By now, almost everybody knows about the DeAndre Jordan situation and how it left the Dallas Mavericks in a tough spot. The Mavericks have actually done a pretty good job of recovering from being blindsided by Jordan though, as they now have some solid frontcourt depth. First they traded for Zaza Pachulia, then they signed Maurice Ndour, and now they have reportedly signed Sam Dalembert to a contract as well, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
The reported deal with Dalembert is a one-year agreement for the league minimum of $1.4 million. Dalembert previously played with the Mavericks and Rick Carlisle in 2013-14 and started 68 games for them.
Last season, the former Seton Hall Pirate was a member of the dreadful New York Knicks, where he played 32 games and wasn't very effective before being cut and sitting out the remainder of the season. Dalembert is now 34 years old and has career averages of 7.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. He figures to split playing time with Pachulia at center, but it is unknown which of the two is the favorite to start.
Despite these recent signings of front court players, it is being reported that the Mavericks are not done looking for more big guys to bring to training camp. The Mavericks reportedly are willing to bring more than 15 players to camp on guaranteed contracts and pick the best 15 while eating the money of the guys they cut.
Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports that the Mavericks are in advanced talks to sign Tunisian center Salah Mejiri and are also not ruling out bringing in JaVale McGee still. McGee and the Mavericks had been linked earlier this offseason, but talks never progressed, now it is being reported that the Mavericks would still bring him in as long as he can prove he is healthy enough to play.
Since losing out on Jordan, it appears Mark Cuban and the Mavericks are going with a strength in numbers approach and hoping one of these big men they signed can step up and have a career year. The Mavericks don't seem to be done yet, though, as McGee is still lurking out there on the free agent market.
