Dallas Mavericks NBA free agency news 2015: Samuel Dalembert agrees to veterans minimum deal for one year
The Dallas Mavericks continue to add centers following their failed free agency attempt to ink DeAndre Jordan this time agreeing to a one-year, veterans minimum deal with Samuel Dalembert who played for them before.
Yahoo! Sports first reported the news and stated that the deal is worth $1.4 million.
Dalembert played last season with the New York Knicks before they waived him last January.
He played in 32 games, which included 21 starts averaging 4.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game.
The 34-year-old joined the Knicks last season, his sixth team in six seasons, after being part of the trade deal that brought back center Tyson Chandler to the Mavericks.
Dalembert was drafted 26th overall in 2001 by the Philadelphia 76ers and spent his first eight NBA seasons with the team.
His best years came in the 2006-07 season where he averaged a career-best 10.7 points per game and in the 2007-08 season where he averaged a double-double 10.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.
Dalembert parted ways with the 76ers in 2010 after getting traded to the Sacramento Kings and since then has been a journeyman having stops with the Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, Mavs, and the Knicks.
Despite not having an impressive offensive game since he began his professional career, Dalembert's defense has been pretty consistent with a career average of 1.7 blocks and 7.8 rebounds per outing.
He will be joining center Zaza Pachulia whom the Mavericks traded for from the Milwaukee Bucks following the free agency bust that is DeAndre Jordan.
Along with Pachulia and Dalembert, the Mavs are also close to completing a three-year deal with Tunisian center Salah Mejri, according to ESPN.
The Mavericks are also still interested in free agent center JaVale McGee who reportedly has met with the team already.
If all the deals get accomplished, Dallas will have four centers to complement franchise star Dirk Nowitzki as they try to have a deeper playoff campaign next season after falling in the first-round last season against the Houston Rockets.
