After a slight delay due to waivers and a trade snag, the Mavericks announced that they have signed Peja Stojakovic. The deal is presumably for the rest of the season, and will likely pay Stojakovic the minimum salary. In order to free up a roster spot, Dallas traded Alexis Ajinca to the Raptors, satisfying Ajinca and his agent by finding the young center an opportunity for more playing time while also snagging a veteran shooter on the cheap.
Stojakovic isn’t a great get, but he’ll help Dallas fill the scoring void left by Caron Butler’s season-ending injury. The Mavs need consistent scoring any way they can get it, and while Stojakovic isn’t ideal (he’s not exactly the stable outside threat he once was, he’s older and injury-prone, and his already poor defense has regressed further), he’s a very affordable solution to a pretty glaring problem. Playing alongside stars like Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd should open up the game for Stojakovic, but he’ll primarily be parked on the perimeter as a kick-out option for when the defense collapses a bit too far. Stojakovic is a solid get to play limited minutes, but in no way does he replace Butler. He simply offsets Butler’s injury slightly, while affording the Mavs a bit more time to evaluate any number of trade opportunities on the horizon.
