Category: Dallas Mavericks Blog

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Mavericks waive Courtney Lee

The Dallas Mavericks have waived guard Courtney Lee.

Lee (6-5, 215) originally joined the Mavericks as part of the seven-player trade that brought Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Trey Burke to Dallas in January 2019.

The 13-season veteran holds career averages of 9.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.0 steals and 27.1 minutes in 811 games (518 starts) with Orlando, New Jersey, Houston, Boston, Memphis, Charlotte, New York and Dallas. Last year, Lee averaged 4.5 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 14.4 minutes through 24 games (nine starts). Lee did not play in the NBA Restart due to a calf injury.

Lee appeared in Dallas’ final preseason game on Thursday, recording three points in six minutes vs. Minnesota.

The Mavericks roster now stands at 17 players, including two-way players.

Mavericks waive Freddie Gillespie and Devonte Patterson

The Dallas Mavericks waived forwards Freddie Gillespie and Devonte Patterson today.

Gillespie (6-9, 245) appeared in Dallas’ preseason opener at Milwaukee (Dec. 12) and finished with two points and one rebound in six minutes.

Patterson (6-7, 205) played in two of the Mavericks’ three preseason contests and recorded three points and one assist in six minutes.

With preseason ending Saturday and the regular season starting Tuesday, teams around the NBA will steadily make player cuts in the next few days.

Tim Hardaway Jr. interview after Mavs vs Timberwolves preseaon game

Postgame Tim Hardaway Jr. interview after Thursday’s Dallas Mavericks 129-127 preseason loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves:

On playing at home and in an empty arena:

“I mean it was fine. A lot of arenas are different when you are playing in them. LA, MSG, Brooklyn – the stands are dark so you can probably see the basket better. That is probably more similar to the bubble. Here and in Milwaukee the lights were on in the stands, so it was brighter. But it doesn’t matter. I am just happy that we are out here playing ball, and everyone is healthy.”

On his confidence level with this team going into the season:

“Very high. It shouldn’t be any less. We know what we have to do out there on the floor to be a productive playoff-caliber team. And it is on us to just go out there and execute. The coaching staff has done a hell of a job this whole training camp so far of preparing us and making sure we are on track and making sure everyone is focused. From a confidence standpoint it is really high. We have to take that on the road when we start next week.”

On his offensive aggressiveness:

“I feel like tonight I just tried to stay aggressive. You want to get your feet wet while you are at home and get used to the surroundings where there is no one in the arena. I just wanted to make sure I picked and chose my spots wisely and knocked down some shots. But we are not satisfied. We lost and we had the lead going into the fourth. I know that the starters and the rest of the guys weren’t happy with how we were playing the rest of the game. But in this league you just have to take every win. Everyone has to understand you take every win and every loss and learn from it. For me, it wasn’t enough.”

On Josh Richardson:

“J. Rich has been doing a great job from the start – keeping a positive attitude and keeping his mindset all about the team. He wants to win. He has come here with one goal and one goal only and that is to win and be in a playoff-loving team environment. So far he has done a heck of a job and is doing a great job of being a leader and a vocal leader out there.”

On the final three-pointer by Boban Marjanović:

“For Boban, it was a wide-open shot. He makes that shot so we were happy that he got that look. In and out probably says a lot about how the game went for us tonight on that end of the floor. A lot of easy and open ones that we wanted to go in and drop.”

Mavericks sign veteran guard Courtney Lee

The Dallas Mavericks have signed veteran guard Courtney Lee.

Lee, listed at 6-foot-5, 215 lbs., originally joined the Mavericks as part of the seven-player trade that brought Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Trey Burke to Dallas in January 2019.

The 35-year-old, 13-season veteran holds career averages of 9.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.0 steals and 27.1 minutes in 811 games (518 starts) with Orlando, New Jersey, Houston, Boston, Memphis, Charlotte, New York and Dallas. Last year, Lee averaged 4.5 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 14.4 minutes through 24 games (nine starts). Lee did not play in the NBA Restart due to a calf injury.

Lee played four seasons at Western Kentucky where, in 127 starts, he averaged 17.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.9 steals in 31.2 minutes. He was named First Team All-Sun Belt in each of his final three seasons (2005-08) and earned 2008 Sun Belt Player of the Year honors as a senior.

Lee, a native of Indianapolis, will join the team after clearing medical protocols.

Lee will wear No. 45.

Mavericks waive Jose Juan Barea

The Dallas Mavericks have waived guard Jose Juan Barea.

Per the Dallas Morning News, “Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson on Thursday confirmed that the team will be releasing veteran guard Barea. ESPN on Wednesday reported the expected roster move. “A little bit of a sad day in Mavs-ville as we say goodbye to J.J. Barea,” Nelson told reporters via Zoom. “We’ve had an incredible, amazing ride with J.J. … He, in a lot of respects, has been the heart and soul of us for many, many years.”

Barea (5-10, 180) holds career averages of 8.9 points, 3.9 assists and 19.6 minutes in 831 games (107 starts) with Dallas and Minnesota. In an additional 50 playoff games (11 starts) for Dallas, Barea averaged 7.9 points, 2.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 19.7 minutes. The point guard helped the Mavericks to their first NBA title in 2011, appearing in 21 games throughout the run.

And per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, “the Mavericks re-signed Barea for one year and $2.6 million earlier this fall, but according to ESPN, Cuban was aware that the guard was going to be released and wanted to reward him for his 11 seasons with the team.”

Barea has played 11 of his 14 NBA seasons with the Mavericks. Among franchise leaders, he ranks fifth in games (637), seventh in 3-pointers made (596) and eighth in assists (2,441).

The Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, native went undrafted in the 2006 NBA Draft and was signed by Dallas as a rookie free agent on Aug. 17, 2006. Barea attended Northeastern University where, as a senior, he averaged 21.0 points, 8.4 assists and 4.4 rebounds for the Huskies.

Mavericks sign forward Wes Iwundu

The Dallas Mavericks have signed free agent forward Wes Iwundu.

Iwundu (6-6, 195) was selected by Orlando with the 33rd pick of the 2017 NBA Draft. In three seasons with the Magic, he averaged 4.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 17.6 minutes in 182 games (46 starts). Iwundu also made nine starts with the G League Lakeland Magic as a rookie, contributing 15.2 points and 8.4 rebounds in 35.3 minutes.

Iwundu, a Houston native, played four seasons with Kansas State (2013-17) and averaged 9.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists while setting a program record for games started (124). His 185 defensive rebounds in 2016-17 are the second most in program history. Iwundu was named Third Team All-Big 12 following his junior and senior seasons.

Iwundu would become the second K-State alumni to appear in a game for the Mavericks. Mavs legend Rolando Blackman, who currently serves as the organization’s VP of corporate relations, enjoyed a four-year career with the Wildcats (1977-81) before playing 11 of his 13 NBA seasons in Dallas.

Iwundu will wear No. 25.

Mavericks sign rookie forwards Freddie Gillespie and Devonte Patterson

The Dallas Mavericks have signed rookie free agent forwards Freddie Gillespie and Devonte Patterson.

The signings are likely non-guarantee deals that merely bring the two players to training camp.

Gillespie (6-9, 245) went undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft after finishing his college career at Baylor. Last season, as a senior, he was named the Big 12 Most Improved Player while garnering Second Team All-Big 12 and Big-12 All-Defensive Team accolades. Gillespie also became the first Baylor men’s basketball player to earn Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors.

The former walk-on transfer led the Bears to a 26-4 record last season, including five weeks ranked as the nation’s No. 1 team, the longest streak by any program since 2015. He averaged 9.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 2.2 blocks and 28.4 minutes per game in 30 games (all starts) and ranked third in the Big 12 in both redounding and blocked shots.

Prior to playing at Baylor, Gillespie earned All-MIAC and All-MIAC Defensive Team honors for Division III Carleton College. The Saint Paul, Minnesota, native did not begin playing basketball until eighth grade and stood at 5-11 entering high school.

Gillespie will wear No. 32 for Dallas.

Patterson (6-7, 205) also went undrafted in 2020 after finishing his college career at Prairie View A&M, where he helped the Panthers to back-to-back regular season titles and undefeated record at home in his two seasons with the program (2019, 2020). Last season, as a senior, he averaged 15.8 points (.465 FG%), 6.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 28.8 minutes in 24 games (19 starts) en route to garnering SWAC Player of the Year honors.

The Bridgeport, Texas, native played his first two collegiate seasons at Ranger College (NJCAA) before transferring to Prairie View A&M. He led Bridgeport High School to the UIL Class 4A state championship in 2015.

Patterson will wear No. 23 for the Mavericks.

The Mavericks’ 20-man training camp roster is now complete.

Mavericks re-sign guard Trey Burke

The Dallas Mavericks have re-signed guard Trey Burke.

Per multiple reports, Burke’s contract with the Mavs is a three-year, $10 million deal.

Burke (6-0, 185) returned for his second stint with the Mavs in 2019-20 after signing as a substitute player on July 1, 2020, prior to the league’s restart at the Disney bubble in Orlando. Burke stepped up in the bubble, playing in all eight (one start) of the team’s seeding games, averaging 12.0 points, 3.8 assists and 1.1 steals in 23.9 minutes per game.

Burke also appeared in all six (three starts) of Dallas’ first round playoff games against the L.A. Clippers, averaging 12.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals in 26.0 minutes.

Per the Dallas Morning News, “Burke was late to join the Mavericks in the bubble because he tested positive for COVID-19 just after signing his temporary contract this summer and had to quarantine for 25 days in a Dallas hotel.”

The seven-year veteran holds career averages of 10.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 23.0 minutes in 394 games (129 starts) with Utah, Washington, New York, Dallas and Philadelphia. He has compiled averages of 10.3 points, 2.9 assists and 19.0 minutes in 33 regular season games (two starts) with the Mavericks.

Burke was originally acquired by the Mavericks in the seven-player trade that brought Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee to Dallas on Jan. 31, 2019. After playing in 25 games for Dallas over the second half of the 2018-19 season, Burke signed with Philadelphia as a free agent on July 30, 2019. He appeared in 25 games for the Sixers in 2019-20, before being waived on Feb. 6 and subsequently signing with Dallas.

Burke was an early entry candidate for the 2013 NBA Draft after his sophomore season at Michigan. He was selected ninth overall by Minnesota before having his draft rights traded to Utah for the 14th and 21st picks.

The Columbus, Ohio, native was named the National College Player of the Year, a consensus First Team All-American and the Bob Cousy Award winner as a sophomore while helping the Wolverines reach the national championship game in 2013.

After wearing No. 23 with Dallas in 2018-19 and No. 32 for the Mavericks in the bubble, Burke will don No. 3 for the club in 2020-21.

Mavericks re-sign Jose Juan Barea

Once again, Jose Juan Barea is back on the Dallas Mavericks.

The Mavs re-signed 5-foot-10, 180-pound Barea today. The guard has now spent 11 of his 14 NBA seasons with Dallas.

Barea’s NBA career average is 8.9 points, 3.9 assists and 19.6 minutes in 831 games (107 starts) with Dallas and Minnesota.

In 50 playoff games (11 starts) for Dallas, Barea averages 7.9 points, 2.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 19.7 minutes. The point guard helped the Mavericks to their first NBA title in 2011, appearing in 21 games throughout the run.

Among Mavs franchise leaders, Barea ranks fifth in games (637), seventh in 3-pointers made (596) and eighth in assists (2,441).

A native of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, Barea went undrafted in 2006, and was signed by Dallas as a rookie free agent on Aug. 17, 2006.

Barea attended Northeastern University where, as a senior, he averaged 21.0 points, 8.4 assists and 4.4 rebounds for the Huskies.

Mavericks sign rookie Josh Green

The Dallas Mavericks have signed first round pick Josh Green.

Green (6-6, 210) was selected 18th overall by Dallas in the 2020 NBA Draft following his freshman season at the University of Arizona. He started all 30 games in which he appeared for the Wildcats and averaged 12.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Green ranked sixth in the PAC-12 in steals last season.

The Sydney native led IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida) to the 2019 high school national championship while garnering McDonald’s All-American honors.

Green will wear No. 8 for Dallas.