The Mavericks have officially signed free agent guard Yudai Baba, the team announced today in a press release. The addition of Baba brings Dallas’ roster count to 20 players, the maximum allowed during the offseason.
A 24-year-old Japanese shooting guard, Baba went undrafted in 2017 and has played professionally for Alvark Tokyo since then, helping lead the club to a second consecutive B. League championship in 2018/19.
2019 has been an eventful year for Baba, who suited up for the Mavericks in Summer League play in July, averaging 4.0 PPG and 2.3 RPG in four games (12.0 MPG) in Las Vegas. He subsequently joined Japan’s national team for the 2019 FIBA World Cup alongside NBA players Rui Hachimura and Yuta Watanabe, posting 9.2 PPG, 3.0 APG, and 2.6 RPG in five contests (25.6 MPG) in the tournament.
Although Baba, who presumably signed an Exhibit 10 contract, almost certainly won’t make Dallas’ regular season roster, he appears to be a good bet to join the club’s G League affiliate, the Texas Legends.