DALLAS _ Dennis Smith Jr. missed his fourth consecutive game Wednesday night as the soap opera surrounding the Dallas Mavericks point guard stretches on.
Mavs coach said during his pregame media availability that he was told by the trainer that Smith was still sick.
"Dennis is still sick, he will not be here," Carlisle said.
But at 2 p.m. Wednesday, a fan on Twitter said he and his wife had lunch next to Smith. "Super nice guy. You Dallas folk, quit trying to run him out of town," Snackmaster35 posted.
Smith corroborated the lunch encounter by replying on Twitter, "Nice to meet u my guy!"
Carlisle said he didn't have any knowledge of Smith's lunch. The Mavs said Smith missed the first three of four games with a sore back before saying he was ill for Sunday's loss to Golden State.
When asked whether he has talked to Smith, Carlisle declined to elaborate. "I've told you what I'm going to tell you about it tonight," he said.
Various reports have indicated the Mavs are trying to trade Smith. With the addition of rookie Luka Doncic this season, Smith's role as the point guard has been in question. But what's unclear is how much Smith's agent is involved in these rumors leaking to well-known reporters, including ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
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