To nobody’s surprise, J.J. Barea has agreed upon on a two-year, $5.6 million deal to remain with the Dallas Mavericks.
Moments after DeAndre Jordan agreed to join the Mavericks, Barea began working on a deal to remain on the team as well. It’s obvious Dallas needed to fill their point guard void, and Barea has become their immediate option at a bargain deal. The Mavericks have had interest in Jeremy Lin, but this move puts the potential addition of Lin into question.
The team also has Devin Harris and Raymond Felton at the point guard slot, but Dallas wanted more depth and assurance. However, there is no certainty on who would take the starting point guard role between the three.
Barea, 31, was on the 2011 Mavericks championship squad and was mentored by Jason Kidd early in his career. He is fitted to run the Mavericks offense and has the ability to create for teammates by breaking down defenses with his quickness.
Last season, Barea played in 77 games for Dallas and started in 10 of them. As a starter, he averaged 11.0 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.6 rebounds. Off the bench, he only averaged 7.0 points and 3.2 assists, huge difference.
Rick Carlisle has a lot of trust in Barea. The six-foot point guard has spent all but three seasons with the Mavericks. He went to the Minnesota Timberwolves for three years but returned to Dallas last season after the Wolves waived him.
Reportedly, Barea was discussing a three-year deal with the Miami Heat, but the two sides did not get too far. Besides, going to Miami, Barea would be buried deep in the rotation behind Goran Dragic, Mario Chalmers, and Shabazz Napier. With Dallas, he will be in a familiar offense and will earn plenty of minutes.
It figures the Mavericks could be satisfied with the three point guards they now possess. Next order of business is to shore up the rest of their bench.