The Dallas Mavericks will have their season on the line on Wednesday night when the team opens its NBA play-in slate on the road against the Sacramento Kings. The Mavericks are looking at an uphill climb as the team is one loss away from concluding its 2024-25 campaign.
Dallas will have to defeat the Kings and the loser of Golden State/Memphis to earn the honor of facing the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round. To say what everyone knows out loud, it's not looking like the Mavericks will make another run to the NBA Finals.
In less than one year, general manager Nico Harrison and team governor Patrick Dumont have dismantled a franchise that was a legitimate championship contender. What was once a decade-long window under Luka Doncic has been reduced to a thin margin following Kyrie Irving's ACL tear and Anthony Davis's injury woes.
Since trading Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Mavericks have gone 13-21, with 13 of those defeats coming by double digits. Frankly, Dallas hasn't been very competitive with injuries piling up across the roster.
Dumont appears to have a different stance on the Mavericks' performance. In a recent statement to WFAA, a provided response went into detail about the ownership group's focus, noting that head coach Jason Kidd and his staff have gotten the put "in a position most through would be unachievable a few short months ago."
"Patrick and his family love being stewards of the Mavericks and have deeply enjoyed their ownership experience over the last year and a half," a spokesperson's response to WFAA said. "They want what all Mavs want – a team that plays hard together and wins games. So, with that said, the focus should be on the remaining games the team has and its push to the playoffs. Coach Kidd and the staff have done a tremendous job putting the team in a position most thought would be unachievable a few short months ago."
Well, there's definitely one thing right about that statement. Dallas certainly has done the unachievable by dealing away its brightest star for a package of pennies. It wasn't that long ago when Mikal Bridges commanded five first-round picks and Kevin Durant netted four in their respective trades.
The Mavericks received a solid veteran in Anthony Davis but the aging big man has dealt with a variety of injuries that are occurring more frequently as of late. Max Christie is solid and under contract for multiple seasons.
The main failure is landing just one first-round pick that won't be useful until 2029 for a roster that is already well over the cap and in need of cost effective contracts.
The immediate aftermath of the Doncic trade hasn't been inspiring and the future doesn't necessarily look bright either. Calls for Harrison and Dumont's heads only continue to grow louder.
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The Boston Celtics had some veterans on their Summer League roster. That includes some players who were on last year's team, including Jordan Walsh and Baylor Scheierman. That also includes NBA veterans which include Kenneth Lofton Jr., Isaiah Wong, and Charles Bassey. Bassey made himself stand out in the Celtics Summer League. In three games with the team, he averaged 15.3 points, 11 rebounds, and two blocks a game while shooting 70.4% from the field. Despite his standout performance, a Celtics executive told Spotrac's Keith Smith that they weren't sure if the Celtics would be able to sign him. "Considering he got added to our team so late, this was an awesome run for him," the executive told Smith. "No idea if we’ll have roster space for him or not. But we’d love to keep working with Charles and see if we can make something work." Despite the Celtics having interest in keeping Bassey with the team, it appears any potential deal has fallen through. European Basketball Insider Luca D'Allesandro reported that Bassey's agent, Marc McNeil, has revealed the center is in touch with an overseas team and seemingly preparing for an NBA departure. "Charles Bassey’s agent, Marc McNeil, revealed in a statement for (Meridian Sport Srbija) that his client is in negotiations with Partizan and that the black-and-whites are his top priority," D'Alesandro wrote. "He also mentioned that there is interest from other Euroleague teams." Bassey has played for the Philadelphia 76ers and San Antonio Spurs from 2021 to 2025. In his last season with the Spurs, he averaged 4.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks while shooting 58.1% from the field.
There may be more to Christian Wilkins’ recent surprise release from the Las Vegas Raiders. NFL reporter Josina Anderson reported Saturday that "some sources believe an incident involving a teammate may have factored in-part into the Raiders' fatigue and release" of Wilkins. The nature of the incident is not clear. However, many believe the Raiders had a very good reason to move on from Wilkins considering the money they had invested in him. It also suggests the Raiders saw no alternative if they went straight to a release. Wilkins was dumped by the Raiders just one year into a four-year, $110 million deal. The Raiders suggested Wilkins failed to take rehab seriously as he tries to work his way back from a foot injury. Other teams do not appear to have the same concerns about Wilkins as the Raiders did, and he should find a new landing spot fairly easily. That is one of the reasons some suspect there is more to the Raiders’ decision than they are publicly saying.
With the trade for Ryan McMahon now complete, it would seem New York Yankees’ general manager Brian Cashman has fulfilled one of his three priorities. He can now cross third base off the list, which leaves the rotation and bullpen as his remaining priorities. However, according to one Yankees writer, Cashman might not be done with the infield. Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reported this after the McMahon trade: “The Yankees may not be done adding to their infield. A team source said the Yankees are interested in adding a right-handed hitter who could play the infield.” Kirschner adds that the Yankees have had interest in Willi Castro and Amed Rosario. But the question now is, how would another player fit in the Yankees’ infield? Needless to say, Paul Goldschmidt and Jazz Chisholm Jr. aren’t going anywhere, and McMahon is just getting there. That leaves the low-hanging fruit. Anthony Volpe has been at the center of controversy all this season. His 13 errors, many of which had come at make-or-break moments, amount to the second-highest total in the game. In addition, his bat has not been able to compensate, hitting .214/.286/.407 with 14 home runs. There was always a lot to like about Volpe. He won a Gold Glove in his rookie year, his power has always been promising and his speed is nothing to scoff at. Unfortunately, his glove has become a liability and his speed has also produced very few results. Volpe has swiped just 10 bags in 17 attempts. His power is the one thing that still has some upside, but it hasn’t been enough to justify a spot in the lineup. Both Castro and Rosario have been far more productive at the plate this season than Volpe. Kirschner doesn’t clarify how serious the Yankees are in their pursuit of another infielder, but that most likely isn’t available information. Having just turned 24, Volpe could still become the type of player that was expected from him as a top prospect. However, his recent performance has weighed heavily on his team’s efforts and it may be buying him a ticket out of the Bronx — or at least a spot on the bench.
The Green Bay Packers offense was dealt a bit of a blow early in training camp. Friday, third-round rookie wide receiver Savion Williams was a spectator for practice after suffering a concussion. Williams, chosen by the Packers with the No. 87 overall pick in April’s NFL Draft, is aiming to climb the depth chart at a crowded wide receiver position this summer. At 6-foot-4 and 222 pounds, Williams ran the 40-yard dash in a blazing 4.48 seconds during the NFL Combine and has the profile of potentially becoming a reliable possession receiver and after-the-catch weapon for quarterback Jordan Love and the Packers’ offense. Reaching those benchmarks and climbing the depth chart will have to wait, though, as Williams works his way through the concussion protocol and back onto the field for practices during training camp and the preseason this summer.
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