SUNDAY, 11:25pm: The Mavs officially announced the signing of Douglas-Roberts, via press release.
SATURDAY, 5:34pm: HoopsWorld's Bill Ingram (via Twitter) acknowledges a source close to the situation that says Fisher will opt for retirement due to the strain on his body and family.
4:44pm: The Mavs have officially waived Fisher, according to a press release from the team. The release does not mention Douglas-Roberts.
4:12pm: Derek Fisher has told the Mavericks he wants them to let him go, and the team is honoring his request and will put him on waivers, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. In his place, the team will sign Chris Douglas-Roberts. The Mavs signed Fisher to a minimum-salary deal in November.
Douglas-Roberts has been averaging 27.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists for the Texas Legends of the D-League, and was widely viewed as the best talent available in that circuit, Stein writes. Texas is the affiliate of the Mavs, and Dallas signed Douglas-Roberts toward the end of training camp and quickly released him so they could retain his affiliate rights, which allowed the Mavs to place him on the Legends.
Fisher started all nine of the games he played with the Mavericks, and according to Stein, the team appealed to him to allow them to find another point guard after he requested the release a few days ago. However, the 6'7" Douglas-Roberts is a shooting guard, not a point guard. Fisher strained his patellar tendon against the Sixers on Tuesday and has missed the team's last two games, but the Mavs don't believe the injury is serious. As Stein writes, Fisher released a statement that said the recovery time from the injury will be about two weeks, and that he wants to return home to be with his family. Fisher, 38, also hinted at retirement.
"I have made decisions in the past, leaving money and opportunity on the table, and I will need to do that again," the statement said. "My family is my priority and that is where I choose to be. I won't close the possibility that I will play again, however for now my family and being close to them remains the priority."
As Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com notes via Twitter, Fisher's offseason home is in L.A. Stein pointed out earlier this season that Fisher is eligible to sign with the Lakers, who dealt him to the Rockets at the trade deadline last year. The Lakers are reportedly still considering an upgrade to their backcourt, though Fisher, who excelled in the triangle offense, might not be the prototypical point guard coach Mike D'Antoni favors for his up-tempo system.
It was never confirmed whether Fisher's deal was guaranteed, but his statement indicates that he's leaving money on the table, so perhaps the contract was either non-guaranteed or Fisher and the team negotiated a buyout. Otherwise, the Mavs would be on the hook for his salary the rest of the season.