According to NBA.com’s Art Garcia, several teams have contacted free agent guard Roger Mason Jr. about the possibility of signing Mason to a multi-year deal.
According to Garcia, Portland, Miami, Chicago, and New York have all contacted Mason this off-season. San Antonio, who employed Mason for the past two seasons, have reportedly not contacted him.
Mason emerged as a deadly gunner off the bench and a dead-eye clutch shooter in his first season with the Spurs, but regressed in a major way over the course of the 09-10 season. Mason averaged 6.3 points last season, and made only a third of his shots from beyond the arc.
Everyone has focused on the big names available in free agency, but role players who can defend the rim on defense and stretch the floor on offense can be just as important to winning teams as their superstars. If Mason can snap out of the funk he was in last season, he could certainly be a very effective bench player on a contending team. If Mason’s services come at a low enough price, he could end up being one of the steals of free agency. Again.