It was just a formality at this point, Corey Brewer had been in negotiations with the Mavericks for a couple of days.
Now it’s official, Brewer is part of the Dallas Mavericks, the team announced. This is a three-year deal expected to be in the $7 million range (starting at about $2 million a year), according to the Dallas Morning News.
The Knick cut Brewer loose because while he would be the best wing defender they have, the Knicks are an offense-first team and the Mike D’Antoni system calls for wings to knock down outside shots. Not exactly Brewer’s strong suit.
But over at his Mavericks blog The Two Man Game, our own Rob Mahoney says the Mavericks have a template for success for Brewer’s skills — Shawn Marion.
Marion, by design, does almost all of his offensive damage within 15 feet of the basket. He’s not a star, but he’s also not asked to be; Marion’s touches and shot attempts are that of a role player, and Brewer should see similar opportunities during his time on the court. Dallas has proven that having a non-shooter like Marion or Brewer in the lineup doesn’t put the team’s offense at too much of a disadvantage. The key to Brewer’s offensive efficiency will be an acceptance of a role as a pure slasher. He may lack Marion’s post-up ability, but Brewer should be able to score on a similar array of cuts to the basket, and benefit from Jason Kidd’s passing ability (as opposed to the point guard stylings of Jonny Flynn and Luke Ridnour) in the process. The fewer jumpers Brewer takes the better, and it’s to the Mavs’ advantage that they already have a rotation regular functioning with under that same guideline.
Brewer is another role player on a deep team of them. He’s going to have to earn his minutes. But this is a guy who could be a good fit and comes at a fair price. Smart pickup by Dallas.
