The Dallas Mavericks weren’t in a position to re-sign Raymond Felton, but they’ll miss his energetic play in 2016-17.
When the Dallas Mavericks traded for Tyson Chandler back in the summer of 2014, they took on another piece in Raymond Felton.
At the time, Felton was having issues both on and off the court. The New York Knicks saw a small drop in his production from the 2012-13 season to the 2013-14 season and he was going through legal issues with his gun case.
It was a troubling time for the former Tar Heel and it was obvious that he needed a change of scenery to avoid more issues.
His first year with Dallas certainly didn’t go the way he had planned as he battled injury throughout the season while playing just 29 games and averaging 3.7 points in 9.7 minutes per game. 2014-15 became known as Felton’s worst year in the league.
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But, determined to change and revive his NBA career, Felton put in hard work over the summer, showing up to training camp noticeably slimmer.
His mindset had brought a new Raymond Felton to the scene, but he didn’t have it easy as he had to battle Deron Williams, Devin Harris and J.J. Barea for playing time.
Felton’s 11th season in the NBA ended up as one of his best–not necessarily on the stat sheet, but in terms of his overall play and output in a Mavs jersey.
He looked like a completely different player when he marched onto the court and recorded 18 points, four rebounds and six assists in 33 minutes in the first game of the 2015-16 season.
As the season rolled along, Felton became a major part of the team and he managed to drop a triple-double (10/11/11) while playing at least 30 minutes every few games. He was in perfect shape and had seized the role as sixth man on the team.
The season approached the stretch run and Felton’s role began to grow even larger. By that time, Williams had began to struggle with minor injuries to his hamstring and his hip and wasn’t staying on the court consistently.
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As a result, Felton would up his total amount of games started to 31 on the season and his role transformed him into one of the most important players in Dallas.
Let’s be clear though. Felton wasn’t on the court putting up All-Star numbers and he wasn’t carrying the team on his back.
He was simply making smart plays that led to victories and he was playing like a player with something to prove. He was reviving his career when some questioned if he would ever get back on track.
He finished off a great season with his playoff numbers. Felton would go on to average 15.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.2 steals in 34.4 minutes per game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
His double-double in Game 2 was one of the main reasons the Mavs were able to steal a win–their only one in the five-game series.
As free agency hit, Felton became a unrestricted free agent and faced an uncertain future in Dallas.
It was obvious that both sides wanted to be back together again, but the Mavs went all in on free agent point guards like Mike Conley before eventually settling back down and re-signing Williams.
As the team weighed their options they didn’t see the need to go through with four point guards again and Felton ended up inking a veteran’s minimum deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, earning a spot with a contender in the Western Conference.
Free agent guard Raymond Felton reaches agreement with Clippers, league sources inform @clevelanddotcom.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 14, 2016
While the Mavs certainly weren’t in position to sign Felton–as they had enough point guards and had other obvious needs–they’ll miss the energy and veteran presence that he brought off the bench.
If it wasn’t for Raymond Felton, the Mavs race into the playoffs might have been a whole lot closer.
They could’ve lost a few of those important matches late in the season against he Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz. They likely would’ve been swept in the first round of the playoffs.
While he certainly wasn’t a cure-all for the team, Felton provided steady production for the Mavs when they needed him, whether it was late in the season or late in games.
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Looking back on the year, you could make the case that Raymond Felton was the second-best player behind Dirk Nowitzki on the 2015-16 Dallas Mavericks. His play combined with his attitude gave him the qualities of a true winner–and that’s something any team would want.