The Mavericks gave Wesley Matthews $70 million just four months after he tore his Achilles.
By comparison, John Jenkins’ injury is a walk in the park.
Jenkins underwent season-ending back surgery in February 2014, and he played just 24 games for the Hawks last season. That was mostly because he couldn’t pass Kyle Korver, Thabo Sefolosha and Kent Bazemore in the rotation. But Jenkins has yet to prove his durability.
Like with Matthews, that won’t stop Dallas from taking a chance on him.
Shams Charania of RealGM:
Free agent forward John Jenkins has reached agreement on a three-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks, league sources tell RealGM.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 20, 2015
Jenkins is a good spot-up shooter, making 37.5% of his 3-pointers in his three-year NBA career. He’s also a good defensive rebounder for his position.
But he’s also a poor, though improved, defender.
Before the season, the Hawks declined the fourth-year option on the rookie-scale contract of Jenkins, who was drafted No. 23 in 2012. I doubt he made them regret that decision during the year.
Jenkins is hardly washed up, and he has the potential to provide Dallas value. But there’s a reason he was available.