Mavs' Williams, Bogut held out of practice with trade deadline looming
The Dallas Mavericks practiced Wednesday, but center Andrew Bogut and point guard Deron Williams were nowhere to be found.
The timing - less than 24 hours before the trade deadline - may not be a coincidence.
"With the trade deadline tomorrow, you can read a lot into that," coach Rick Carlisle told reporters after practice.
It's believed the team has been actively trying to move both players, who are on expiring deals worth over $20 million combined. Asked about that, Carlisle would only say:
"We'll see. We'll know by 2:00 p.m. (CST) tomorrow, and we'll go from there."
Williams, 32, is averaging 13.1 points, 6.9 assists, and 2.6 rebounds while shooting 43 percent from the field and 34.8 percent from long range in his 12th campaign. The Utah Jazz are reportedly interested in bringing him back.
Bogut joined the Mavericks last summer in a salary-dump trade from the Golden State Warriors. The 32-year-old big man's putting up three points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.9 dimes, and a block in 22 minutes per game.
Team owner Marc Cuban said the Mavs would be willing to take on contracts in exchange for draft picks.
In a possibly related move, Dallas recalled rookie center A.J. Hammons from the D-League. He's yet to play for the Mavericks in 2017.