The Mavericks still have Klay Thompson on the board, and for now their preference hasn’t changed: they want to trade him, not buy him out.
What has changed is the level of communication. According to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, Mavericks president Masai Ujiri has been in direct contact with Thompson this offseason about where things stand. Dallas has been saying since June that it would rather work out a deal for the veteran guard, who is heading into the final year of his contract.
Thompson hasn’t asked for a buyout, either. If he does eventually hit free agency, the Heat and Lakers are among the teams that have been mentioned as possible suitors. Miami, in particular, sounds eager to make a run at him.
“Miami is desperate for Klay Thompson, but they want to sign him as a free agent,” Stein said during a DLLS Mavericks livestream. “They would not be the only team interested.”
That’s the key wrinkle: the Heat would love to land Thompson without sending anything back to Dallas. For the Mavericks, though, the plan remains to see whether a trade market develops before they consider other paths. With roster cleanup still ahead of opening night, Thompson is starting to look like the kind of player who could get squeezed out.
Brooklyn, meanwhile, has been mentioned as a possible home for another veteran name. Doug Smith of the Toronto Star identified the Nets as one of several teams that could fit DeMar DeRozan, along with the Heat, Trail Blazers and Nuggets.
There’s no sign that anything is close with Brooklyn. Smith also pointed out that DeRozan doesn’t have to rush into a decision during one of the slowest parts of the NBA calendar. Still, the Nets are at least part of the conversation.
Sameer Kumar of Nets On SI argued that DeRozan could give Brooklyn another experienced scorer next to Julius Randle, especially someone who can create a shot late in games. But there’s a complication there, too: the Nets also have younger pieces like Egor Demin and Mikel Brown Jr. who need the ball and the minutes to keep growing.
So while DeRozan remains unsigned in mid-August, Brooklyn looks more like a name on the list than a team on the verge of making a move. At this point in his career, a contender may still make the most sense.
The Clippers are dealing with a different kind of roster headache. Their decision to bring Bradley Beal back keeps stirring up questions about how all the pieces are supposed to fit.
Zion Trammell of Clippers On SI examined the depth chart and came away with the same concern: Beal’s return makes an already crowded backcourt even tighter. Beal signed a two-year, $13.2 million deal with a player option for the second season after playing just six games last year before season-ending hip surgery.
If the pending Kawhi Leonard trade to Toronto goes through as expected, Los Angeles would still be looking at a heavy load of guards and wings, including Darius Garland, Keaton Wagler, Gradey Dick, Kris Dunn and Beal. The Clippers also reportedly still have interest in keeping restricted free agent Bennedict Mathurin.
That’s why the Beal move has been tough to square. The Clippers are trying to get younger, Beal is 33, he played six games last season, and he ended up getting a raise.
At some point, the numbers may force a change. Trammell points to Cam Christie as one possible odd man out, though a trade could also be the answer if Los Angeles wants to clear the logjam.
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Bradley Beal Gives Clippers A Bench Threat Fans Should Watch
Bradley Beal is back in the mix for the Clippers after the team chose to bring him in on a two-year contract, banking on the veteran guard to add a different kind of scoring punch. Even with the season-ending hip injury that cut short his last year after just eight games, the fit is easy to picture: a proven shot-maker with plenty of experience, now positioned to strengthen a second unit that can use another reliable creator.
Beal is expected to work as a sixth man, which could make him one of the more interesting bench pieces to watch in the Western Conference. His time with the Phoenix Suns showed he can still provide offense in the right role, and the recovery window since the injury gives him a chance to come back with something to prove. If he settles in quickly, the Clippers could end up with a bench threat that changes the tone of games when the starters sit. [Read more 🡒]
Kawhi Leonard Investigation Keeps Dragging The Clippers Back Into Spotlight
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Recent reporting added another layer of confusion when it suggested the league had found no evidence implicating Steve Ballmer, only for the NBA to push back and say those accounts contained significant inaccuracies. For the Clippers, the issue is less about the public back-and-forth than the fact that the story is still alive at all, with the league continuing to examine whether Leonards Raptors-related deal crossed the line on salary-cap rules. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Just Made A Peyton Watson Move Fans Will Debate
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What makes this one worth watching in Clippers circles is how the deal was structured and what it says about the teams flexibility moving forward. Max Strus is headed to Los Angeles, and the Clippers are able to take him in using the $17 million trade exception from the John Collins sign-and-trade, a reminder that their summer bookkeeping can still open real roster doors even after the headline names are off the board. [Read more 🡒]