Mavericks news: Kemba Walker to sign non-guaranteed deal, Jaden Hardy returns, more

The Dallas Mavericks have lost four consecutive games, and they are hoping that signing Kemba Walker gives them an offensive boost. The team desperately needs another ball-handler and playmaker, but fans should not expect too much from Walker. He went unsigned this offseason after being sent home by the Knicks last February.

Marc Stein reported on Tuesday that Walker will be signing a non-guaranteed deal with the Mavs, and he is not expected to be ready for game action immediately. Facundo Campazzo, who was released to make room for Walker, was on the same contract.

There is no definitive news on when Kemba will be ready to play. It could take a few weeks as Walker went without a training camp. The 32-year-old was training in Florida in hopes of getting a call, but he needs some time to ramp into game shape.

More Mavericks news

Marc Stein also reported that Jaden Hardy will be back with the Mavericks for this week. The 20-year-old rookie has been dominant in the G League so far where he is averaging 29.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 0.9 blocks in 34.1 minutes per over nine games played.

Hardy has been on fire, but will it be enough to get minutes with the Mavericks? Head coach Jason Kidd will likely keep him in a deep reserve role, but he could turn to the rookie if Dallas is struggling to score. The Mavs need to end their losing streak, and coach Kidd may try anything to make that a reality.

NBA news

Karl-Anthony Towns suffered what looked like a devastating injury in last night’s loss to the Washington Wizards, but early reports are positive. There were fears the seven-footer tore his Achilles, but Adrian Wojnarowski reported it was a calf strain that will cost Towns four-to-six weeks of action. No great news, but better than initially feared.

In that same game, former Maverick Kristaps Porzingis notched a new career-high with 41 points as the Wizards dominated the Timberwolves to drop Minnesota to 10-11 on the season. The T’Wolves were a preseason darling after the Rudy Gobert trade, but they are struggling like the Mavericks out of the gate. Where will both teams end up in the Western Conference? Only time will tell.