Dallas Mavericks: Would JaVale McGee Be Worth It?

By Cole Mentzel | Jul 31, 2015

Nov 21, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets center JaVale McGee (34) in the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 117-97. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

In recent weeks, the Dallas Mavericks have been connected with center JaVale McGee. After missing out on DeAndre Jordan, the Mavericks have been determined to rebuild their center position by adding multiple centers to the equation.

ALSO ON HOOPSHABIT: The NBA’s 50 Greatest Players of All-Time

They began by trading for Zaza Pachulia and recently signed Samuel Dalembert to a minimum deal, someone who played in Dallas just two years ago. Rumor has it that they are still looking for another center despite the fact that they have Dwight Powell, who had some impressive performances in the NBA Summer League this year.

Let’s recap a little on the developments between the Mavs and McGee:

On Jul. 13, ESPN’s Marc Stein broke the news that the Mavs were interested in JaVale McGee. However, he explained that it was only “exploratory” and things depended on McGee’s health.

ESPN sources say Mavs' interest in JaVale McGee, to this point, more "exploratory." Yet rim protection/athleticism are certainly prime needs
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 13, 2015

After that, there was a dry period where the Mavs didn’t do much and things went quiet on the free agency front. Eventually on Jul. 25, the Mavs agreed to a deal with Samuel Dalembert. Marc Stein added, later on, that the Mavs were still interested in McGee as long as he could prove to be healthy.

ESPN sources say Mavs are also in advanced to sign Tunisian center Salah Mejiri and have not ruled out JaVale McGee if JaVale proves healthy
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 25, 2015

So why JaVale McGee? Is he the right piece to add to a Mavs team desperately looking for big men? Most of the Mavs’ interest stems off of the fact that he is a decent center and one of the only ones still left on the market. Even though they have two solid centers right now, Pachulia isn’t much of a rim protector and Dalembert can’t live up to Tyson Chandler‘s play from last year.

More from Dallas Mavericks

The Mavs and Mark Cuban seem to be trying to put together a three-headed center monster. Once DeAndre Jordan made his move back to L.A., there weren’t any above average centers left on the market. Tyson Chandler didn’t wait around, Marc Gasol was never going to go anywhere in the first place and Greg Monroe had already agreed with the Milwaukee Bucks.

It seems like it would be hard to find time for three different centers to play but the Mavs could be looking for a more rotational position rather than one with a center that gets more playing time than the others.

Though McGee used to be a regular guest on “Shaqtin’ A Fool,” a new system could be exactly what he needs. In the past three seasons, McGee has played 28 games and his highest points per game total has been 7.0. The problem with these stats is the fact that McGee was playing on the Philadelphia 76ers one season and the Denver Nuggets the other two seasons.

We all know where the 76ers have been and what they have been doing and it’s not good. I don’t want to take anything away from what the Nuggets have done, but they haven’t exactly been the most consistent team recently. The Washington Wizards struggled heavily during some of his best years but there was always hope in the franchise because of the arrival of John Wall.

If McGee appears healthy and if he gets a contract from the Mavs, it could do wonders for his career. He’s shown that he can be a dynamic dunker and blocker which is exactly what the Mavs need. They need someone long like Tyson Chandler who can do the dirty work. A position with a winning franchise that is all about success and a coach like Rick Carlisle, who was able to clean up Monta Ellis, could potentially help McGee regain some of the respect that he used to have.

To answer the question of if McGee would be worth it or not for the Mavericks, the only response I have is: Why not? They have nothing to lose at this point and you never know what a guy with a chip on his should could turn into. It remains to be seen what the Mavs will do, but they certainly could not go wrong by giving McGee a small contract just to see what he could do.

Next: Samuel Dalembert's Best Games Of 2013-14

More from Hoops Habit

Home/Dallas Mavericks