The Mavericks have reached an agreement in principle on a three-year contract with sixth man Jerry Stackhouse, two sources said Thursday afternoon.
While details remain to be finalized, the two sides have agreed on a deal that will make Stackhouse's salary for next season more than the mid-level exception, which is expected to be around $6 million. If the deal starts at $6.5 million, it would be worth more than $21 million for three seasons.
It was not immediately known if any option years, either for the team or for Stackhouse, were included in the deal.
Stackhouse has evolved into one of the NBA's best sixth men in his three seasons with the Mavericks and, at 32, he had said recently that he was confident that he and his agent, Jeff Schwartz, could reach an agreement with the Mavs. Stackhouse said he had no desire to relocate. Schwartz was not available for comment.
Assuming no snags are hit with details of the deal, Stackhouse can sign on Wednesday, the first day that free agents can make agreements official.
The Mavericks have said since the end of the season that retaining Stackhouse was their No. 1 priority in free agency. He provides toughness, scoring (13.3 points per game in three seasons) and a positive vibe in the locker room.
With Stackhouse locked up, the Mavericks can turn their attention to other free-agent interests. They are taking a patient attack in dealing with the players who are believed to be their top targets: Charlotte's Gerald Wallace, Chicago's P.J. Brown, Miami's James Posey, Golden State's Matt Barnes and Philadelphia's Joe Smith.
The Mavericks believe they will get the chance to acquire one or more of those players at a bargain price in the coming weeks.
Haha they aren't aquiring Wallace at a bargain price, that's for sure.
perhaps not but many players are going to get frozen out this summer and be forced to take lower deals than they want.
I will be upset though if the Mavs summer consists of signing Stackhouse, Devin George (in talks) Matt Barnes and Joe Smith. That smacks of running in place to me.
Great news, though I have my "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING JERRY" moments, still love what he brings to this team.... now the question. Do you start Stackhouse and bring Terry off the bench as the 6th man? Other possible options?
Dallas needed to re-tool it's rotation this off season. Stackhouse or Terry had to go because they are essentially the same type of player. Scorers who don't pass and who don't do anything else besides score. Gimme a shooting guard who can contribute in other ways besides being a black hole, whether it be rebounding, strong defense, or just being money on the catch and shoot jumper. Adrian Griffin was that guy in 2006 and then Dallas tried to replace him with Buckner but Buck is garbage. Now Dallas is still searching for that shooting guard.
Stackhouse staying in Dallas 3 years $21 million
