Now that the Mavs have their mid-level exception tied into DeSagana Diop and have signed athletic youngster Gerald Green and backup point guard J.J. Barea, where do they go from here?
Negotiations are ongoing with Devean George and Antoine Wright. The Mavs would like to sign both. Wright would be especially good to bring back because at 6-7 and entering his fourth season in the league, Wright is maturing and the Mavs have been looking for a young, good-sized shooting guard who can defend. Wright fits that bill and with his experience playing alongside Jason Kidd for three seasons in New Jersey, he would be a nice piece to have running the wing.
The Mavs' summer league team opens play Friday night in Las Vegas. Seven of the 11 players on the official roster have NBA experience. The Mavs are eager to see draft pick Shan Foster in action. Forward James Singleton, who spent two years with the LA Clippers and last season overseas is another intriguing player the Mavs really seem to like. He's a young, high-energy forward who can rebound and also step out and hit the 3-pointer. He's a definite possibility to sign a contract.
Several other players have a chance to impress, including, but not limited to 3-point specialist Richie Frahm, point guard Keith McLeod and power forward Pape Sow. So with a summer team that has some interesting pieces and a roster that is already well over the luxury tax, meaning the Mavs are on the look out for inexpensive players to round out the 15-man roster, the club might take its time to examine the summer players and then see which free agents fall through the cracks.
It will be difficult for the team to pull off any trades of consequence so what you see now will very likely be the team you see come training camp and beyond.
Here's what the Mavs look like as of now: PG Jason Kidd, PG J.J. Barea, SG Jason Terry, G/F Jerry Stackhouse, G/F Eddie Jones, G/F Gerald Green, SF Josh Howard, PF Dirk Nowitzki, PF Brandon Bass, C Erick Dampier, C DeSagana Diop.
-- Jeff Caplan
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