NBA News Wire
NBA roundup: Celtics, Mavs close in on Rondo deal
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
The Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks are close to finalizing a deal that would send point guard Rajon Rondo to the Mavericks, multiple media outlets reported Thursday.
The Celtics and the Mavericks reached an agreement in principle to send Rondo to Dallas, although there are conflicting reports on the players involved.
ESPN.com reported that the Mavs will get Rondo in exchange for forward Brandan Wright, forward Jae Crowder, guard Jameer Nelson and a future first- and second-round draft pick. CBSSports.com reported that the Mavs will get forward Dwight Powell as well as Rondo in exchange for Wright, Crowder, Nelson, a first-round pick in 2015 and a future second-round pick.
Minor changes to the deal are still possible, but the deal is on course to be completed Thursday night, according to the reports. Rondo is in the final year of his contract. Other reports indicated that the Los Angeles Lakers, Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, Sacramento Kings and Houston Rockets expressed interest in a deal for Rondo.
Rondo, 28, is averaging 8.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 10.3 assists in 22 games this season. He is shooting 40.5 percent from the field and 25 percent from 3-point range.
—New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony has soreness in his left knee that may prevent him for playing in Thursday night’s game against the Chicago Bulls, and he said that people close to him are advising him to stay off the court for a few weeks.
“I have multiple people say kind of just shut it down,” Anthony said, according to ESPN.com. “Or just take time off. But at the end of the day, it’s hard for me to just do that right now in the midst of what’s happening with the team and this season”
Anthony said the knee started bothering him again in the loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday. He is averaging 23.4 points and 6.6 rebounds this season for the Knicks, who are 5-22 and have lost 12 of their last 13 games.
Forward/center Amar’e Stoudemire has already been ruled out Thursday to rest. Guard J.R. Smith is not with the team as he continues to receive treatment for a plantar fascia injury.
—Milwaukee Bucks center Larry Sanders was suspended for one game without pay by the NBA on Thursday after shoving Portland Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum in the back while in the air during Wednesday night’s game in Portland, Ore.
The flagrant foul-2 came with 3:01 remaining in the fourth quarter as Batum was going to the basket in the Trail Blazers’ 104-97 win in the MODA Center. Batum fell hard to the floor after a dunk. Sanders was to sit out Thursday night’s game against the Sacramento Kings.
In 25 games this season, Sanders is averaging 7.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks.
—Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut is undergoing therapy on his injured right knee and lost to the team indefinitely.
Bogut missed his fifth consecutive game on Thursday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder after undergoing platelet-rich treatment on his knee in consultation with Warriors doctors and his personal physician.
With an NBA-best 21-3 record, the Warriors are playing well without the 7-foot Bogut, who is averaging 7.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks this season.
—Kings center DeMarcus Cousins appears to have recovered enough from viral meningitis to return for Thursday night’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Cousins has practiced with the Kings for the past few days and his status was upgraded from questionable to probable. He’s expected to see limited minutes.
Cousins is averaging 23.5 points, 12.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots for the Kings this season.
—The Los Angeles Lakers assigned guard Jordan Clarkson to the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA Developmental League on Thursday.
Clarkson, 22, is averaging 18.3 points, 7.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds in three games this season for the D-Fenders. He averaged 4.5 points in 13 games for the Lakers this season.
—The Golden State Warriors recalled center Ognjen Kuzmic from Santa Cruz of the NBA Development League on Thursday.
The 7-foot Kuzmic contributed three points, seven rebounds, two assists and five blocked shots to Santa Cruz’s 104-89 win over the Oklahoma City Blue on Wednesday night. In eight games for the Warriors this season, he averages 0.3 points and 1.3 rebounds per game.
