Dallas Mavericks Blog – Page 33 – NBA Blog

Mavericks sign Jeremy Evans

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have signed free agent forward Jeremy Evans.

According to ESPN Dallas, the deal is a two-year veteran’s minimum contract with no option.

Evans (6-9, 200) played his first five seasons in Utah (2010-15) where he averaged 3.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 10.8 minutes in 219 games (seven starts). He won the NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest at All-Star Weekend in 2012.

A native of Crossett, Ark., Evans played four seasons at Western Kentucky University. As a senior, he averaged 10.0 points and 6.9 rebounds in 34 games. He is the Hilltoppers’ all-time leader in blocks with 224. Evans was selected by Utah in the second round (55th overall pick) of the 2010 NBA Draft.

Mavericks sign center Salah Mejri

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have signed center Salah Mejri.

Mejri (7-2, 235) played in 34 games with Real Madrid last season and averaged 4.3 points and 2.1 rebounds in 8.6 minutes on the way to winning the Spanish League title. He increased those averages to 5.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 10.3 minutes in eight Euroleague games as Real Madrid went on to also capture the Euroleague Championship with a win over Greek-power Olympiacos in the final game.

A native of Jendouba, Tunisia, Mejri was a member of the Tunisian National Team that competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The team secured its bid to the London Olympics by winning the 2011 FIBA African Championships where Mejri was named Most Valuable Player.

Mavericks sign Jamil Wilson and Brandon Ashley

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have signed free agent forwards Jamil Wilson and Brandon Ashley.

Until we hear otherwise, we will assume these are non-guaranteed deals that merely bring these two players to training camp.

Wilson (6-7, 230) spent the 2014-15 season with the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA D-League. In 41 games (23 starts) for the Jam, he averaged 10.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 block in 26.2 minutes. The Milwaukee native played his final three seasons of college basketball at Marquette University (2011-14) where, as a senior, he averaged 11.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 32 games.

Ashley (6-9, 230) signs with Dallas after averaging 10.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.0 steal and 21.7 minutes in seven games (two starts) for the Atlanta Hawks’ summer league team that competed in Las Vegas. He was an early entry candidate for the 2015 NBA Draft out of the University of Arizona and went undrafted after his junior season. Ashley started all 38 games as a junior, averaging 12.2 points and 5.2 rebounds in 27.8 minutes while helping Arizona return to the Elite Eight for the second straight year. He was also named Honorable Mention All-Pac-12 and the Most Outstanding player of the Pac-12 tournament as a junior.

Mavericks sign John Jenkins and Jarrid Famous

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have signed free agent guard John Jenkins and free agent forward Jarrid Famous.

Jenkins (6-4, 215) joins the Mavericks after spending the past three seasons with the Atlanta Hawks where he was drafted with their first round pick (23rd overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft. In 98 career games (5 starts) as a Hawk, Jenkins averaged 5.6 points and 1.6 rebounds in 13.8 minutes while shooting .451 from the floor, .375 from three-point range and .849 from the foul line.

As a standout Vanderbilt, Jenkins played three seasons for the Commodores before foregoing his senior year to enter the 2012 NBA Draft. He led the Southeastern Conference in scoring as both a sophomore and a junior and left Nashville as Vanderbilt’s 10th all-time leading scorer. In his final season as a Commodore, Jenkins averaged 19.9 points and tied the SEC single-season record with 134 made three-pointers. He was named First Team All-SEC and Third Team All-America.

Famous (6-11, 240) signs with Dallas after competing for the Washington Wizards at the 2015 Las Vegas NBA Summer League. In five games (all starts) for the Wizards’ summer league squad, he averaged 10.2 points and 6.8 rebounds in 20.2 minutes.

Famous went undrafted out of South Florida in 2011. He spent the 2014-15 season with the Iowa Energy and Texas Legends of the NBA D-League, before signing with GlobalPort Batang Pier in the Philippines.

Mavericks sign Maurice Ndour

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have signed free agent forward Maurice Ndour.

Ndour (6-9, 200) is a native of Senegal and recently had a successful run at the Las Vegas Summer League as a member of the New York Knicks. While with the Knicks Summer League team, Ndour averaged 9.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.0 block, 1.0 steal and 28.3 minutes in 5 games (4 starts). He scored a team-high 23 points in New York’s victory over Philadelphia.

Ndour spent two years at Monroe College where he was a two-time National Junior College Athletic Association All-Region selection before transferring to Ohio University. In his first season at Ohio, Ndour averaged 13.8 points and 7.0 rebounds while starting 31 of his 36 games. As a senior for the Bobcats, he increased those averages to 16.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game on his way to being named All-Mid-American Conference Second Team.

The Senegalese National Team member played his high school basketball in Japan where he was a standout at Okayama Gakugeikan High School.

His last name is pronounced n-DOOR.

Longtime Mavs exec Terdema Ussery to resign

Longtime Mavs executive Terdema Ussery to resign

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that Terdema Ussery will resign his position as President and CEO after 18 years of leadership effective August 30th to join Under Armour as President of Global Sports Categories.

In Ussery’s first season with the Mavericks, he led a successful campaign that resulted in $240 million in public funding for the construction of the American Airlines Center and actively participated in the architectural selection, design and construction of the building. Ussery was also intimately involved in securing the naming rights partnership with Dallas/Fort Worth based American Airlines for the downtown facility.

Under his direction, the club has more than tripled revenue and exponentially increased its media and digital footprint by establishing new and expanding existing media partnerships across multiple platforms. Additionally, the Dallas Mavericks Foundation has distributed over $1 million to over forty agencies whose aim and mission is to improve the lives of those in need in the DFW metroplex.

“It’s been an extraordinary honor to have sat in the CEO’s chair for the past 18 years. I want to thank Ross Perot, Jr. for the opportunity to come to Dallas and especially thank Mark Cuban, who invited me to stay. Working alongside him these past 15 years has been nothing short of amazing. I know the fans agree with me that we are extremely lucky to have him as the owner and steward of our Dallas Mavericks. Finally, I want to express my gratitude to the fans, our sponsors and most importantly, the incredible staff I’ve had the privilege of working with in Dallas. Our objective has always been to be the best organization in sports and I have full confidence that they will continue in that pursuit under the leadership of Floyd Jahner and the rest of the executive leadership team,” Ussery said.

Mavericks re-sign Jose Juan Barea

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have re-signed guard Jose Juan Barea.

Barea (6-0, 185), who began his NBA career with the Mavericks, returned to Dallas in 2014-15 after spending the previous three seasons with Minnesota. He averaged 7.5 points, 3.4 assists and 17.7 minutes in 77 games (10 starts) with Dallas during the 2014-15 campaign.

In 392 games (55 starts) with Dallas, Barea has averaged 7.2 points and 3.0 assists in 17.4 minutes. He has also reached the playoffs in each of his six seasons with the Mavericks, accruing averages of 8.1 points and 3.5 assists in 45 postseason games (nine starts). Barea helped lead the Mavericks to their first title in franchise history in 2011.

The nine-year veteran holds career averages of 8.2 points, 3.4 assists and 18.8 minutes in 586 games (69 starts) with Dallas and Minnesota. He has shot 79.9 percent from the foul line for his career.

The Mayaguez, Puerto Rico native went undrafted in the 2006 NBA Draft and was signed by Dallas as a rookie free agent on August 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 Deron Williams

The Dallas Mavericks announced Tuesday that they have signed free agent guard Deron Williams. According to multiple reports, the deal is for two years, $10 million.

Williams’ time with the Brooklyn Nets came to a disappointing conclusion. His play seemed to get worse as time went on, and he didn’t look like the same player that quite rightly earned high praise in the past. But now Deron begins a new chapter, at a very affordable cost to the Mavs.

Williams (6-3, 200) is a 10-year NBA veteran with career averages of 17.0 points, 8.5 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 35.1 minutes in 716 games (664 starts) for two teams (Utah and New Jersey/Brooklyn). Overall, he has shot .447 (4,290-9,589 FGs) from the field, .358 (996-2,780 3FGs) from three-point range and .819 (2,609-3,187 FTs) from the free throw line.

Williams was a member of three All-Star Teams (2010, 2011 and 2012), made the All-NBA Second Team in 2008 and 2010 and won gold medals as part of Team USA at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He also was a member of the All-Rookie First Team in 2006 and became only the third player in NBA history to have 1500+ points and 800+ assists while shooting .500+ from the field in a single season in 2007-08 (also Magic Johnson-1986-87 and 1988-89 and Kevin Johnson-1988-89).

He spent last season with the Nets and averaged 13.0 points, 6.6 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 31.1 minutes in 68 games (55 starts).

A familiar face to Dallas/Fort Worth, Williams played high school basketball for The Colony before attending the University of Illinois. He was selected by the Utah Jazz in the first round (3rd overall) of the 2005 NBA Draft. On February 23, 2011, he was traded to New Jersey in exchange for Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, two first round draft picks (Nets 2011, Golden State 2012) and cash considerations. He re-signed with Brooklyn on July 11, 2012.

Mavs reportedly have interest in JaVale McGee

Mavs reportedly have interest in JaVale McGee

JaVale McGee has an interesting personality. He also makes lots of questionable decisions on the court during games. He does have talent, though. But nobody is sure what to make of him or if he’ll ever emerge as a player that can be relied upon whtn the stakes are high. The Dallas Mavericks reportedly felt that a conversation with the center was worth having. Here’s ESPN.com reporting:

The Dallas Mavericks are on the hunt for a rim protector in the wake of DeAndre Jordan’s decision to stay with the Los Angeles Clippers and interviewed former Washington and Denver big man JaVale McGee for the vacancy over the weekend, according to sources.

Sources told ESPN.com that the Mavericks’ interest in McGee, at this stage, is best described as “exploratory,” but McGee could potentially fill an undeniable void on the Dallas roster after Jordan’s about-face.

Bucks trade Zaza Pachulia to Mavs

The Dallas Mavericks announced yesterday that they acquired center Zaza Pachulia from the Milwaukee Bucks for a future second round pick.

Pachulia (6-11, 270) was originally drafted 42nd overall by the Orlando Magic in the 2003 NBA Draft. The 12-year veteran has played a total of 815 games (317 starts) for three teams (Orlando, Milwaukee and Atlanta). He has career averages of 7.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 21.0 minutes.

In 2014-15, he averaged 8.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 23.7 minutes in 73 games (45 starts) in his second stint with Milwaukee.

A native of Tbilisi, Georgia, Pachulia has played with the Georgian National Team seven times. He left Georgia in 1998 for Turkey to pursue his basketball career when he was 15 years old. He appeared in 73 games during parts of four seasons for Ulker of Istanbul, the top level of Turkey, and averaged 6.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game (1999-2003). He helped Ulker win the Turkish National Championship in 2001.