Justin Holiday reportedly near buyout with Rockets, to sign with Mavericks Ja Morant on not fearing West: ‘I said what I said, and I mean that’ As expected, Boban Marjanovic re-signs with Rockets the rest of season Three things to Know: Warriors go ahead with Gary Payton II trade after all LeBron, NBA players didn’t like call to end Super Bowl either

with core Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic, the Dallas Mavericks are looking to fill their roster with defensemen and shooters who can complement their stars, especially with Dorian Finney-Smith traded the deal for Irving’s land.

Veteran guard enters Justin Holidaywho is set to sign with the Mavericks after he completes a contract buyout with the Rockets, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reports. Holiday was traded from the Hawks to the Rockets on time as part of the economical move Atlanta.

Holiday played a limited role for the Hawks this season, playing in 28 games, averaging 4.5 points in 14.7 minutes per game.

There was some hype that the Rockets wanted to keep him around, but the feeling was apparently not mutual. There were also reports that Holiday was the main target of the Mavericks.

I am Morant caused a stir early in the season when he was asked about the teams the Grizzlies should be concerned about and mentioned the Celtics but not a team in the West, “No, I feel good in the West.”

The Grizzlies didn’t quite run off with the West – they lost 9 of 12 – and the conference seemed open enough for the Mavericks to add Kyrie Irving next to Luka Doncic, and the Phoenix Suns rocked the league and immediately became rivals by trading the blockbuster for Kevin Duran.

You really didn’t expect this to change the stance of the cocky Morant, did you? Here’s what he said Sunday after the Grizzlies lost to the Celtics. Khary Thompson of the Boston Globe.

“I don’t care. Honestly. I said what I said and I mean it,” Morant said on Sunday. “The confidence I had when I said it is the confidence that led us to where we are now, by becoming the best team in this league.”

“Yes, my confidence will never change,” he said Sunday. “I don’t care what anyone says about it.”

Of course, Morant remained just as sure of himself, but in the West, the Grizzlies do not scare anyone. One of the things that annoys other teams in the league is the Grizzlies’ chatter and self-respect despite the fact that they haven’t won anything yet. If they want to win this season, they need to get better on the road (11-17 away from the FedEx forum), better in clutch (-8.9 net rating in games within five points in the last five minutes, 25th in league), and it would be helpful if The Jackson Jr. can stay out of trouble.

Morant can say whatever he wants about the West, but he and Grizzly will have to prove it in a way they haven’t done before.

To complete the three-team deal that sent Eric Gordon from Houston to the Los Angeles Clippers, the Rockets had to forgo fan favorite big man Boban Marjanovic to make room in the roster. However, Houston always planned to re-sign him.

They did it on Monday.

Roster Update: The Rockets have announced the signing of Boban Marjanovic after he cleared waivers.

The Rockets needed to waive Marjanovic on February 10 to complete two deals by the NBA trade deadline. pic.twitter.com/zXmA7QWq61

— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) February 13, 2023

Houston refused Danny Green (which is heading to Cleveland) and John Wall to open a place in the registry.

Marjanovic plays a limited role on the court – he has appeared in 17 games this season, averaging 2.8 points per game – but off the court he is one of the veterans who keeps the dressing room tidy and shows the young Rockets how to be professional. Marjanovic will become a free agent after this season.

“Three Things You Need to Know” is NBC’s five-day coverage of last night in the NBA. Check NBCSports.com Every weekday morning for what you missed the night before, plus the gossip, drama, and dunks that make the NBA a must-watch.

1) Warriors go forward Gary Payton II after all

After all, the Warriors want Gary Payton II and want to get away from James Wisemanso they went ahead, exchanging four teams at the deadline, despite Payton failing her physical with the team.

The 6:30 pm PDT deadline has expired.

The Warriors have been confirmed to have completed the Gary Payton II trade despite his failed physical. He is back. Bob Myers is expected to speak tomorrow morning after the shootout.

— Dalton Johnson (@DaltonJ_Johnson) February 13, 2023

However, at the Warriors’ urging, the NBA league office will review the trade to see if the Trail Blazers misled the Warriors about Payton’s health prior to the trade.

Sources say the NBA has received a complaint from the Golden State Warriors about the Portland Trail Blazers, and the league has launched an investigation into possible misrepresentation by the Blazers regarding Gary Payton II’s status. @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 12, 2023

Payton underwent abdominal surgery during the summer and, despite an initial schedule that saw him return to the regular season, he missed the first 35 games of the season, hinting upon his return that he was still not feeling well. Following a post-trade physical, the Warriors stated that Payton could be out for most of the remainder of the season, still recovering from surgery. Since this was all revealed after the exchange deadline, the exchange cannot be changed – either the Warriors simply ignored the physical and let the exchange go through, or everyone went back to their original commands. The Warriors decided to let the trade happen.

Here’s how the trade is shaking:

• Warriors receive: Gary Payton II
• Pistons receive: James Wiseman
• Trailblazers receive: Kevin Knoxfive future second round picks
• Hawks get: saddik bay

Now the focus is on an overview of the NBA situation, where the Trail Blazers are in denial of wrongdoing.

2) Buyout Market Update: Jackson, Green, Ross find new homes.

The NBA buyout market is heating up after the trade deadline, and while these deals rarely have the impact fans are hoping for, they can give teams some depth to help them get through the rest of the regular season. Here’s a quick update on the buyback market:

• Former big man “Hit” Duane Dedmon was bought out by the Spurs and will now sign with the 76ers. Another guy that Doc Rivers shouldn’t play for Paul Reid but probably will.

Sources tell ESPN that the 76ers have signed free agent center Dewayne Dedmon for the remainder of the season.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 13, 2023

• Danny Green negotiated a buyout deal with the Houston Rockets and…