NBA Southwest

Dallas Mavericks point guard Jalen Brunson is reportedly set to join the New York Knicks when free agency opens on Thursday.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Mavericks will likely look to replace him with a veteran who has ties to star point guard Luka Doncic.

"Sources close to the process say Brunson’s exit would also increase the likelihood that Dallas tries to sign Goran Dragic, Doncic's Slovenian teammate, in free agency," Stein wrote.

ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported on Tuesday that the Knicks were preparing to offer Brunson "a four-year deal in excess of $100 million." New York has already made moves to clear cap space and reportedly intends to make more room for a massive offer to Brunson that would be difficult to turn down.

Brunson secured a big-money deal for himself with his stellar play throughout this past season. The 25-year-old averaged career-highs across the board with 16.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. He then upped his production in the playoffs with an impressive run that saw him put up 21.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 18 games.

It's likely that Brunson feels ready to assume lead-guard duties after putting his potential on display last year. He wouldn't get that opportunity in Dallas, considering Doncic is one of the most ball-dominant players in the NBA.

Replacing Brunson with Dragic would be a stark contrast for Dallas. The 36-year-old will be entering his 14th year in the NBA next season and was limited to 21 games last year split between the Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets. While Brunson isn't known for his defense, Dragic is much more of a liability on that end of the floor at this stage in his career.

After advancing to the Western Conference Finals this season, the Mavericks have to make the right offseason moves to ensure they remain a title contender next year.

The San Antonio Spurs have added Overtime Elite forward Dominick Barlow to their roster.

Per Jerry Carino of NorthJersey.com, the 19-year-old signed a two-way contract with the Spurs on Friday after going undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft.

Barlow spent last season working on his game as part of the Overtime Elite team. Overtime paid Barlow $100,000 and gave him a stake in the company to forgo college and train himself for the draft.

"I put everything into this and so far it's looking like I made a good decision," Barlow told Jacob Polacheck of ZagsBlog.

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Bleacher Report Draft Expert Jonathan Wasserman's Scouting Report

Player: Dominick Barlow

Position: PF

Height: 6'9"

Scouting Report: Barlow caught the attention of scouts in Overtime with his particular skill set and projected archetype. While it's tough to assess his development in a new league, his finishing and shooting potential at 6'9" could fit the NBA.

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Barlow will likely spend at least his rookie season continuing to work on his development in the Spurs' G League affiliate.

He was not considered much of a pro prospect coming out of high school, as 247Sports' composite rankings had him as the No. 117 player in the 2021 high school class.

San Antonio had a big night Thursday with three first-round selections. The team used its first pick at No. 9 overall to add Baylor forward Jeremy Sochan. He averaged 9.2 points per game in 30 appearances for the Bears in 2021-22.

The Spurs also had the No. 20 overall pick stemming from a February trade involving Goran Dragic, and they used that pick to select Big Ten Freshman of the Year Malaki Branham from Ohio State.

As compensation from the Derrick White trade on Feb. 10, the Spurs had the No. 25 pick from the Boston Celtics as well, and they added Notre Dame's Blake Wesley.

That is a lot of youth that has been injected into the Spurs' roster. It may take a while before they are back to competing for a top seed in the Western Conference, but head coach Gregg Popovich has some intriguing players to build around.

After back-to-back All-Big Ten first-team selections, Ohio State star E.J. Liddell will begin his NBA career with the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Pelicans selected Liddell with the No. 41 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft on Thursday.

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Bleacher Report Draft Expert Jonathan Wasserman's Scouting Report

Player: E.J. Liddell

Position: PF

Height: 6'6"

Pro Comparison: P.J. Washington

Scouting Report: Liddell became a more believable NBA prospect by improving his shooting and defense. His game still doesn't scream upside, but there should be a role for a physical forward who can create from the post, stretch the floor and block shots around the key.

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Pelicans Active Roster and Average Salary (Expiration Year)

E.J. Liddell (rookie scale contract)

Dyson Daniels, PG/SG (rookie scale contract)

C.J. McCollum, SG: $33.3M (2024)

Brandon Ingram, SF: $31.7M (2025)

Jonas Valanciunas, C: $15.1M (2024)

Devonte' Graham, PG: $11.8M (2025)

Larry Nance Jr., PF: $11.2M (2023)

Zion Williamson, PF: $11.1M (2023)

Jaxson Hayes, C: $5.5M (2023)

Garrett Temple, SG: $5.2M (2024)

Kira Lewis Jr., PG: $4.3M (2024)

Trey Murphy III, SG: $3.7M (2025)

Willy Hernangomez, C: $2.4M (2024)

Herbert Jones, SF: $1.8M (2024)

Jose Alvarado, PG: $1.7M (2025)

Naji Marshall, SF: $1.1M (2024)

Free Agents

Tony Snell, SG: UFA

Jared Harper, PG: RFA

Gary Clark, PF: UFA

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Liddell originally put his name in for the 2021 draft but elected not to hire an agent to maintain his college eligibility. The 21-year-old chose to return to Ohio State for his junior season.

Things worked out well for Liddell and the Buckeyes. He led the team in scoring average (19.4 points per game) and rebounds (7.9) and ranked second in assists (2.5). His success rate on three-pointers jumped from 33.8 percent on 2.8 attempts in 2020-21 to 37.4 percent on 3.8 attempts in 2021-22.

The Buckeyes made the NCAA tournament as a No. 7 seed in the South Region. They defeated Loyola University Chicago in the round of 64 before falling to Villanova in the second round.

Liddell's size and improved scoring ability make him an intriguing NBA prospect, especially at this stage of the draft. He has the ability to be an impactful three-and-D player on a playoff team at his best.

The Pelicans will take advantage of Liddell's unique skill set in their quest to make a postseason push in 2022-23.

The San Antonio Spurs selected Ohio State star Malaki Branham with the No. 20 pick in the 2022 NBA draft.

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Bleacher Report Draft Expert Jonathan Wasserman's Scouting Report

Player: Malaki Branham

Position: SG

Height: 6'4"

Pro Comparison: Khris Middleton

Scouting Report: One of the most efficient scoring guards in the draft, Branham emerged as a riser for his three-level scoring package, secondary playmaking and late-game poise. Physical tools, shot-making versatility and plus intangibles make it easy not to worry about his limited shiftiness or explosion.

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Spurs Active Roster and Average Salary (Expiration Year)

Malaki Branham (rookie scale contract)

Jeremy Sochan, PF (rookie scale contract)

Dejounte Murray, PG: $16M (2024)

Doug McDermott, SF: $13.8M (2024)

Josh Richardson, SG: $12.2M (2023)

Jakob Poeltl, C: $8.8M (2023)

Zach Collins, C: $7.4M (2024)

Devin Vassell, SG: $4.6M (2024)

Joshua Primo, SG: $4.6M (2025)

Romeo Langford, SG: $4.1M (2023)

Keldon Johnson, SG: $2.5M (2023)

Jock Landale, C: $2.3M (2023)

Keita Bates-Diop, SF: $1.8M (2023)

Tre Jones, PG: $1.4M (2023)

Free Agents

Lonnie Walker IV, SG: RFA

Devontae Cacok, C: RFA

Joe Wieskamp, SF: RFA

Robert Woodard II, SG: RFA

D.J. Stewart Jr., SG: RFA

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The 19-year-old averaged 13.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists in his only season with the Buckeyes. He was an efficient scorer, shooting 49.8 percent from the field and 41.6 percent from beyond the arc.

Branham helped OSU win 20 games and reach the second round of the 2022 NCAA tournament.

The guard's low assist numbers raise questions over whether he'll be a little too limited on offense, though. Heading into his freshman season, he wasn't considered the finished product as a perimeter threat, either, with 247Sports' Jerry Meyer writing in January 2020 that he was an "improving outside shooter."

If Branham's unexpectedly strong three-point clip translates at the next level, he should make an immediate impact in San Antonio.

The Memphis Grizzlies selected Wake Forest forward Jake LaRavia with the No. 19 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski noted the pick came via trade:

The Timberwolves will land Nos. 22 and 29 in this draft, per source. https://t.co/a3G169rDdS

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 24, 2022

LaRavia spent the last three seasons emerging as a star with the Demon Deacons. He averaged 14.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game in the 2021-22 season.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman ranked him as the No. 18 overall prospect in the 2022 draft class.

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Bleacher Report Draft Expert Jonathan Wasserman's Scouting Report

Player: Jake LaRavia

Position: PF

Height: 6'7"

Pro Comparison: Georges Niang

Scouting Report: LaRavia quietly became a prospect worth taking seriously as his versatility for the NBA became more evident. Despite missing exciting athletic ability, the 6'7" power forward gets to his spots off the dribble, offers plus-passing skills, makes open threes and has excellent defensive instincts

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Grizzlies Active Roster and Average Salary (Expiration Year)

Jake LaRavia, PF: Rookie scale contract

Jaren Jackson Jr., PF: $26.2M (2026)

Steven Adams, C: $17.5M (2023)

Dillon Brooks, SG: $11.7M (2023)

Ja Morant, PG: $9.9M (2023)

De'Anthony Melton, SG: $8.7M (2024)

Ziaire Williams, SG: $5M (2025)

Brandon Clarke, PF: $3M (2023)

Santi Aldama, PF: $2.6M (2025)

Desmond Bane, SG: $2.5M (2024)

John Konchar, SG: $2.3M (2024)

Killian Tillie, PF: $1.9M (2023)

Xavier Tillman, PF: $1.5M (2024)

Free Agents

Kyle Anderson, SF: UFA

Tyus Jones, PG: UFA

Jarrett Culver, SG: UFA

Yves Pons, G: RFA

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LaRavia's impressive showing at the combine also helped his stock. He tested among the best players in this class from an athletic standpoint, soaring up draft boards in the process.

As it stands, LaRavia is a highly athletic 3 who will need to add more consistency to his jumper to make an immediate impact at the NBA level. That said, if he's able to knock down threes at a more consistent level, Memphis may have gotten a steal.

LSU forward Tari Eason is off to the NBA after the Houston Rockets selected him with the No. 17 overall pick in the first round of the draft.

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Bleacher Report Draft Expert Jonathan Wasserman's Scouting Report

Player: Tari Eason

Position: PF

Height: 6'7"

Pro Comparison: Brandon Clarke

Scouting Report: Eason broke out on to NBA radars as a 6'7" forward who can attack off the dribble and bring defensive toughness/versatility. Developing into a regular spot-up shooter from three could turn the combo forward into a valuable, two-way role player.

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Rockets Active Roster and Average Salary (Expiration Year)

Jabari Smith Jr., PF (rookie-scale contract)

Tari Eason, PF (rookie-scale contract)

John Wall, PG: $42.8M (2023)

Eric Gordon, SG: $18.9M (2024)

Jalen Green, SG: $10.2M (2025)

David Nwaba, SG: $5M (2025)

Alperen Sengun, C: $3.9M (2025)

Boban Marjanovic, C: $3.5M (2023)

Trey Burke, G: $3.2M (2023)

Sterling Brown, SG: $3M (2023)

Usman Garuba, PF: $3M (2025)

Josh Christopher, SG: $2.9M (2025)

Garrison Mathews, SG: $2.1M (2025)

Kevin Porter Jr., SG: $2M (2023)

Marquese Chriss, SF: $1.6M (2023)

Daishen Nix, PG: $1.5M (2025)

Jae'Sean Tate, SF: $1.5M (2023, Team Option)

Kenyon Martin Jr., SF: $1.4M (2024)

Free Agents

Dennis Schroder, PG: UFA

Bruno Fernando, PF: RFA

Anthony Lamb, SF: RFA

Trevelin Queen, SG: RFA

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Eason spent his freshman season with Cincinnati, averaging 7.3 points and 5.9 rebounds in 23 games (eight starts).

His decision to transfer to LSU worked wonders, however, as he posted 16.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.1 blocks per game in 24.4 minutes across 33 games (four starts). He shot 52.1 percent from the field and 35.9 percent from three, giving him appealing three-and-D upside at the NBA level.

"The best quality he's got, is usually when kids have success, they relax," former LSU head coach Will Wade told reporters in March. "The more success he has, the harder he works, which is usually the exact opposite."

Houston is banking on him having quite a bit of success in the future.

Houston Rockets point guard John Wall has exercised his $47.4 million player option for the 2022-23 NBA season, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

There's an expectation that the two sides will work on a resolution to Wall's tenure with the team, per Charania. That likely indicates his time in Houston is still coming to an end despite his contract status.

Wall arrived at the Rockets from the Washington Wizards in a December 2020 trade. He's made just 40 appearances for Houston since that deal, including none during the 2021-22 season.

He averaged 20.6 points, 6.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds across 40 games in 2020-21.

In mid-September, he reached an agreement with the front office to remain sidelined throughout the 2021-22 campaign until a trade could be found as the Rockets focused on a youth movement, per Charania.

Wall ended up sitting out all of 2021-22 while the Rockets finished 20-62.

Washington selected Wall with the first overall pick in the 2010 draft. He proceeded to earn five consecutive All-Star Game selections starting in 2014 and helped guide the Wizards to the postseason four times.

The Wizards never advanced beyond the second round of the playoffs during the University of Kentucky product's tenure with the franchise, however.

In November 2018, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the 31-year-old North Carolina native was fined after yelling "f--k you" at head coach Scott Brooks during a practice session. He later apologized to both Brooks and his teammates.

Although fractures had clearly started to develop within the team's foundation, it was still a bit surprising when he was dealt to Houston as part of a major trade that saw Russell Westbrook go the other way.

There were no issues during his tenure in Houston.

"He's been a rock for us," a Rockets source told ESPN's Tim MacMahon in September 2021. "He's been great since he got here."

The dynamic guard averaged 19.0 points, 9.2 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 573 regular-season appearances for the Wizards across nine-plus seasons.

Wall's departure from D.C. also brought an end to his effort to spend his entire career with one team, a desire he reiterated when the trade rumors first surfaced, per Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington.

"I love being here," he said in 2018.

Wall didn't have much of a choice from a financial perspective beyond exercising the option. It was worth nearly $50 million, a number he wouldn't have come close to approaching in free agency given his extended layoff.

Now the question is whether the Rockets can find a long-awaited solution to his situation, likely via contract buyout. A trade figures to remain out of reach because of the sky-high cap hit, so he'll need to sacrifice some money to hit free agency and pick a new team.

Staying in Houston is a long shot since it's not in the best interest of either side and he probably doesn't want to sit out another whole season before hitting the open market.

Ja Morant is coming for the defending NBA champions.

The Memphis Grizzlies guard said he wants to play the Warriors on Christmas Day in a back-and-forth with Draymond Green.

The Christmas Day matchup we need? 👀🍿 pic.twitter.com/Lyi5bPTHju

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 19, 2022

The Grizzlies and Warriors have a simmering rivalry, with now multiple members of the veteran Golden State unit taking issue with comments made by Memphis players. After the Warriors closed out their championship win over the Boston Celtics, Klay Thompson called out Jaren Jackson Jr. for a tweet the Grizzlies forward sent out in March.

“Strength in numbers is alive and well,” Thompson told reporters after the win. “There was this one player on the Grizzlies who tweeted ‘Strength in numbers’ after they beat us in the regular season, and it pissed me off so much. I can’t wait to retweet that thing. Freakin’ bum. I had to watch that. I’m like, ‘This freakin’ clown.’

"Sorry, that memory just popped up. Gonna mock us? You ain’t ever been there before. We’ve been there before, we know what it takes. So to be here again, hold that.”

"I can't wait to retweet that thing. Freakin' bum."

Klay's been keeping receipts 🤣 pic.twitter.com/WJReCAVukK

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) June 17, 2022

The Warriors eliminated the Grizzlies during the second round of the playoffs in a hotly contested series, so the NBA could easily book those two teams for the Christmas schedule.

The NBA champion typically plays a home game on Christmas, and giving this growing rivalry a chance to shine on the brightest regular-season stage would be a potential ratings bonanza.

The beef between members of the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies doesn't appear to be going away any time soon.

After Ja Morant tweeted that the Grizzlies "got a lot of real estate" in Klay Thompson's mind, Dubs forward Draymond Green couldn't help but respond to his comments.

We traded that real estate in @JaMorant the property value was higher in Boston https://t.co/X7Du6zSiZF

— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) June 19, 2022

The bickering began when Thompson recalled a tweet from Grizzlies veteran Jaren Jackson Jr. after winning the 2022 NBA title. Jackson tweeted Golden State's slogan after Memphis beat the Warriors during the regular season in March.

Strength in numbers 👏🏾

— JJJ (@jarenjacksonjr) March 29, 2022

During his postgame press conference after eliminating the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, Thompson called Jackson a "freakin' bum" for the tweet, noting that he couldn't wait to get on Twitter to retweet it.

"There's this one player on the Grizzlies who tweeted 'Strength In Numbers' after they beat us in the regular season ... I can't wait to retweet that thing — freakin' bum."

- Klay Thompson
(via @NBCSWarriors)pic.twitter.com/Su75u1Mqq9

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) June 17, 2022

Thompson's comments prompted Morant's tweet, which then resulted in Green weighing in. Jackson has yet to comment since the back-and-forth began earlier this week.

The Warriors eliminated the Grizzlies in a heated six-game series in this year's Western Conference Semifinals. We should be in for some entertaining games between these two teams during the 2022-23 campaign.

The parents of a 15-year-old Texas girl who went missing from a Dallas Mavericks game in April and was allegedly sex-trafficked publicly spoke about the case Saturday.

In an interview with ESPN and Good Morning America, Kyle and Brooke Morris discussed what happened to their daughter and stressed the importance of bringing awareness to the dangers of sex trafficking.

Kyle Morris, who is the girl's stepfather, detailed what happened during an April 8 game between the Mavs and Portland Trail Blazers at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Morris said the girl went to the bathroom before halftime of the game but didn't return, prompting him to notify security. He added that the girl didn't have her phone or ID with her, complicating matters.

He was later informed that security footage showed his stepdaughter leaving the game with an unidentified man.

Though the family's attorney said the girl didn't appear to leave by force, she was allegedly abused in the 10 days before she was found walking along the side of the road in Oklahoma City.

The girl's parents said she was "sexually assaulted multiple times, starved and not allowed to bathe" after being taken to an Oklahoma City hotel.

During the interview with ESPN and Good Morning America, Kyle Morris said: "We just want to make sure people understand ... that something like this can happen to anyone anywhere. Even if you don't think it's possible, there's people out there that they want to make it happen."

Brooke Morris added that her daughter told her she met several other girls in the same situation during her harrowing experience in Oklahoma, "And she said, 'I wonder how long they have been in this life, but no one looked for them.'"

Kyle Morris mentioned that the Mavericks were helpful in the investigation and that Mavs governor Mark Cuban quickly replied to an email he sent him and got him in contact with people who could help.

Three people were initially arrested in connection with the girl's disappearance after police searched a hotel room in Oklahoma City, and the girl was found three days later.