The Dallas Mavericks are one of the many teams adding players using the hardship exception due to the outbreak of COVID-19 around the NBA, plus injuries to Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. The Mavs recently added former lottery pick Marquese Chriss, and he played a key role in a big win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night. Now, Dallas is adding another notable name to the fold: Brandon Knight.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports the Mavs are adding the nine-year veteran on a 10-day hardship deal. Knight has been playing for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the G League and hasn't played an NBA game since the 2019-20 season. He played a total of 25 games that season between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons.
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Like Chriss, Knight is also a former lottery pick the Mavs are bringing in. The Pistons selected him eighth overall in the 2011 NBA Draft, but they wound up trading him after just two seasons to the Milwaukee Bucks for Brandon Jennings. At the time, Knight was the top player going to the Bucks in that deal, but Khris Middleton turned into the real prize as he developed into an All-Star.
Knight only spent a season and a half in Milwaukee before going to the Phoenix Suns in the 2014-15 season. The guard put up a career-high 19.6 points per game with the Suns in 2015-16, though he was soon ravaged by injuries and even missed the entire 2017-18 season.
The veteran guard is still just 30 years old, so perhaps he has a bit left in the tank. At the very least, the Mavs are hoping Knight can give their roster a boost as they try to get healthy. Dallas is 15-15 on the season, with Doncic not playing since Dec. 10 and Porzingis missing Tuesday's win over Minnesota.