Monta Ellis is co-represented by Happy Walters of Relativity Sports and longtime agent Jeff Fried, industry sources told RealGM.

Ellis had an apparent split with Fried out of frustration in mid-July, before signing a three-year contract with the Dallas Mavericks. Nevertheless, Fried told RealGM that reports of him separating with Ellis are “incorrect.”

“Monta and I are together for a lifetime,” Fried said. “He is family to me.”

After averaging 19.2 points and six assists for the Milwaukee Bucks last season, Ellis was pursued by a handful of teams in both outright signing and sign-and-trade scenarios. He’s been with Fried throughout his professional career, and the agent negotiated a long-term $67 million deal with the Golden State Warriors in 2008. Relativity Sports has established itself as a strong negotiating and marketing agency.

A 6-foot-3 two guard, Ellis, 27, has averaged 19.4 points and nearly five assists over eight seasons in the NBA.

DeJuan Blair has circled the Dallas Mavericks' matchup against his old team, the San Antonio Spurs, next season, and Mark Cuban senses determination in his new forward.

“DeJuan already knows when we’re playing the Spurs,” Cuban said. “We already know what DeJuan is going to do to the Spurs. It’s going to be a beautiful thing.”

Blair was adamant recently that he believes the Spurs would have won the NBA championship last season had he played in the Finals against the Miami Heat.

The Mavericks expect Blair to provide a strong inside presence.

“DeJuan was a really important acquisition for us because Elton Brand didn’t return,” Rick Carlisle said. “We need that physical (butt)-kicker to put out there and be an enforcer for us.”

Mark Cuban has committed the Dallas Mavericks to being built around Dirk Nowitzki for as long as he is interested in continuing his career.

"I have no idea," said Cuban. "But I'll talk to Dirk about it. Pretty much whatever he wants. Dirk's got a no-trade deal, so whether it's one year, three years, 20 years, it really doesn't matter. He gets to sign and re-sign as often as he wants. The length of the contract is more about how long longer Dirk wants to play more than anything else."

Nowitzki is expected to accept a pay cut to give the Mavericks more cap room.

"I don't see Dirk walking away from the game anytime soon. Dirk really wants to come back and send a message to everybody that he's got a lot left. The thing about Dirk is he's skill driven. He's basketball-IQ driven, he's wins driven. He's not driven by athleticism. As long as he stays healthy, he could play for a long time."

On his personal blog, Mark Cuban wrote that the Dallas Mavericks believed there was a clash of personalities between the organization and Dwight Howard, when the Mavericks pursued the center this offseason.

In Cuban's mind, there might be risk with Howard.

"We saw it as somewhat of a risk, but felt like because Dwight by all appearances and checking we did,  is a good guy and with our support systems we believed we could make it work," Cuban wrote. "If not, he was obviously a very trade-able asset.  But, as everyone knows, we didn't sign him."

Howard signed with the Houston Rockets.

After a resurgent campaign, free agent guard Mike James has been elevating his fitness and has received interest out of a few NBA teams, staying confident about signing with a franchise ahead of training camp for his 12th season.

“The expectation is he will sign, he deserves it and so we will see how it shakes out,” James’ agent, Bernie Lee, told RealGM. “Mike simply wants an opportunity like everyone else to prove his worth. One thing Mike has shown over the last few years is he has nothing to hide and he will play for opportunities.”

James averaged 6.1 points and 3.1 assists a season ago in 45 games for the Dallas Mavericks, showing remarkable resilience in prolonging a career born out of going undrafted in 1998. In each of the past two years, James hasn't signed with a team before the season – only to latch onto one and make a strong impact.

The Mavericks expressed interest in James on the first day of free agency and discussions with the organization are ongoing. Dallas went 16-7 in the games James started last season. Down to his weight as a rookie, James believes he can play a significant role or help mentor younger guards.

“Every time Mike has been asked to show something over the last two years, he’s stepped up,” Lee said. “When given the opportunity, he will do so again.”

James, 38, has averaged 10 points and 3.5 assists in his career, cementing himself early as a sharpshooter before sharpening his playmaking skills to become a more natural point guard.

Greg Oden will decide on his next NBA team on Friday, according to a source.

The Miami Heat, Sacramento Kings, Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans Pelicans, San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks are in the mix for Oden.

Oden has not played in an NBA game since late 2009 but has appeared intriguing in workouts recently.