Dallas Mavericks sign forward Sean Williams

Sean Williams

The Dallas Mavericks announced today they have signed free agent forward/center Sean Williams. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, it is a two-year deal with the second season only partially guaranteed.

Williams (6-10, 235) was originally the first round pick (17th overall) of the New Jersey Nets in the 2007 NBA Draft. He spent three seasons in New Jersey and averaged 4.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 126 games as a Net.

Born in Arlington, Texas, Williams was a standout at Mansfield High School and attended Boston College. In his junior season at Boston College, Williams averaged 12.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.0 blocks per game. He set a school record when he recorded 13 blocked shots against Duquesne. Williams decided to forego his senior season and was an early entry candidate to the 2007 NBA Draft.

Williams spent last season in the NBA D-League where he was an All-Star and finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year voting. In 49 games (46 starts) with the Texas Legends, Williams averaged 14.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per contest.

Dallas Mavericks waive guard Andy Rautins

Andy Rautins

The Dallas Mavericks announced today they have waived guard Andy Rautins.

Rautins was acquired on Dec. 10, 2011 from New York along with a protected 2012 second round draft pick from Washington. In exchange, New York received center Tyson Chandler, the draft rights to Ahmad Nivins and Giorgos Printezis from Dallas while Washington recieved forward Ronny Turiaf, a 2013 second round pick and cash considerations from New York and a 2012 second round pick from Dallas.

Timberwolves sign Jose Juan Barea

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has signed free-agent guard José Juan Barea. The deal is reportedly for four years, $19 million.

“We are excited to add J.J. Barea to our team,” said David Kahn, Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations. “His experience, leadership capabilities and all-around play should help us immensely this coming season and beyond.”

Barea, 27, played in 81 games for Dallas in 2010-11, averaging 9.5 points and 3.9 assists in 20.5 minutes per contest. The 6-0 guard also appeared in 21 playoff games for the World Champion Mavericks, averaging 8.9 points and 3.4 assists in 18.6 minutes. Barea tallied 22 points and eight assists in the Mavs’ 2011 Western Conference Semifinals-clinching win over the Los Angeles Lakers. He started the final three games of the 2011 NBA Finals vs. Miami, scoring 17 points in Game 4 and 15 points (on 7-for-12 shooting) in the deciding Game 5.

Barea has played five seasons in the NBA, all with Dallas, and owns career averages of 7.1 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 315 games.

A native of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, Barea attended Northeastern University from 2002-06, averaging 20.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 6.4 assists over his four-year collegiate career. He was not drafted by an NBA team and signed as a free agent with Dallas in August of 2006. He also spent time with the NBA D-League Fort Worth Flyers in 2006-07.

Mavs trade Rudy Fernandez, Corey Brewer to Nuggets

Rudy Fernandez

The Dallas Mavericks announced today they have traded guard Rudy Fernandez and forward Corey Brewer to the Denver Nuggets for a 2016 second round pick that originally belonged to Memphis.

Fernandez (6-6, 185) was acquired by the Mavericks from Portland in a three-way trade on draft night (June 23, 2011).

Brewer (6-9, 188) was signed as a free agent mid-season last year on March 3, 2011 and was a member of the 2011 NBA Championship team averaging 5.3 points and 1.8 rebounds in 13 regular season games (2 starts).

Dallas Mavericks sign guard Delonte West

Delonte West

The Dallas Mavericks announced today they have signed free agent guard Delonte West. The deal is reportedly for one year and the league veteran’s minimum.

West (6-3, 180) is a seven-year veteran who owns career averages of 9.7 points, 3.6 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 388 games (225 starts) for Boston, Seattle and Cleveland. In 2008-09, West played alongside LeBron James in Cleveland and started each of his 64 games and averaged 11.7 points, 3.5 assists and 3.2 rebounds while shooting 45.7 percent from the field and 83.3 percent from the foul line.

Originally the first round draft pick (24th overall) of the Boston Celtics in the 2004 NBA Draft, West played in just 39 games his rookie season before becoming the starting shooting guard in his second year. That season, West started each of his 71 contests for the Celtics and averaged 11.8 points, 4.6 assists and 4.1 rebounds in 34.1 minutes per game.

The Washington D.C., native attended St. Joseph’s University where, as a junior, he teamed with Jameer Nelson to lead his school to an undefeated 27-0 regular season and an Elite Eight appearance. He was named Honorable Mention All-America by Associated Press and All-Atlantic 10 First Team.

Dallas Mavericks sign guard Vince Carter

Vince Carter

The Dallas Mavericks announced today they have signed free agent guard Vince Carter. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Carter (6-6, 220) is an eight-time NBA All-Star who currently ranks 35th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list (eighth among active players) with 20,250 career points. The former Rookie of the Year (1998-99) and Slam Dunk Contest winner (2000) holds career averages of 22.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 925 games (907 starts) with Toronto, New Jersey, Orlando and Phoenix.

Originally the fifth overall selection in the 1998 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors, Carter was traded on draft day to the Toronto Raptors where he would help lead that franchise to its first Playoff appearance in 2000. In December of 2004, Carter was traded to the New Jersey Nets where he would team with current-Maverick Jason Kidd. Carter spent five seasons in New Jersey and is still ranked in the franchise’s Top 10 in 19 statistical categories.

The native of Daytona Beach, Fla., was traded to the Orlando Magic on draft day in 2009. Carter would play in his home state for a little more than a season, but in his short time there he helped take the Magic to the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals where they lost in six games to the Boston Celtics. In December of 2010, Carter was traded to the Phoenix Suns where he finished out last season and scored his 20,000th point becoming just the 37th NBA player to accomplish that feat.

Carter was a standout at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he led the Tarheels to two consecutive Final Four berths (1997, 1998). Carter declared himself eligible for the 1998 NBA Draft after his junior season in Chapel Hill.

Mavericks re-sign forward Brian Cardinal

Brian Cardinal

The Dallas Mavericks announced today they have re-signed free agent forward Brian Cardinal.  InsideHoops.com hears that it is likely a one-year deal for the veteran minimum.

Cardinal (6-8, 240) joined the Mavericks last season as a free agent and was a significant contributor during the Mavericks World Championship run. In 2010-11, Cardinal averaged 2.6 points, 1.1 rebounds and 10.8 minutes while shooting 43.0 percent from field goal range and 48.3 percent from behind-the-arc in 56 games (4 starts).

The Tolono, Ill., native is an 11-year veteran who holds career averages of 5.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 10.8 minutes in 412 games with Detroit, Washington, Golden State, Memphis, Minnesota and Dallas.

Mavericks sign guard Drew Neitzel

The Dallas Mavericks announced today they have signed free agent guard Drew Neitzel. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Neitzel (6-0, 180) was a standout at Michigan State University where he was named All-America Second Team in 2007. During his four-year career as a Spartan, he played in 138 career games. Neitzel’s junior season he averaged 18.1 points, 4.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds culminating in All-American honors.

Neitzel went undrafted in the 2008 NBA Draft, but played for the Minnesota Timberwolves summer league squad. In the summer of 2009, he competed in summer league as a member of the Portland Trailblazers. Last season, Neitzel spent the season with BBC Bayreuth in Germany seeing action in 16 games and averaging 7.7 points, 3.4 assists and 1.4 rebounds.

A native of Wyoming, Mich., Neitzel earned “Mr. Michigan” honors in 2004 and was a Parade All-American.

Lakers trade Lamar Odom to Mavericks

Lamar Odom

The Los Angeles Lakers have acquired the Dallas Mavericks’ first round selection in the 2012 NBA Draft in exchange for Lamar Odom and the Lakers 2012 second round draft pick, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak.  In addition, the Lakers will receive a trade exception.

The trade exception is worth $8.9 million, reported the Orange County Register.

Odom (6-10, 230) is a two-time NBA Champion with the Los Angeles Lakers and the NBA’s reigning Sixth Man of the Year. The 12-year veteran holds career averages of 14.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 829 career games (678 starts) with the Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat and Lakers.

Originally the fourth overall selection in the 1999 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, Odom spent his first four seasons with the Clippers and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2000. He was traded to Miami in 2003 before being a part of the deal that shipped him, Caron Butler and Brian Grant to the Lakers in exchange for Shaquille O’Neal.

Once with the Lakers, Odom proved to be a dependable and durable asset playing in 455 of the possible 492 games over six seasons in L.A., including all 82 contests in 2009-10 and 2010-11. His ability to play any position on the floor proved to be valuable as Odom and Lakers won back-to-back World Championships in 2009 and 2010. In 2011, Odom was named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year by defeating Maverick Jason Terry for the honor.

A native of Queens, N.Y., Odom played one year of collegiate basketball at the University of Rhode Island where he led the Rams to the 1999 Atlantic 10 Championship. Odom declared himself eligible for the 1999 NBA Draft after his freshman season at Rhode Island.

Three-team trade brings center Tyson Chandler to Knicks

Tyson Chandler

New York Knickerbockers Senior Vice President, Basketball Operations and Interim General Manager Glen Grunwald announced today that the team has acquired center Tyson Chandler via sign-and-trade as part of a three-team trade. Ronny Turiaf, cash considerations and a 2013 second-round draft choice has been sent to the Washington Wizards and Andy Rautins has been sent to Dallas; Dallas sent a 2012 second-round draft choice to Washington and the draft rights to Ahmad Nivins and Giorgos Printezis to New York; Washington sent a conditional future second-round draft choice to Dallas.

“This is an important day for the New York Knicks,” Grunwald said. “Signing a player of Tyson’s caliber, with championship experience, to this roster, is an opportunity we could not pass up. His stellar play last season earned him league-wide recognition and helped lead his team to an NBA Championship.”

Chandler, 7-1, 225-pounds, holds career averages of 8.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.35 blocks and 27.6 minutes in 662 games (465 starts) over 10 NBA seasons with Chicago, New Orleans, Charlotte and Dallas. He played a pivotal role in leading the Mavericks to the franchise’s first ever NBA title last season, averaging 8.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 0.90 blocks in 21 postseason contests. In 74 regular season games (all starts), he averaged 10.1 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.08 blocks over 74 games (74 starts) en route to NBA All-Defensive Second Team honors.

“Tyson will be the anchor to our defense,” Head Coach Mike D’Antoni said. “The trio of Amar’e Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony and Tyson makes one of the most formidable frontlines in the entire league.”

The Hanford, CA-native was originally selected by the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round (second overall) of the 2001 NBA Draft prior to having his draft rights traded to Chicago with Brian Skinner in exchange for Elton Brand. He appeared in 53 postseason games (37 starts) and holds averages of 7.0 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.10 blocks over 28.7 minutes. He also represented Team USA in both the 2007 and 2010 FIBA World Championships, winning Gold medals with both squads.

Rautins, 6-4, 205-pounds, averaged 1.6 points 4.8 minutes in five games during his rookie campaign. He was selected by New York in the second round (38th overall) of 2010 NBA Draft.

Nivins, 6-9, 242-pounds, was selected by Dallas out of Saint Joseph’s University in the second round (56th overall) of 2009 NBA  Draft. He spent the past three seasons playing overseas with Assignia Manresa (Spain) and Dexia Mons-Hainaut (Belgium).

Printezis, 6-7, 202-pounds, was selected by San Antonio in the second round (58th overall) of 2007 NBA Draft. His draft rights were traded to Toronto before he was sent to Dallas in exchange for Alexis Ajinca, a second-round draft pick and cash considerations on Jan. 24, 2011.

“Ronny brings us a tough, inside presence and we’re looking forward to adding his defense and tenacity to our frontline,” said Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld.  “This trade brings another solid veteran to our team along with additional assets in the form of draft picks and allows us to maintain our financial flexibility moving forward.”

Turiaf comes to the Wizards with career averages of 5.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks while shooting .528 from the floor over 358 games in six seasons with the Lakers, Warriors and Knicks.  Originally selected by the Lakers with the 37th overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, Turiaf had his best overall statistical season when he averaged 5.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 blocks (ranking him fourth in the NBA) for the Warriors in 2008-09.  He has finished in the top 30 in the NBA in blocked shots in three of the last four seasons.  The 6-10 native of Martinique finished his collegiate career at Gonzaga as the school’s fourth all-time leading scorer and rebounder.

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