The Dallas Mavericks have signed Brandon Knight to a hardship 10-day contract. Trey Burke recently entered the NBA's health and safety protocols.

This is the second hardship 10-day Knight has signed with the Mavericks this season. In his first stint with Dallas, Knight averaged 10 points in 18.3 minutes per game over three contests.

Knight has also appeared in 10 games for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the G League this season. He's averaged 14.1 points and 4.2 assists for the Skyforce.

Trey Burke has entered the NBA's COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

Burke has previously said he is not vaccinated against COVID-19 and was in the protocols back in December. 

In 39 games this season, Burke is averaging 5.3 points and 1.3 assists. 

Luka Doncic is on the verge of getting suspended due to the number of technical fouls he's amassed this season. To avoid getting more technicals, Doncic has taken a unique approach to calming himself when he's upset with a call.

"It's a funny thing -- I just start singing a song in my head," Doncic said. "One of my favorite songs I pick and just start singing and let (the frustration) pass."

Doncic has been called for 14 technical fouls, after one was rescinded, this season. On the 16th technical, a player triggers a one-game suspension. They are then suspended for every other technical after that, as well.

Technical foul counts are wiped clean at the end of the regular season.

Donnie Nelson has filed a lawsuit against the Dallas Mavericks, alleging Mark Cuban fired him as retaliation for reporting that Cuban's chief of staff sexually harassed and sexually assaulted his nephew during a job interview in 2020.

The lawsuit also alleges that Cuban offered Nelson, who was fired in June, $52 million to withdraw a wrongful termination claim and sign a confidentiality statement related to the alleged harassment and abuse of his nephew.

Nelson says Jason Lutin, described in the lawsuit as Cuban's "right-hand man" and who still works for the team, assaulted and harassed his nephew in a hotel room during the 2020 All-Star Weekend in Chicago. The nephew, a man in his 20s who is not identified in the lawsuit, had been invited by Lutin to his hotel room, the lawsuit says.

Cuban denied Nelson's allegations in an email to ESPN.

"Everything in that filing is a lie," Cuban wrote. "We did multiple complete investigations and the only person that did not live up to the standards of the Dallas Mavericks was Mr. Nelson. He was fired as a result. He was well aware of the investigation. He refused to fully participate. I will say it again, everything he said is a lie."

On June 13, Cuban notified Nelson that he was firing him. Media reports at the time said Nelson was fired amid "internal friction" with Haralabos Voulgaris, the former professional gambler hired in 2018 to be the Mavericks' director of quantitative research and development.

The lawsuit alleges a direct link between "Nelson's complaint and report of Lutin's improper activities" and Cuban's withdrawal of a 10-year, $66 million contract offer to Nelson in September 2020.

Nelson worked for the Mavericks for 24 seasons. 

The Los Angeles Lakers very nearly parted ways with Frank Vogel earlier this season and would like him to remain in the job through the end of the season. If Jason Kidd hadn't left the Lakers for the Dallas Mavericks last offseason, however, they would have quite possibly made a coaching change. 

"I think we would both agree if Jason Kidd was still on this staff, they would have made a coaching change," said Adrian Wojnarowski.

"Absolutely," said Dave McMenamin.

Wojnarowski then praised the way David Fizdale has supported Vogel as an assistant coach and remained loyal to him.

Before the Dallas Mavericks traded Kristaps Porzingis to the Washington Wizards for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans at the deadline, they attempted to send him to the Toronto Raptors in a deal for Goran Dragic and Gary Trent Jr.

While the Mavericks hoped Porzingis would be a second star to pair with Luka Doncic, it never played out that way on the floor. 

"They tried to trade him to Toronto," said Tim MacMahon on The Lowe Post. "My understanding is their discussions there were Dragic and Gary Trent. Toronto understandably said 'We're not giving up Gary Trent Jr.'

"So the Washington thing came together. And the Mavericks basically got to the point of 'Hey, financially it's a wash, but it's two smaller contracts that would be easier to move.' And they felt K.P. was kind of in the way and those two guys could fill roles off the bench, so they pulled the trigger as soon as they found a deal where they didn't have to give up a first round pick. A lot of that was the fit with K.P. wasn't there. It doesn't mean Porzingis necessarily did anything wrong. The Mavericks took a huge swing and a miss on him. It didn't work out.

"Ultimately, I do think there's a ceiling on a one-star team. You have to go all the way back, ironically, to the Dirk Mavericks to find a one-star NBA champion. But you know, if there's a guy who is going to do it, it's a dude like Luka."

DeMar DeRozan and Luka Doncic have been named the NBA's Players of the Month for February. 

DeRozan averaged 34.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists for the Chicago Bulls as they went 8-5.

Doncic averaged 34.7 points, 10.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists as the Dallas Mavericks went 7-3.