The Dallas Mavericks are set to play the Washington Wizards on Thursday night. Dallas is beginning to get healthy, as Klay Thompson and Dereck Lively II recently returned from injury and they are not on Thursday’s injury report. However, Naji Marshall has been ruled out for the game due to an illness, per the NBA injury report. Additionally, Dante Exum remains out as he recovers from right wrist surgery.
Marshall has been dealing with the illness over the past week. The 14-8 Mavs will still enter Thursday’s game against the 2-17 Wizards with confidence, but Dallas is hoping Marshall can return soon.
Naji Marshall has played at a high level while on the floor this season.
Marshall, 26, is averaging 11.6 points per game on 54.4 percent field goal shooting. He is also averaging 3.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.0 steals per outing. Marshall has played in 20 total games during the 2024-25 campaign, starting seven games.
He played in New Orleans with the Pelicans from 2020-21-to 2023-24, but was acquired by the Mavericks this past offseason. Dallas wanted to add depth and they felt that Marshall could help the team take another step forward. Sure enough, Marshall has been a pleasant surprise.
Dallas is fresh off a 121-116 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies at home. Despite trailing in the fourth quarter, the Mavs were able to complete the come-from-behind win.
Meanwhile, the Wizards were most recently defeated 118-87 by the Cleveland Cavaliers. It has been a difficult season for Washington to say the least.
With all of that being said, the Mavericks cannot afford to overlook the Wizards. Washington would love to pull off the shocking upset in front of their home fans. Dallas needs to begin the game with energy and take control early in the contest.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 PM EST in Washington as the Mavericks look to defeat the Wizards on the road.
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The New York Knicks are getting more clarity on who will be a part of new head coach Mike Brown’s coaching staff next season. HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reported Friday that the team is expected to add former Sacramento Kings coach Charles Allen to the staff. Knicks to add experienced Kings coach to Mike Brown’s staff Allen is now the second former Kings coach to join Brown in New York. Last week, the team added Riccardo Fois to the staff as the first known hire from Brown’s new staff. Allen is a valuable hire for New York, as he has plenty of coaching experience and has worked closely with Brown over the years. He spent this past season as the Kings’ player development coach. The season before, he was a part of their coaching staff as an assistant coach. The Knicks have big expectations next season Allen now joins a Knicks team that is looking to make a run at an NBA title next season in Brown’s first year coaching the team. The team picked Brown to succeed Tom Thibodeau after they fired Thibodeau following their Eastern Conference Finals exit last season. New York has high expectations next season, and they will be banking on Brown to lead a team that is capable of winning a title. Hiring the right personnel for his staff is going to be huge towards any potential success.
The New York Yankees’ first move ahead of the July 31 MLB trade deadline falls a bit flat. They traded two prospects most fans have never heard of to acquire Colorado Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon, a lackluster move that indicates New York is throwing in the towel on the 2025 season. McMahon is an upgrade — but only a slight one. Yankees GM Brian Cashman replaced a .147 hitter in Oswald Peraza with a .217 hitter in McMahon, who also happens to lead the National League in strikeouts (127). But really, New York just added another Anthony Volpe — one of the biggest problems in the Bombers’ lineup — to the left side of their infield. The two infielders’ 2025 stats tell virtually the same sad tale: McMahon: .217/.314/.403, 16 home runs Volpe: .214/.286/.400, 13 home runs The Yankees should have risked a top prospect or two for Arizona Diamondbacks power-hitting third baseman Eugenio Suarez. A 2026 free agent, Suarez is a rental, but with his .252/.325/.593 slash line, 33 home runs and MLB-leading 86 RBI, he’d be a huge upgrade at third base, rather than a slight one. Instead, the Yankees opted for a player who they’ll have control over until 2028 and cost them almost nothing to acquire. Apparently, they believe McMahon will prove valuable in the long run, based on his advanced analytics. After all, he’s been crushing the ball in 2025, averaging a 94 mph exit velocity. However, his ability to hit the ball hard doesn’t mean he’s just been unlucky this year, as his xBA is just .232 — not too far below his .240 career actual batting average. Compare that to another guy who’s known for hitting the ball hard in Yankees first baseman Ben Rice, who is hitting just .232 but has an xBA of .289. It doesn’t matter how hard McMahon hits the ball if he tends to hit it directly at a fielder. There’s still a week until the trade deadline, but don’t expect the Yankees to make any truly splashy moves. Suarez was the better choice to fix New York’s third base issues, and their pivot to McMahon was disappointing.
The Boston Red Sox appear to have no interest in trading outfielder Jarren Duran, at least not in the near future. Trade rumors have swirled around Duran for most of the season, especially after designated hitter Rafael Devers was traded to the Giants. However, Sean McAdam from MassLive reported that the Red Sox may wait until the offseason before moving on from the former All-Star. The decision to wait on Duran is not due to a lack of offers. McAdam also reported that the Padres made a significant offer for Duran involving pitcher Dylan Cease, catching prospect Ethan Salas and another unnamed prospect. That offer was quickly rejected. The Padres have long coveted Duran. McAdam had previously reported that the Padres have been "relentless" in their pursuit of the Red Sox outfielder. The reported trade offer including Salas, the Padres second-best prospect and the 21st-best prospect in baseball per MLB.com, illustrates how serious they are about acquiring Duran. Likewise, the Red Sox's refusal to entertain such an offer, even as a starting point for negotiations, speaks volumes about their interest in moving Duran. The Padres' offer would help solve several problems for the Red Sox in both the present and future. Moving Duran would help clear up the logjam in the outfield, while Cease and Salas would respectively improve the back of their rotation and provide a possible cornerstone behind the plate going forward. Duran is a valuable trade chip as he is under team control through 2028. He has also taken a step back in production from his stellar showing in 2024, posting a respectable .254/.321/.428 batting line in 459 plate appearances entering Friday, with nine homers and 25 doubles while stealing 16 bases. That production would be an upgrade for several teams looking to improve their outfield going forward. The question is whether or not the Red Sox will be realistic in their asking price for Duran. Considering how quickly the Padres' offer was reportedly rejected, that may not be the case.
The Cincinnati Bengals have finally reached an agreement with first-round pick Shemar Stewart, putting an end to what became the story of the offseason for the team. Stewart, drafted 17th overall in this year's draft, has finally agreed to a four-year, fully guaranteed $18.97 million deal that includes a $10.4 million signing bonus, according to his agent Zac Hiller of LAA. Now with this deal done, every first-round pick is signed. The road to this deal was a bumpy ride. For months, negotiations between Stewart’s camp and the Bengals front office stalled due to disagreements over contract language, particularly around guarantees. The team pushed to include contract language that could void the deal under certain off-field circumstances, but since other Bengals first-round picks did not face similar terms, Stewart stood firm and refused to sign. Both sides remained firm throughout the offseason, leading to a long standoff and a lot of reports of frustration from both sides. Despite the frustration and disagreement, the Bengals and Stewart’s group continued to engage in conversations, trying to find a resolution to the issue. And finally, after weeks of back and forth and weeks of controversy surrounding what Stewart may be forced to do, both parties appear to have met in the middle and found common ground. For the Bengals, getting Stewart signed and ready for training camp is a major win. Stewart was viewed as a developmental prospect who needed plenty of on-field reps to reach his full potential. Stewart's absence from earlier camps had slowed a lot of his progress. With the contract dispute resolved, he can now focus entirely on gaining important reps and continuing his development over the coming weeks. Now with this contract done and over with, the team can put their full focus on Trey Hendrickson, who is also seeking a long term deal. If the Bengals can get a deal done with Trey before the season kicks off, they would secure their edge-rushing room for not only 2025, but for years beyond. For a team looking to go all in on making the playoffs, signing Stewart was long overdue. Now it will be vital for the team to get Stewart up to speed with the rest of the roster, and allow him to get as many reps as possible before the 2025 season begins.
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