Mavs Looking to Trade Dennis Smith Jr.

The Dallas Mavericks are looking to trade point guard Dennis Smith Jr., according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The report states that the Phoenix Suns and Orlando Magic are pursuing Smith Jr., the ninth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. According to Mitch Lawrence of Sporting News, the Detroit Pistons have discussed a deal for Smith Jr. 

Pistons have talked to the Mavs about Dennis Smith Jr., per sources.

— Mitch Lawrence (@Mitch_Lawrence) January 15, 2019

Smith Jr. averaged 15.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 29.7 minutes per game in 69 contests during his rookie campaign. Smith Jr. looked like a franchise cornerstone for the Mavericks, but he has regressed in his second season. He is turning the ball over 3.1 times per contest, a staggering amount.

Dennis Smith Jr. is reportedly on the trade block. (Jerome Miron/USA Today Sports)

With Luka Doncic emerging as the clear-cut favorite for the NBA's Rookie of the Year with Dallas, Smith Jr. is no longer seen as a key piece of the future. Doncic, who often operates as a point-forward, could make the All-Star team in his first season in the league and the Mavericks are set to build their franchise around him. Smith Jr. has been utilized more in an off-the-ball role, something he has struggled adjusting to. His per-game averages have dropped to 12.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists.

The Suns’ reported interest in Smith Jr. makes plenty of sense. Phoenix needs help in the backcourt to compliment shooting guard Devin Booker, a budding star. De'Anthony Melton, a second-round pick, is currently manning the point guard duties.

The Pistons have 28-year-old Reggie Jackson and 30-year-old Ish Smith point guards on their roster. It’s doubtful they view either player as an integral part of their future. The Pistons are reportedly looking to add a young floor general.

Orlando is in a similar situation as Detroit. It currently doesn't have its point guard of the future on the roster. The 21-year-old Smith Jr. could certainly fit the bill for the Pistons and Magic.

Pistons, Coach Dwane Casey Reportedly Agree to 5-Year Deal

The most successful coach in Raptors franchise history didn’t stay unemployed for long. Dwane Casey, who served as Toronto’s head coach for each of the past seven seasons before his firing in May following an early playoff exit, signed a five-year deal with the Detroit Pistons, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The 61-year-old Casey will become the 36th head coach in Pistons franchise history. He helped lead the Raptors to five consecutive playoff appearances—winning division titles in each of the past four seasons—highlighted by a berth in the 2016 Conference Finals, which the team lost in six games to the eventual NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers.

The top-seeded Raptors were swept in the second round of the 2018 NBA playoffs by the Cavaliers—who have defeated Toronto in three consecutive postseasons—setting up the shocking ousting of Casey.

Dwane Casey, who compiled a 320-238 record in seven seasons with Toronto, will be named Detroit's new head coach. (AP Photo)

A finalist for the 2018 NBA Coach of the Year—which will be announced later this month with Boston’s Brad Stevens and Utah’s Quinn Snyder also up for the award—Casey won a franchise-best 59 games this year, finishing the season with a better record than the 2018 NBA champion Golden State Warriors.

Casey has the challenge of utilizing big men Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin together in a league that has gone small. Drummond is one of the league’s most dominant centers, while Griffin is one of the top athletic talents in the NBA when healthy. Griffin, who Detroit traded for last season and is under contract through 2022, has struggled to stay on the court throughout his career. His health could determine the success of the Pistons—and ultimately Casey’s coaching tenure in Detroit.

Taking over for Stan Van Gundy, who made one playoff appearance (2016) in four seasons with Detroit, Casey is expected to bring the Pistons to the playoffs immediately.

Casey gave high praise to Drummond, Griffin and Reggie Jackson, the team’s three best players, when he made an appearance on ESPN's The Jump on Friday.

“(Griffin's) ability, his IQ are off the charts. I’ll let you know when I coach him down the road,” Casey said. “You got Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson, so you've got some good pieces there in Detroit.”

Pistons senior adviser Ed Stefanski, who was hired in May and will run the team’s basketball operations, worked with Casey in Toronto from 2011-13 and helped lure the head coach to Detroit.

Celtics Defeat Pistons as Isaiah Thomas Makes His Case for Sixth Man of The Year

            NBA fans across the nation got their first chance to see Isaiah Thomas in a Boston Celtics uniform on Wednesday night and the 5-foot-9-inch guard delivered in a huge way. Behind a season-high 34 points from their illustrious reserve, the Celtics won their first nationally televised game of the season 113-103 over the Detroit Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Thomas has now posted 20 points or more in 11 of the 18 games he has played with Boston. The Celtics are 12-6 with Thomas in the lineup.

            Thomas went 10 for 17 from the floor, connecting on four of his eight treys. He made 10 of his 11 free throws and posted an otherworldly plus-35 point differential in 30 minutes of action. The Celtics’ reserves dominated their counterparts, outscoring them 73-31. Jae Crowder had 17 points with six rebounds off the bench and Kelly Olynnk added 12 points and four rebounds in a reserve role.

             Boston engineered an 18-0 run to finish the first quarter with their starters off the floor. Thomas led that scoring burst with nine points—including a 3-pointer as time expired—and also spearheaded a 19-4 run in the fourth, scoring nine points to give the Celtics a 91-74 lead that proved to be insurmountable.

Isaiah Thomas torched the Pistons with a season-best 34 points. (Duane Burleson/AP)

            Pressed on what went wrong in the third quarter that saw his team get outscored 36-27, Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy offered a simple and honest response, “Isaiah Thomas. We can’t guard him at all."

            The win puts the Celtics (36-42) in a tie with the Brooklyn Nets in the Eastern Conference standings. The Celtics own the tiebreaker—by virtue of winning the season-series three games to one—and therefore currently occupy the No. 7 seed in the East. Indiana (35-43) and Miami (35-43) remain just a game out of the playoff hunt.

            Should Wednesday’s performance give Thomas an edge in the race for the NBA’s sixth man of the year award? Based off how clutch Thomas has been, voters may have no other choice but to vote for the small-framed, explosive point guard.

            Entering the road tilt in Detroit, Thomas has averaged 9.1 minutes, 6.6 points and 1.3 assists in the fourth quarter (including his time with the Phoenix Suns). Only LeBron James has averaged more fourth quarter points (7.3). Furthermore, Thomas is shooting 46.4 percent from the floor, 44.3 percent from three and 89.3 percent on free throws in the final frame. His three-point percentage (44.3) in the fourth also rates the highest in the league. He had scored 37.7 percent of his total points in the fourth quarter this season (385 out of 1,022) entering Wednesday night, according to ESPN Boston’s Chris Forsberg. The Elias Sports Bureau notes that was the highest percentage among the 104 players that have scored at least 800 points this season.

            Thomas has ignited an improbable playoff push for the Celtics, who were predicted by countless basketball pundits to be a bottom-feeder in the NBA this year. Acquired in a trade deadline deal from the Suns, he has given the Celtics a go-to-guy in the fourth quarter—something the Celtics haven’t had since trading away franchise icon Paul Pierce in the 2013 offseason. With three more years left in his contract following this season, Thomas is here to stay in Boston. He should figure into one of the pieces in general manager Danny Ainge’s rebuilding overhaul—one that has taken much less time to assemble than anticipated, thanks in part to the fantastic play by Thomas.