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Dallas Mavericks: Latest Free Agency Rumors

By Cole Mentzel

Feb 20, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jason Terry (31) reacts during the game against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 20, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jason Terry (31) reacts during the game against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Dallas Mavericks got their prized possessions in free agency when they agreed to deals with DeAndre Jordan and Wesley Matthews but now they face a new challenge: finding a starting point guard and filling out their bench.

As of right now they currently have Devin Harris, Dwight Powell, Richard Jefferson, Justin Anderson and Jeremy Evans as a part of their bench, so they obviously need some depth. Dwight Powell and Jeremy Evans are both players that the Mavs will develop while Justin Anderson is only a rookie, so the Mavs are in the market for a lot of players right now.

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However, it’s no surprise that they seem to be mostly interested in guards at the moment. Many rumors regarding players such as Jeremy Lin, Jason Terry, Deron Williams and J.J. Barea have been circulating for over the Fourth of July weekend and that’s not shocking considering their guard depth at the moment.

Jeremy Lin

Jeremy Lin has always been a player that the Mavs liked simply for the fact that he started off his career in Dallas during the Summer League before he rose up with the New York Knicks. The Mavs know they won’t be able to get him on a minimum deal so reports are that they are trying to get him in a sign-and-trade which could mean stretching out Raymond Felton‘s contract that he opted into.

Lin averaged 11.2 points and 4.6 assists per game with the Lakers last season, which is a pretty solid, but his numbers were still slightly down from his previous seasons. There is mutual interest between Lin and the Mavericks simply because him and (you guessed it) Chandler Parsons are friends from their playing time together in Houston.

One other reason is because of how well he played with Tyson Chandler during his time in New York. Now, as we know, Tyson Chandler just recently agreed to a deal with the Phoenix Suns, but the Mavericks were able to pull in DeAndre Jordan. Both Jordan and Chandler play similar games. Their defense and above-the-rim styles are what help them be so successful.

Lin really enjoyed tossing alley-oops to Chandler and he recently said he feels like he could probably form that same kind of chemistry with Jordan, which would improve his game greatly and make him an important piece in Dallas. It seems like Lin is most likely heading to Dallas and he would have an opportunity to rejuvenate is career with a great group of players around him.

Jason Terry

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Every Mavs fan knows who Jason Terry is and it’s not a surprise that they would want him back after a solid season with the Houston Rockets. From his ability to come off the bench and hit big threes to his veteran savvy, he is a great piece to add to any team.

According Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News, the Mavs have reached out to the free agent shooting guard and are hoping for a reunion.

As I mentioned above, the Mavs are in the market for guards. During his time in Dallas, Terry played a mix of point guard and shooting guard but always came off the bench as their sixth man. Last season, he was forced to start at point guard when Patrick Beverley went down with injury and he started for them all throughout the playoffs.

The Mavericks will have Wesley Matthews starting for the at the shooting guard position but after suffering a Achilles injury last season, he most likely won’t be ready until late November or early December. Terry would be a nice player to have there in his place until he is ready to go and after that, he would thrive on the Mavs bench with Devin Harris and Richard Jefferson, among others.

Deron Williams

Are we really revisiting this right now? Deron Williams was the prized possession of the 2012 NBA offseason. He eventually ended up choosing the Nets over the Mavs and his numbers took a hit in the next few seasons after that.

Rumors have been floating around that the Nets could be willing to trade him or buy him out and he would definitely be interested in the Mavs if something like that happened. The only way Dallas could acquire him would be through a buyout just because of how enormous his contract is. It’s definitely a long shot but something the Mavs would explore if it became an option.

J.J. Barea

J.J. Barea means so much to the Mavericks franchise after helping them win the 2011 NBA championship and fans were elated when he was brought back to the team last season. This summer he became an unrestricted free agent and within the first few days of free agency, he came extremely close to agreeing on a deal with the Miami Heat.

Then things changed when the Mavericks signed DeAndre Jordan. Barea backed away from the Heat and began talking to the Mavs again. Though nothing is official at the moment, it is highly likely that he will be back in a Mavs uniform next season.

Barea would most likely share the backup point guard position with Devin Harris as a key scorer off of the bench. There’s no question he would be a huge boost after his great season last year in Dallas.

Other Free Agent Agreements

The Mavericks have already announced that Richard Jefferson will be back next season. They also agreed to  a deal with the 2012 Slam Dunk Champion Jeremy Evans, who is expected to be a developmental player in Dallas who has the potential to be a poor man’s Al-Farouq Aminu.

Next: Dallas Mavericks: Patience In Free Agency Finally Paying Off

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