After Yogi Ferrell backed out of his contract agreement to sign with the Kings, the Mavericks still want another point guard.
So, they’re turning to someone they trust, someone they’re comfortable with, someone who has already spent nine seasons over two tenures in Dallas.
Devin Harris.
Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports:
Free agent guard Devin Harris is in strong talks on one-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks, league sources tell Yahoo. Sides hopeful to finalize deal in next day.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 26, 2018
The Mavericks still have the $4,449,000 room exception available. I’d think Harris’ $2,393,887 minimum salary would be enough, but maybe he holds leverage to get slightly more.
Dallas already has several point-guard types – Dennis Smith Jr., Luka Doncic, J.J Barea, Jalen Brunson. But Rick Carlisle likes to deploy two simultaneously fairly frequently, so there will be minutes to go around.
The 6-foot-3 Harris is clever offensively, finding ways to finish inside. He’s a good-enough 3-point shooter and distributor. At age 35, he lacks plenty on defense. But Dallas signed DeAndre Jordan to cover defensively for perimeter players like Harris.
When you’re good enough, the Mavericks will forgive you for backing out of a contract agreement. When you’re not, they’ll turn to Devin Harris.
