games (for MLB), plus the playoffs for both, I would've missed a whole lot of them growing up that I'm glad I'm not missing."

Frankly, purchasing the Cubs and Pirates would be two drastically different situations.

The Cubs are one of the most famous franchises in all of American sports with an iconic stadium, major market, large fanbase and plenty of national exposure to fall back on even during down seasons. The Pirates have made it past the National League Wild Card Game just once since the 1992 season and are routinely near the bottom of the league in payroll.

Cuban could change the spending aspect, but he would still have to convince marquee free agents to come to Pittsburgh if the team was ever going to be a true contender.

It seems he has no interest in doing so and is content with helping build a championship contender in Dallas.         

The Dallas Mavericks reportedly may have interest in pursuing guard Zach LaVine via a sign-and-trade with the Chicago Bulls.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, LaVine may have "more interest in leaving Chicago than initially presumed," which has resulted in several teams emerging as candidates to acquire him in a sign-and-trade deal.

Stein named the Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs as teams believed to be in the mix for LaVine, and noted that sources believe the Mavericks are weighing the possibility of making the move as well since the Mavs are "intent on finding at least one more All-Star-caliber player" to complement superstar guard Luka Doncic.

The 27-year-old LaVine is set to hit free agency this offseason, which comes at a perfect time since he has turned in the four best seasons of his career during his four-year stint with the Bulls.

LaVine was named an All-Star for the first time during the 2020-21 season when he set career highs with 27.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 3.4 three-pointers made per game, plus he was part of the United States basketball team that won a gold medal in the 2020 Summer Olympics during the summer of 2021.

While his numbers weren't quite as good this season, LaVine still averaged 24.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.8 three-pointers made per game en route to leading the Bulls to their first playoff berth since 2017.

It was widely expected that the Bulls would re-sign LaVine, and although that could still happen, the fact that he is about to hit free agency means he is in play for the entire league.

Dallas would perhaps be the perfect landing spot for LaVine, as it would allow him to be Doncic's running mate and instantly put him in position to vie for a championship.

Even without a second star this season, the Mavs made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals before falling to the Golden State Warriors in five games.

The Mavericks likely wouldn't be able to make signing LaVine in free agency work from a salary cap perspective, but a sign-and-trade would open the door for them to acquire him.

One possible consequence of a LaVine sign-and-trade would be the departure of guard Jalen Brunson, however.

Brunson broke out for the Mavs in a big way during the postseason, averaging 21.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game as the No. 2 offensive option behind Doncic.

Brunson is set to hit free agency this offseason, and if the Mavs make a play for someone like LaVine, retaining Brunson could be highly difficult.

Contrary to recent speculation, the Dallas Mavericks are reportedly not all-in on acquiring All-Star center Rudy Gobert from the Utah Jazz.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, league sources said the Mavs are "unlikely to initiate an all-out trade pursuit" of Gobert.

During an appearance on the Lowe Post podcast on April 1, ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported that while Gobert wants to remain with the Jazz, the Mavericks were expected to have interest if he became available, and Gobert was thought to be interested in playing alongside Mavs superstar guard Luka Doncic.

The 29-year-old Gobert has been one of the NBA's top centers for the past several seasons, earning three consecutive All-Star nods and winning the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2020-21.

Gobert is coming off another highly productive season in 2021-22, averaging 15.6 points on a league-best 71.3 percent shooting and an NBA-high 14.7 rebounds per game, as well as 2.1 blocks and 1.1 assists.

With Gobert as a key player on the team, the Jazz have reached the playoffs in six consecutive seasons, but they have not made it out of the second round during that time.

That included a first-round exit at the hands of Doncic and the Mavericks this campaign.

Since playoff success has eluded the Jazz, one school of thought suggests that Utah will make sweeping changes to the roster this offseason by trading either Gobert or All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell.

Observers have also questioned if Gobert and Mitchell will be able to coexist moving forward amid rumors of discontent between them.

The Jazz have not indicated that they plan to trade Gobert, but if they decide to, the Mavericks would be a logical landing spot.

Despite not having a second star to support Doncic, the Mavs made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals this season, falling to the Golden State Warriors in five games.

Gobert would seemingly be an ideal complement to Doncic, especially after Dallas dealt power forward Kristaps Porzingis to the Washington Wizards in February before the trade deadline.

The Mavericks need a second star and a dominant player on the interior, and Gobert would check both of those boxes.

However, based on Stein's report, the Mavericks may not be willing to part with a ton of key pieces in order to add Gobert to the equation.

One day after their season-ending loss to the Golden State Warriors, the Dallas Mavericks will turn their attention to improving the roster as they try to get over the hump in the Western Conference. 

Speaking to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, one executive for an Eastern Conference team said the Mavs are only "one player away" from being a title contender. 

MacMahon noted the executive suggested an impact center "who could be a primary [Luka] Doncic pick-and-roll partner, rebounder and rim protector" is the type of player Dallas should pursue. 

It became apparent throughout the Western Conference Finals that the Mavs' lack of a center was an issue. 

Head coach Jason Kidd did a fantastic job throughout the playoffs of hiding the flaw by building a five-out lineup. 

Per Josh Bowe of Mavs Moneyball, Kidd used the lineup of Luka Doncic, Jalen Brunson, Spencer Dinwiddie, Reggie Bullock and Dorian Finney-Smith in Game 6 against the Utah Jazz for 14 minutes in the second half. 

For perspective, that group played 15 minutes together during the regular season. They outscored the Jazz by eight points and played a key role in erasing a 12-point halftime deficit with a 36-19 scoring advantage in the third quarter. 

The Ringer's Rob Mahoney noted a critical flaw for the Mavericks against Golden State was that Dwight Powell, who is the team's designated lob threat, was virtually unplayable in the series. 

Powell averaged 9.8 minutes and took five shots in five games against the Warriors. His defense in the paint was so bad that it made him virtually unplayable throughout the postseason. 

The Mavs are in a difficult spot if they want to try signing free agents. They already have $151.6 million in salary commitments next season, with Brunson eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. 

Another problem is there aren't a lot of high-level centers available. Deandre Ayton is an impending restricted free agent and might be obtainable given how things ended for him and the Phoenix Suns in the playoffs. 

Jusuf Nurkic, Bobby Portis and Montrezl Harrell are likely to be among the notable unrestricted free-agent centers, but those aren't players known for offering much on the defensive end. 

Having Doncic as their centerpiece gives the Mavs a lot of wiggle room as they try to put the right pieces around him after a successful playoff run this season.     

Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry was selected as the MVP of the Western Conference Finals in a vote of over 16,000 fans in the Bleacher Report app.

Curry, who was also honored with the first annual Magic Johnson Western Conference Finals MVP Award, averaged 23.8 points, 7.4 assists, 6.6 rebounds and 3.6 threes as the Warriors eliminated the Dallas Mavericks in five games. He shot 43.9 percent from beyond the arc.

Here's a look at the complete voting results from the B/R app:

• Stephen Curry: 67.3 percent
• Klay Thompson: 21.7 percent
• Jordan Poole: 7.2 percent
• Draymond Green: 3.8 percent

Curry was the Dubs' leading scorer in each of the second-round series' first four games, and he dished out nine assists in Thursday night's clincher as Thompson knocked down eight threes en route to 32 points in a 120-110 win.

Luka Doncic led the Mavs by averaging 32 points, 9.2 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 3.6 threes and 1.6 steals in the series, but he didn't have enough support to keep pace with the star-studded Warriors.

Golden State head coach Steve Kerr described Curry as "our engine offensively," and the eight-time All-Star said the team's latest trip to the NBA Finals carries a "different vibe" because of his family life compared to the early years of the team's dynastic run.

"It puts it all into perspective, the fact of where we are in our career, we're still playing at this high of a level," Curry told reporters. "Not thinking too far ahead, we want to get the job done in the Finals, but we still have a lot more in the tank."

The Warriors reached five consecutive Finals starting in 2015 and captured three championships over that span (2015, 2017 and 2018).

Golden State's last two seasons were derailed by injuries—Curry was limited to five games in 2019-20 and Thompson missed both campaigns—which brought a brief halt to the dynasty as the team fell short of the playoffs each year.

Fueled by better health, the Warriors returned with a vengeance this season, posting a 53-29 record during the regular season and compiling a 12-4 mark so far in the playoffs.

Now Curry and Co. are four wins away from returning to the top of the basketball word.