J.J. Barea has agreed to re-sign with the Dallas Mavericks on a four-year, $16 million deal. Barea had initially agreed to sign a two-year, $5.7 million deal but both sides renegotiated a new contract after DeAndre Jordan backed out of a max deal with the Mavericks.
DeAndre Jordan's decision to re-sign with the Los Angeles Clippers has had a ripple type of effect on other NBA free agents, J.J. Barea being the latest. Gerald Green was expected to sign with the Mavs before deciding to join the Miami Heat after learning of Jordan's indecision. The same is thought of to have had happened with Jeremy Lin, now a Charlotte Hornet, who was Dallas' main target for their starting point guard position after they believed to have DeAndre on board.
J.J. Barea has been a fan favorite of Maverick fans especially after being part of the 2011 championship team and returning to the team at the beginning of last season after being bought out by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Barea also had high interest from the Miami Heat where he has family roots but ultimately decided on staying in Dallas, a place he calls home.
"They knew I wanted to be there for a long time," Barea told ESPN.com. "They wanted me there for a long time, so we made it happen."
Another Mavs player, Wesley Matthews, has also benefited financially from Jordan's decision by signing a max deal of four years, worth $70 million after he was initially going to sign a four-year, $57 million deal if DeAndre Jordan became a Dallas Maverick. Mark Cuban promised Matthews that he would pay him whatever was left over after DeAndre Jordan spurned them, and kept his word by giving Matthews a max deal.
J.J. Barea has averaged 8.2 points and 3.4 assists per game during his nine-year career and is a key guard off the bench for Rick Carlisle's fast-paced offensive system. He, along with Devin Harris, will be backing up the Dallas Mavericks newest starting point guard, Deron Williams, for the upcoming 2015-2016 NBA season.