J.J. Barea Rumors | Hoops Rumors

J.J. Barea’s Contract In Spain Has NBA Out

January 24th, 2021 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

When J.J. Barea signed with Estudiantes in Spain this week, a report at the time indicated that he hadn’t given up on the possibility of playing in the NBA later this year. The terms of his new deal will allow for that possibility, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, who tweets that Barea’s contract includes an NBA out.

The exact terms of the opt-out haven’t been specified. As such, it’s not clear whether Barea will be able to return stateside for an NBA opportunity at any time in the coming months or if there’s a specific window during which he’d be able to exercise that out. Either way, Spain’s Liga ACB is scheduled to end its regular season a little before the NBA does, so Barea should be able to return for the postseason if he receives a contract offer.

MacMahon notes that Barea “remains determined” to play in the NBA this season and will look to use his time in Spain’s top basketball league as a showcase against strong competition.

Barea, 36, had his 2018/19 season cut short by a torn Achilles, but was relatively productive in limited minutes upon returning in ’19/20. He averaged 7.7 PPG and 3.9 APG with a .376 3PT% in 29 games (15.5 MPG) for the Mavericks. A roster crunch in Dallas prevented him from earning a spot on this season’s squad.

Given how significantly NBA depth charts have already been shaken up by injuries and COVID-19 in the first five weeks of the season, it seems likely that there will be teams in need of point guard depth who give Barea a look by the spring.

J.J. Barea Signs With Team In Spain

January 23rd, 2021 at 11:12am CST by marksuleymanov

Former Mavericks guard and NBA champion J.J. Barea has signed a deal to play for Estudiantes in Spain’s Liga ACB, tweets Marc Stein of the New York Times (Twitter link).

Dallas had signed Barea to a veteran’s minimum deal in November before waiving their longtime guard due to a roster crunch. Owner Mark Cuban indicated the offer was extended to Barea as a reward for his 11 years of service to the club.

Last season with the Mavericks, Barea averaged 7.7 PPG and 3.9 APG in 15.5 MPG across 29 regular-season contests. The 2019/20 campaign was Barea’s return from a torn Achilles tendon, which he suffered back in January 2019.

As Stein notes (via Twitter), Barea still hopes to return to the NBA and could use his time in Spain as a showcase to NBA teams ahead of the May 18 start date for the playoffs, since Estudiantes’ season might end before that.

And-Ones: International Games, ASG, Barea, Marijuana, Swanigan

December 23rd, 2020 at 4:24pm CST by Luke Adams

While the NBA often plays preseason games in China and regular season games in Mexico and Europe, that won’t be possible during the 2020/21 season due to the coronavirus — plans for a regular season contest in Paris had to be tabled. However, as Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press writes, the league is looking into scenarios that would allow games to be played overseas again in ’21/22.

“We do anticipate that once it becomes healthy and safe to be able to do that that we’ll return to a schedule of international preseason and regular-season games,” deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said.

Meanwhile, the 2021 All-Star Game is also in jeopardy as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, but it sounds like the NBA hasn’t entirely ruled out the possibility that some sort of All-Star event could still take place. Commissioner Adam Silver said on TNT on Tuesday that the status of the All-Star Game is “yet to be decided depending on how things go,” as Adam Zagoria of Forbes tweets.

Here are more odds and ends from around the NBA:

Although no deal appears imminent for J.J. Barea, the veteran free agent guard is staying in game shape and remains intent on playing this season, either in the U.S. or internationally, tweets Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News.
It seems likely that the NBA and NBPA will eventually negotiate the reduction or removal of marijuana-related penalties in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, but Adam Silver is wary of creating issues for players in cities where the drug has not yet been legalized or decriminalized, writes Bill Shea of The Athletic. “We want to make sure we’re not creating a trap for our players and putting in place rules that will put them in the crosshairs of the law,” Silver said.
NBPA executive director Michele Roberts made it clear, within Shea’s story, that she’ll push for the removal of marijuana testing before the current CBA expires. “I don’t see any reason to test for marijuana or cannabis. That’s just nuts. Same for alcohol,” Roberts said. “Are we in the 21st century or what? What are we doing here? I think it’s absurd.”
Speaking of marijuana, former Trail Blazers forward Caleb Swanigan received a reminder that he’s not in Oregon anymore, having been arrested for marijuana possession early on Wednesday morning in Indiana, reports Justin L. Mack of The Indianapolis Star. Police said they found over three pounds of marijuana in Swanigan’s vehicle following a traffic stop.

Mavericks Waive J.J. Barea

December 10th, 2020 at 2:19pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

DECEMBER 10: The Mavericks have officially waived Barea, the team announced in a press release.

Speaking to reporters earlier in the day, general manager Donnie Nelson called it a “sad day in Mavs-ville,” referring to Barea as the longtime “heart and soul” of the club (Twitter link via Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News).

DECEMBER 9: Long-time Mavericks reserve point guard J.J. Barea will be waived by Dallas tomorrow, sources tell Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

MacMahon reports that team owner Marc Cuban was aware the Mavericks would most likely release Barea after inking him to a one-year, $2.56MM veteran’s minimum contract last month, but desired to extend him an offer as a reward for the 5’10” Barea’s 11-year tenure with Dallas.

The 36-year-old Barea will now look for a new home in the league, per MacMahon. MacMahon also notes that Cuban hopes to find an organizational position for Barea once his playing career concludes. The Mavericks had 16 players on guaranteed contracts for their 15-man regular season roster, and waiving Barea made the most basketball sense, per Bobby Marks of ESPN (via Twitter).

Between the younger Jalen Brunson and Trey Burke, the Mavericks clearly felt secure enough in their backup point guard rotation behind All-Star lead ball handler Luka Dončić. Just last week, Rick Carlisle cited Barea’s locker room leadership as the club’s motivation to bring him back.

Last season for Dallas, Barea averaged 7.7 PPG and 3.9 APG in 15.5 MPG across 29 regular-season games. The 2019/20 season marked Barea’s return from a torn Achilles tendon incurred in January 2019.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Mavs Notes: Richardson, Brunson, Powell, Crowder, Barea

December 2nd, 2020 at 2:16pm CST by Luke Adams

We heard prior to the offseason that the Mavericks would be prioritizing adding toughness to their roster this fall, and head coach Rick Carlisle confirmed as much this week, telling reporters that the club sought players with an “edge” (Twitter link via Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News). The Mavs view Josh Richardson as one player who fits that bill.

“I don’t really take well to my brothers being messed with,” the former Sixer said on Tuesday when asked about the toughness he brings to the club (Twitter link via Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News).

Beyond his willingness to play with an “edge,” Richardson also appealed to the Mavs for a handful of other reasons, as Carlisle explained.

“He’s a high-level defensive player, which is something that we needed,” said the Mavs’ head coach (Twitter link via Townsend). “We’ve been looking for a guy who can guard point guards and add scoring off the ball. … He’s a guy from afar who I’ve always thought would be a great fit with Luka Doncic.”

Here’s more on the Mavs:

After missing the end of last season due to a shoulder injury, reserve point guard Jalen Brunson said on Wednesday that he’s “100%” and ready to go, tweets Caplan.
Dwight Powell (Achilles) said on Wednesday that he’s also a “full go” for the 2020/21 season. As Tim MacMahon of ESPN notes (via Twitter), Powell will likely open the year as the Mavericks’ starting center with Kristaps Porzingis sidelined.
During an appearance on Burns & Gambo in on Arizona Sports 98.7 (audio link via Nick Angstadt of Locked on Mavs), Jae Crowder said that he turned down more money from the Mavericks to sign with the Suns, since he envisions a bigger role for himself in Phoenix. It’s not clear if Dallas was offering Crowder – who signed a three-year, $29MM deal – more money in 2020/21 or more money overall. The latter seems unlikely, since the Mavs appear to be preserving their 2021 cap room, but they would’ve needed to sign-and-trade for Crowder to top the Suns’ mid-level offer.
Carlisle said on Tuesday that the Mavericks wanted to bring back J.J. Barea due to his experience, leadership, and ability to command respect in the locker room (Twitter link via Caplan).
In case you missed it, Doncic became the first player to have a rookie scale team option for the 2021/22 season exercised.

Mavericks Re-Sign J.J. Barea

November 27th, 2020 at 9:25am CST by Dana Gauruder

DECEMBER 1: The signing is official, according to the team’s PR department (Twitter link).

NOVEMBER 27: Shams Charania of The Athletic confirms (via Twitter) that Barea’s new guaranteed one-year deal will be worth the veteran’s minimum. He’ll earn $2.56MM, with a cap hit of $1.62MM.

NOVEMBER 22: Barea will get a guaranteed contract from the Mavs, per Towsend (Twitter link). Considering he’s coming off a one-year, minimum-salary deal, it’s a safe bet that Barea will sign the same contract this time around.

NOVEMBER 21: The Mavericks are planning to re-sign veteran guard J.J. Barea, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News tweets.

Barea, 36, has seen his role diminish and he’s also dealt with some injuries over the past two seasons but he remains a fan favorite. He appeared in 29 regular-season games last season, including six starts, and averaged 7.7 PPG and 3.9 APG in 15.5 MPG.

Dallas agreed to a three-year deal with another free agent guard, Trey Burke, so Barea would many serve as insurance in case of backcourt injuries. It also has Jalen Brunson as a point guard option behind star Luka Doncic.

Dallas has agreed to trade another guard, Delon Wright, in a three-team swap and Townsend speculates the Mavs might make more backcourt moves to clear a logjam. Barea has been on Dallas’ roster since the 2014/15 season.

Western Notes: Beverley, Rondo, Barea, Mavericks

September 2nd, 2020 at 7:45pm CST by Jovan Alford

The Clippers have officially listed starting point guard Patrick Beverley as questionable for Thursday’s Western Conference semifinals Game 1 against the Nuggets, per Mark Medina of USA TODAY (Twitter link).

The veteran point guard has missed five straight games for Los Angeles with a nagging left calf injury. In his absence, the Clippers turned to second-year combo guard Landry Shamet, who started in four games against the Mavericks in their first-round series. As a starter, the former Wichita State standout averaged 11.5 PPG and shot 50 percent from three-point range.

Clippers head coach Doc Rivers was asked about Beverely’s potential return on Wednesday. “You’ll see him for sure (in the series),” he said (h/t Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN). “I’m pretty sure tomorrow (for Game 1), but I can’t guarantee that.” Los Angeles will be hoping that the defensive-minded point guard can slow down Denver’s dynamic point guard Jamal Murray.

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said on Monday that point guard Rajon Rondo practiced and should be available in the second round. Rondo has not played a single game in the bubble due to a broken thumb, which he suffered in July.
Eddie Sefko of Mavericks.com looked at three keys areas in which Dallas needs to improve at in the offseason. Sefko suggested that the Mavericks need an enforcer like Marcus Morris of the Clippers, who was a factor on the boards and gave Dallas fits in the first round. While they showed improvement from last season in the rebounding department, the Mavs were outrebounded by three rebounds per game in their first-round series versus Los Angeles, Sefko notes.
Mavericks point guard J.J. Barea could possibly be playing overseas next season, according to Christian Santaella, who is a close friend of the 36-year-old. Santaella told elnuevodia.com that three teams from Liga ACB are interested in Barea’s services. The veteran point guard did not see significant playing time this season for Dallas, only averaging 15.5 MPG in 29 games.

Mavs Notes: Doncic, Porzingis, Future, Barea

August 31st, 2020 at 4:56pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks were eliminated from the postseason on Sunday, but Luka Doncic acquitted himself well in his first playoff experience, averaging 31.0 PPG, 9.8 RPG, and 8.7 APG on 50.0% shooting in six games vs. Dallas. As ESPN’s Tim MacMahon writes, Doncic is the reason why both the Mavs and rival teams are high on Dallas’ long-term outlook.

“He’s a guy that I predict is going to win multiple MVPs,” one Eastern Conference scout said of Doncic. “I could not be higher on a guy in the league. If you start that ‘Who would you take to build a team’ conversation, there’s not another guy that I would take over Luka.”

Although there’s no doubt that Doncic is capable of being the best player on a championship-contending team, there’s no consensus yet on whether Kristaps Porzingis can be a reliable No. 2, MacMahon writes. One Western executive expressed optimism on Porzingis, but cautioned that it’s too early to pass judgment, given the big man’s injuries.

“There’s some optimism there. Give the Mavs credit,” a Western scout told MacMahon. “They went and got a 1 and potentially a 2. Doncic is definitely a 1. I’m not all-in on Porzingis as a 2, but he’s a really good 3 in the worst case. Now it’s just about filling in the pieces around them.”

While the Mavs are well positioned to eventually add another impact player, sources tell MacMahon that they aren’t likely to make significant roster changes right away, especially if Tim Hardaway Jr. opts in for $19MM, as expected. According to MacMahon, people within the organization have pushed for Dallas to focus this offseason on acquiring veterans who have “reputations for toughness” and can be signed to short-term contracts.

Here’s more on the Mavs:

While the Mavericks will probably be conservative this fall, their salary cap situation sets them up well to go hunting for a star player during the 2021 offseason, ESPN’s Bobby Marks writes in his Insider-only preview of Dallas’ upcoming decisions. Marks also explores how Dallas should use its draft picks – including the No. 31 selection – and the best way to utilize the mid-level exception.
In the wake of the Mavericks’ Sunday loss to the Clippers, team owner Mark Cuban and former star Dirk Nowitzki were among those who tweeted optimistic messages about the franchise’s future. “This is just the beginning,” Cuban said.
J.J. Barea will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason and acknowledged in a conversation with Fernando Ribas Reyes of Puerto Rican outlet El Nuevo Dia that he was a little frustrated by his lack of playing time this summer (he was a DNP-CD in five seeding games and five more playoff games). Barea said it would be “difficult” to leave Dallas, but suggested that the Mavs might only want him back as a coach, meaning he might have to look elsewhere if he wants to continue playing (hat tip to Sportando).

Mavs Guard Jalen Brunson May Have Labrum Tear

February 27th, 2020 at 4:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks are concerned that point guard Jalen Brunson may have a torn labrum in his right shoulder, Tim MacMahon from ESPN tweets. Brunson suffered the injury on the first possession of Saturday’s loss to the Hawks.

A natural left-hander, Brunson plans to play through the pain and delay a possible surgical procedure until the offseason, MacMahon continues. He has already been ruled out for the remaining two games of the team’s current road trip.

The Mavs’ postseason spot seems safe — they’re 10 games ahead of ninth-place Portland in the conference standings — but if Brunson can’t make it through the season, it would be a blow to the team’s postseason rotation.

Brunson has played 57 games, including 16 starts, and averaged 8.2 PPG and 3.3 APG in 17.9 MPG. The 2018 second-round pick out of Villanova started 38 games last season.

Delon Wright and J.J. Barea will likely see an uptick in playing time in games that Brunson misses.

Mavs’ Brunson Out At Least Four More Games

February 25th, 2020 at 9:43am CST by Luke Adams

Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson, who left Saturday’s loss to the Hawks early in the first quarter with a right shoulder injury, sat out Monday’s game and will remain on the shelf for the team’s upcoming four-game road trip, as Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News writes.

The injury, diagnosed as a shoulder sprain, will sideline Brunson for games in San Antonio (Wednesday), Miami (Friday), Minnesota (Sunday), and Chicago (next Monday). Head coach Rick Carlisle said the team may have an update on Brunson’s status next Monday, per Caplan.

Brunson, who is in his second NBA season, has been an important rotation piece for Dallas this season, starting 16 of his 57 games. He has averaged 8.2 PPG, 3.3 APG, and 2.4 RPG on .466/.358/.813 shooting in 17.9 minutes per contest. In Brunson’s absence, J.J. Barea figures to be first in line for an increased role — the veteran guard had one of his best games of the season on Monday, with 12 points and eight assists in 22 minutes.

“[Barea’s] always ready, so he’ll be in the middle of it,” Carlisle said, according to Caplan. “He’s a great luxury to have.”

Brunson’s injury occurred in the game that Dallas has formally protested. According to Marc Stein of The New York Times (via Twitter), the Mavs also asked the NBA to review Dewayne Dedmon‘s foul that injured Brunson, since the team felt it should have been more than a common personal foul (video link).