The Dallas Mavericks will part ways with longtime crowd-pleaser JJ Barea ESPN reported. His position in the squad is to be taken over by Courtney Lee, who will at least be in the training camp.
The Mavs had given 36-year-old Barea a new one-year contract for $ 2.6 million just last month. According to the report, the plan was to fire Barea before the start of the season, as the Mavs would otherwise have 16 guaranteed contracts, one too many.
Dallas wanted to reward Barea for his achievements over the years; the Puerto Rican completed eleven of his 14 NBA years for the Mavs and was also a key participant at Dirk Nowitzki’s side in the 2011 championship.
Barea has played 8.9 points and 3.9 assists over his career mainly as a bench player. Last season, after an Achilles tendon rupture in January 2019, he only made 29 appearances, but showed decent performances (7.7 points, 3.9 assists in 15.5 minutes). According to the report, the Guard wants to continue playing and look for a new team, Dallas just doesn’t have a place for him in the rotation.
Even with Lee, it is unlikely that he will make it into the regular season squad. The 35-year-old was valued as a presence in the locker room last season, but only recorded 24 appearances. If Dallas wants to take him into the regular season, another player would have to be fired.
.
