The Dallas Mavericks have agreed to a two-year, veteran's minimum deal with center JaVale McGee that includes a team option for year two.
The Mavericks have scrambled to pick up the pieces at the center position as they approach it as center by committee. JaVale McGee will look to be part of a three-man rotation at center along with Zaza Pachulia and Samuel Dalembert, both acquired earlier within the last month of the offseason.
JaVale McGee's health was the biggest hurdle in the Mavs signing him as he suffered a stress fracture in his left tibia that limited him to five games during the 2013-2014 season. McGee has struggled to regain his form as an elite shot blocker and agreed to a buyout with the Philadelphia 76ers and contemplated joining a playoff contender during the final stretch of the 2014-2015 season.
McGee played in just six games last season and averaged 3.0 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.2 blocks in 10.2 minutes per game.
The Mavericks hope that their head athletic trainer, Casey Smith, will help a great deal as McGee looks to regain a clean bill of health. Casey Smith will have his plate full as McGee joins a group of Chandler Parsons, Wesley Matthews and Deron Williams as players that enter the 2015-2016 season with some sort of cloud over their health status.
For Dallas, this is a low risk, high reward signing as McGee is highly athletic at seven-feet, 270 pounds who is only 27 years old and can be a quality big man when healthy and focused. The focused part is another issue as McGee is also famous for his appearances on Shaqtin' A Fool and his sometimes questionable basketball IQ.
The Mavericks have done a solid job of picking up the pieces after the DeAndre Jordan debacle, but there's still more questions than answers heading into training camp.