NBA News Today: Mark Cuban plans to honor two Mavs championship winners, Pistons planned on pursuing Deandre Ayton, and more | October 13, 2022
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban recently discussed his plans to honor two members of the Mavs' 2011 NBA championship team. The two players in question are Jason Kidd and Jason Terry.
In other news, the Detroit Pistons had planned on pursuing Phoenix Suns big man Deandre Ayton in restricted free agency. However, they later changed their minds after landing big man prospect Jalen Duren in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Here’s all the latest news from around the NBA as of Oct. 13, 2022.
Mark Cuban plans on honoring two more members of Dallas Mavericks’ 2011 championship team
It's already been 11 years since the Dallas Mavericks won their first NBA championship back in 2011.
So far, Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki is the only member of their championship-winning roster to have been honored for his contributions to the team.
Mavs owner Mark Cuban seems to be looking to change that in the near future. Cuban was recently asked if he also plans to retire the jersey numbers of guards Jason Kidd and Jason Terry. He replied:
"Probably at some point I don't know. If I’m going to do more rafters, a ring of honor or that type of thing because you want to make it super special, but those guys are special. There will be something."
Mark Cuban on if @jasonterry31 or @RealJasonKidd headed for the rafters:
“Probably at some point Idk, if I’m going to do more rafters, a ring of honor or that type of thing because you want to make it super special, but those guys are special. There will be something.”
#MFFL https://t.co/Iv9WVI1uKn
Cuban’s comments will likely be reassuring to Mavericks fans who have been waiting for the team to retire Kidd and Terry's numbers for a while now. Both were key pieces to the Mavs' iconic title run back in 2011.
Without them, the team probably would not have been able to beat the “Big Three” Miami Heat team in the 2011 NBA Finals.
Terry finished Dallas' 2011 playoff run averaging 17.5 points per game on 47.8% shooting from the field and 44.2% shooting from 3-point range. Meanwhile, Kidd finished with averages of 9.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game while operating as the team’s primary playmaker.
Detroit Pistons were planning to pursue Deandre Ayton before 2022 NBA Draft
The Detroit Pistons were reportedly targeting former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton in restricted free agency prior to the 2022 NBA draft. However, their interest in Ayton reportedly faded away once big man prospect Jalen Duren unexpectedly fell to them with the 13th pick in the draft.
ESPN’s Zach Lowe spoke about the Pistons’ decision-making process on a recent episode of “The Lowe Post” (47:57-48:49).
"The Ayton thing, I think they were going to be the Ayton offer sheet team until Jalen Duren fell to them at 13, which I don't think they expected to be in play for them at that level," Lowe said.
"I mean, I know they didn't. And once that happened, I think they said 'Okay, we're just going to roll with what we got. We're not going to clutter our center rotation.'"
Lowe then spoke about how he would have loved to see Ayton on the Pistons:
"Absent that, if they don't get Duren, I think they would have been the Ayton offer sheet team. I would have loved that move for them."
Ultimately, it may not have made a difference as the Phoenix Suns likely would have matched the Pistons' offer sheet to Ayton.
The big man notably received a large offer sheet from the Indiana Pacers. However, he eventually ended up returning to the Suns on a four-year, $133 million contract after the team matched the offer.
Ayton may have made for a fun fit next to Cade Cunningham and the rest of the Detroit Pistons' young core.
Warriors' ring night had a significant impact on Draymond Green's punishment
On Tuesday, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr announced the team’s decision to not suspend Draymond Green for punching Jordan Poole at practice. Green will instead be fined an undisclosed amount of money for the altercation.
Kerr spoke about how difficult the decision was and added that the veteran has earned the benefit of the doubt. Kerr also mentioned that Green and Poole had already spoken about the altercation and agreed to move past it.
However, during an appearance on “NBA Countdown” on Wednesday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported an additional reason for the Warriors' decision. Wojnarowski explained that the decision not to suspend Green had a lot to do with the Warriors’ opening night game being their ring ceremony night.
"I'm told that the Warriors put a significant amount of weight on the fact that opening night was ring night," Wojnarowski said.
The NBA insider added that the team did not feel it was right to make Green miss an incredibly important night for the franchise. Wojnarowski said:
"That the players are going to get their rings — Green, Klay Thompson, Steph Curry, their fourth championship in Golden State. The banner's gonna be raised. They did not treat this like it was one of 82. They didn't want to suspend Draymond Green and keep him from that."
Wojnarowski opined that if the Warriors were not the defending NBA champions, Draymond Green likely would have faced a suspension:
"Now, if this incident had happened in the regular season—or if this had just been a normal opening night, and they weren't there as defending champions—there probably would have been a suspension."
Green has played a key role in each of the Golden State Warriors' four NBA titles since he was drafted back in 2012. In 22 games in last year’s playoffs, he averaged 8.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists, on 47.9% shooting.
It's understandable why the Warriors still want to show their appreciation for his contributions to the franchise.
Golden State's opening night game and ring ceremony will take place on Oct. 18th at Chase Center. They will clash against the LA Lakers.
Blake Griffin aims subtle dig at the Brooklyn Nets
Six-time NBA All-Star Blake Griffin signed with the Boston Celtics earlier this month after a frustrating season filled with dysfunction with the Brooklyn Nets.
Griffin averaged a career-low 6.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game over 56 games for the Nets last season. He also shot just 42.5% from the field and 26.2% from three.
Brooklyn then went on to get swept in the first round of the NBA Playoffs by his new team, the Boston Celtics.
Griffin seems to be enjoying his fresh start in Boston and even took a subtle dig at his former team. During an interview with MassLive reporter Brian Robb, he spoke about how mature and focused the Celtics roster is.
“I think the intensity and maturity level of this group is off the charts,” Griffin said.
Griffin then mentioned how the team’s mindset was refreshing for him.
“Every day when we get to work it’s intense. It’s not that we’re going forever but these guys are locked in and no one has to tell us to be locked in. It’s refreshing,” Griffin said.
Griffin is expected to help address one of the Celtics' biggest weaknesses by providing the team with some much-needed forward depth this season.
Vince Carter praises Dejounte Murray, compares him to Kawhi Leonard
The Atlanta Hawks made one of the league's biggest acquisitions of this offseason by bringing in All-Star guard Dejounte Murray from the San Antonio Spurs.
Many are excited to see what Murray can do on a competitive team. Eight-time NBA All-Star Vince Carter is among those.
On the "VC Show with Vince Carter," Carter praised Murray’s skill set (13:18 mark below). He also compared his development in San Antonio under coach Gregg Popovich to the career trajectory of two-time NBA champion Kawhi Leonard.
"It kind of reminds me of everything I like about Kawhi Leonard. He took all the tools from Pop and just took off and flourished. You know, obviously a champion away from San Antonio and just a dominant player in the league."
Leonard was traded from the Spurs to the Toronto Raptors during the 2018 offseason and immediately led the Raptors to their first-ever title in 2019.
It’s unlikely that Dejounte Murray and the rest of the young Hawks core will be able to compete for the title this year in the way Leonard and Toronto did. However, it will still be very interesting to see how Murray progresses outside of the Spurs’ system.
Last season, Murray averaged a career-high 21.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 9.2 assists, as well as a league-best 2.0 steals per game. He has looked solid for the Hawks this preseason, most recently dropping 17 points in a 105-99 loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers.