Category: Dallas Mavericks Blog

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Mavericks sign Kemba Walker

The Dallas Mavericks yesterday signed free agent guard Kemba Walker.

Walker (6-0, 178) holds career averages of 19.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 33.3 minutes per game in 741 games (696 starts) with Charlotte, Boston and New York. He has shot 36.0% (1,663-4,614 3FG) from 3-point range and 84.0% (2,801-3,333 FT) from the foul line for his career.

The 11-year veteran averaged 20-plus points in five straight seasons from 2015-16 to 2019-20, earning four consecutive All-Star nods from 2017 to 2020. Walker, who garnered All-NBA Third Team accolades with Charlotte in 2018-19, is also a two-time winner of the NBA Sportsmanship Award (2016-17 and 2017-18).

Walker was selected by Charlotte with the ninth overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft and spent his first eight seasons with the Bobcats/Hornets. On July 6, 2019, he was dealt to Boston along with a 2020 second-round pick in exchange for Terry Rozier and a 2020 second-round selection. After spending two seasons with the Celtics, Walker was traded to Oklahoma City along with a 2021 first-round pick and a 2025 second-round selection in exchange for Al Horford, Moses Brown and a 2023 second-round pick on June 18, 2021. He was waived by Oklahoma City on Aug. 6, 2021, and signed with New York on Aug. 11, 2021.

After appearing in 37 games (all starts) for the Knicks in 2021-22, the 32-year-old was traded to Detroit along with the draft rights to the 13th overall pick Jalen Duren in exchange for a 2025 first-round selection. Walker was waived by the Pistons on Oct. 17 and became a free agent.

The Bronx native was a three-year player at the University of Connecticut, where as a junior, he led the Huskies to the 2011 national championship en route to being named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding player. Among his other accolades earned in 2011, Walker also took home the Bob Cousy Award for college basketball’s top point guard in the nation.

Walker will wear No. 34 for the Mavericks.

Mavericks waive Facundo Campazzo

The Dallas Mavericks have waived guard Facundo Campazzo.

Campazzo (5-11, 165) first joined the NBA by signing with the Denver Nuggets in November of 2020 after a decorated international career playing in Argentina and Spain. He signed with the Mavericks on Oct. 18, 2022, and played in eight games this season with 10 points, nine assists and six steals.

Mavericks sign Facundo Campazzo

The Dallas Mavericks have signed free agent guard Facundo Campazzo.

Campazzo (5-11, 165) holds career averages of 5.6 points, 1.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 20.1 minutes per game in 130 games (23 starts) across the last two seasons with Denver.

The 31-year-old spent most of his career playing in Argentina and Spain, where he played alongside current Mavericks guard Luka Dončić at Real Madrid. In his native Argentina, Campazzo started his professional career at the age of 17 with Peñarol de Mar del Plata, where he helped the club win four Argentine League Championships in five years (2010, 2011, 2012, 2014), winning the Argentine League Finals MVP in 2012 and 2014. Campazzo was also named the Argentine League Revelation of the Year and won the Argentine Cup MVP in 2010.

He then enjoyed a decorated career overseas, where he helped Real Madrid to two EuroLeague championships (2015, 2018) and three titles in the top Spanish league (2015, 2018, 2019). In 113 EuroLeague games with Real Madrid, Campazzo held averages of 8.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game in 113 games.

Campazzo, the current captain of the Argentine National Team, averaged 12.3 points in the 2022 FIBA AmeriCup as he helped guide the team to a Gold Medal in early September. Campazzo has also represented Argentina in the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Campazzo will wear No. 2 for the Mavericks. The roster is now set at 17 players, including two Two-Way players.

Mavericks sign Grant Riller, convert McKinley Wright IV’s deal into a two-way contract

The Dallas Mavericks have converted guard McKinley Wright IV to a Two-Way contract and signed guard Grant Riller.

Wright IV (5-11, 192) originally signed with Dallas on Aug. 15 and appeared in all three games for the Mavericks during the 2022 exhibition season, averaging 3.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 13.8 minutes per game. In his preseason debut, Wright IV recorded eight points, a game-high 10 assists, zero turnovers and a game-high plus-11 rating in the Mavericks’ 98-96 victory over the Thunder in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Oct. 5.

Wright IV, who is set to turn 24 years old on Oct. 25, went undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft after a four-year career at the University of Colorado, where he finished as the school’s all-time leader in assists (683) and double-figure scoring games (109). The three-time First Team All-Pac-12 selection (2019, 2020, 2021) also became the only men’s basketball player in Pac-12 history to produce at least 1,800 points, 600 assists and 600 rebounds.

Riller (6-1, 190) was selected by Charlotte in the second round (56th overall pick) of the 2020 NBA Draft and signed a Two-Way contract with the Hornets on Nov. 30, 2020. He appeared in seven games for Charlotte as a rookie and averaged 2.6 points in 3.9 minutes per contest. Riller also saw action in 13 games (all starts) for the Hornets’ G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, in 2020-21 and averaged 13.1 points, 3.5 assists and 1.1 steals in 25.7 minutes.

Riller signed a Two-Way deal with Philadelphia on Aug. 30, 2021, but was waived by the club on Dec. 19, 2021, after appearing in four Showcase Cup games for the franchise’s G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.

The Orlando, Florida, native was a four-year player at the College of Charleston, where he earned First Team All-CAA honors in each of his final three seasons for the Cougars (2018, 2019, 2020) and finished as the third player in program history to eclipse 2,000 career points.

Mavericks waive Marcus Bingham Jr., Mouhamadou Gueye, Tyler Hall and D.J. Stewart Jr.

The Dallas Mavericks have requested waivers on Marcus Bingham Jr., Mouhamadou Gueye, Tyler Hall and D.J. Stewart Jr.

All four players were originally signed prior to training camp on September 21. Hall and Gueye saw action in two preseason games, while Bingham and Hall played in one game.

The Mavericks training camp roster now stands at 16 players.

Mavericks exercise contract option on Josh Green

The Dallas Mavericks have exercised the fourth-year team option on guard/forward Josh Green.

Green (6-5, 200) was a first-round selection (18th overall) by the Mavericks in 2020, and in his first two seasons with the club has averaged 4.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 14.0 minutes in 106 career games (8 starts) while shooting 49.4% from the field. He has also seen time in 17 career postseason games with averages of 1.4 points and 7.4 minutes.

In his second season in 2021-22, Green averaged 4.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 15.5 minutes, and his field goal percentage (.508, 130-256 FG) was the second-highest on the team among players with 100 or more field goals attempted. The Mavericks were 14-2 when Green scored at least eight points. Additionally, he became the third-youngest Maverick to dish at least 10 assists when he did so at Portland on Dec. 27, 2021, at 21 years, 41 days old.

The Sydney native competed with the Australian national team at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo and won a bronze medal. He attended college at Arizona for one season (2019-20) and averaged 12.0 points 4.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.5 steals in 30 games (all starts).

In two preseason games this year (1 start), Green has averaged 5.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 18.7 minutes.

Mavericks sign McKinley Wright IV, Tyler Hall, D.J. Stewart Jr., Mouhamadou Gueye and Marcus Bingham Jr.

The Dallas Mavericks have signed guards McKinley Wright IV, Tyler Hall and D.J. Stewart Jr. along with forwards Mouhamadou Gueye and Marcus Bingham Jr.

The signings are likely for training camp purposes.

Wright IV (5-11, 192) signed a two-way deal with Minnesota after going undrafted in 2021 and appeared in five games for the Timberwolves as a rookie last season. The Minneapolis native also saw action in 18 games (all starts) for the franchise’s G League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves, averaging 19.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.6 steals in 36.9 minutes. Wright IV was a four-year player at the University of Colorado and finished as the school’s all-time leader in assists (683) and double-figure scoring games (109) while garnering All-Pac-12 First Team honors in each of his final three seasons for the Buffaloes.

Hall (6-5, 210) went undrafted in 2019 and spent the past three seasons with the G League’s Westchester Knicks. In 25 games (all starts) for Westchester in 2021-22, he averaged 15.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 35.1 minutes while shooting 41.7% (95-228 3FG) from beyond the arc. Hall signed a 10-day contract with New York on Dec. 18, 2021, and made his NBA debut in a Christmas Day game against Atlanta. The Rock Island, Illinois, native was a two-time First Team All-Big Sky selection (2017, 2019) at Montana State and ranks tied for 10th in Division I basketball history in 3-point field goals made with 431 (431-1,077 3FG, .400).

Stewart Jr. (6-6, 205) went undrafted in 2021 and played in 12 games (all starts) for the G League’s Sioux Falls Skyforce last season, averaging 14.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.8 steals in 35.8 minutes. The Grace, Mississippi, native signed a two-way contract with San Antonio on March 4 but did not appear in a game for the Spurs. Stewart Jr. played two collegiate seasons at Mississippi State University, where he was named Second Team All-SEC by the coaches as a sophomore in 2020-21.

Gueye (6-10, 200) went undrafted in 2022 after spending last season as a graduate transfer at the University of Pittsburgh, where he averaged 9.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 2.1 blocks and 29.2 minutes in 32 games (28 starts) for the Panthers. The former America East Defensive Player of the Year at Stony Brook was one of two major conference players to lead their team in 3-pointers made (43) and blocks (67) last season.

Bingham Jr. (7-0, 230), who also went undrafted in this past summer’s draft, competed for the Mavericks’ 2022 summer league team and averaged 5.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 0.8 blocks and 15.8 minutes in five games (2 starts) in Las Vegas. The Grand Rapids, Michigan, native was a four-year player at Michigan State University and as a senior, averaged career highs for points (9.3), rebounds (6.3), blocks (2.2) and minutes (18.7) in 35 games (32 starts) for the Spartans.

The Mavericks training camp roster now stands at 20 players.

Mavericks sign Maxi Kleber to contract extension

The Dallas Mavericks have signed forward Maxi Kleber to a contract extension.

Per the Dallas Morning News, “Kleber’s deal is worth $33 million over three years, a person with knowledge of the negotiations said. Kleber was entering the final season of the four-year, $35 million deal he signed in 2019.”

Kleber (6-11, 220) originally signed with Dallas on July 13, 2017, and then re-signed as a free agent on July 10, 2019. In five seasons as a Maverick, he has averaged 7.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.9 blocks and 22.7 minutes in 326 games (136 starts).

The Wurzburg, Germany native most recently helped lead the Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals, playing in all 18 games and averaging 8.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 25.4 minutes per contest. His eight 3-pointers in Game 2 vs. Utah are tied for the second-most by a Maverick in a postseason game (Jason Terry, 9 3FGs, 5/8/11).

More from the Dallas Morning News: “The 30-year-old battled nagging injuries and a months-long shooting slump after the All-Star break, but he also played significant minutes as a smallball center after the mid-February trade of Kristaps Porzingis.”

Prior to the NBA, Kleber spent eight seasons playing professionally in Germany and Spain. In 2016-17, he played in 37 Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) games for Bayern Munich and averaged 8.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 blocks enroute to being named a BBL All-Star, All-BBL Second Team and BBL Most Effective Player.