Carlisle reaches out to Smith, wants him back
Tracy McGrady and Scottie Pippen both say Luka Doncic is limiting Dennis Smith’s role, so Pippen lofts up a Smith-for-Jaylen Brown trade. (1:54)
Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle on Friday said he has tried to reach out to point guard Dennis Smith Jr. and would “love to have him back.”
Sources told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon on Thursday that the Mavericks are optimistic they can reconcile and move forward with Smith, who recently expressed that he hopes to be traded. Sources said Smith is frustrated with his role and has had friction with Carlisle since Rookie of the Year front-runner Luka Doncic seized the reins of the offense.
“Plan A” is for the Mavericks to fix their relationship with frustrated point guard Dennis Smith Jr., as the team believes he has star potential, sources told ESPN.
The Mavericks continue to officially cite illness as the reason for Smith’s absence.
“Dennis Smith is not here, but I want to let everybody know I reached out to him and his agent last night and let them know that when he’s feeling better, he’s welcome to rejoin the team at any time,” Carlisle said Friday. “We would love to have him back.
“In his year and a half here, he has started every game that he has been available to play. And during that period in time, he has experienced significant growth on both sides of the ball. I’m very proud of the progress that he’s made. That’s where we are.”
Carlisle said he doesn’t expect Smith to be on the road trip when the Mavericks (20-24) go to Indiana and Milwaukee.
Added Carlisle: “I just think that he’s part of this team and we’d love to have him back.”
Sources told ESPN that the Mavericks are insistent they won’t trade Smith, a 2017 lottery pick, unless they get good value in return. They have shopped Smith throughout the season, sources said, but haven’t received any offers that have tempted them.
Smith, 21, has not played in the last four games, sitting out three games due to what the team announced as back soreness and having his agent call in sick for him before missing Tuesday’s practice and Wednesday’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
The Mavs’ offense has sputtered with Smith and Doncic on the floor together, scoring only 100.9 points per 100 possessions in 687 minutes, which is only one-tenth of a point better than the Chicago Bulls‘ league-worst offensive efficiency. The Mavs average 108.4 points per 100 possessions overall.
Smith is averaging 12.6 points, 3.9 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game, down from 15.2 points, 5.2 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game during his second-team All-Rookie campaign.
Doncic, 19, is averaging 20.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists for the Mavericks.