Apr 9, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Tim Hardaway Jr. (11) and center Dwight Powell (7) and center JaVale McGee (00) and forward Christian Wood (35) celebrate on the team bench during the second quarter against the San Antonio Spurs at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Former Dallas Mavericks 7-footer, 3-time NBA champion signs with surprise team

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Aug 1, 2025 6:08 PM ET

The transactional period for the NBA has mostly come and gone. Most of the big names are off the board from free agency, except for restricted free agents like Quentin Grimes and Josh Giddey, and older veterans like Russell Westbrook and Al Horford.

The Dallas Mavericks only made one major move this offseason, signing D'Angelo Russell to a two-year deal with a player option on the second year to be a hold-in for Kyrie Irving, who is recovering from an ACL injury. They also signed Daniel Gafford to a contract extension and have agreed to bring back Dante Exum, but that hasn't been signed yet.

JaVale McGee Signs in Australia

However, one former Dallas Maverick has found his new destination. Three-time NBA champion JaVale McGee has signed a one-year deal with the Illawarra Hawks of Australia's National Basketball League, per the league's X/Twitter account.

McGee had two stints with the Mavericks, first in the 2015-16 season and again in the 2022-23 season. His first stint only lasted 34 games, but he went on to be a useful role player on two Warriors championship teams and the Lakers championship team in 2020.

THIS FRIDAY NIGHT KEEPS GETTING BETTER

Three-time NBA Champion JaVale McGee has officially signed a one-year deal with the @illawarrahawks

Read more via the NBL app. pic.twitter.com/rPwEVfzhSF
— NBL (@NBL) August 1, 2025

His second stint in Dallas was horrific. Nico Harrison signed JaVale McGee to a three-year, $17 million deal, and it was almost instantly an awful deal. He was waived after one season of averaging 4.4 PPG and 2.5 RPG, with the Mavericks stretching his contract. Despite being waived two years ago, he'll still cost the team $2.2 million for the next three seasons, which could be a minimum contract.

It's the latest example of Nico Harrison's mistakes since he took over the team, but far from the biggest.

McGee's career stretched 16 seasons with nine different teams. He played the most games for the Washington Wizards from 2008 to 2012 before he was traded to the Denver Nuggets. After a few years there, he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in what comes off as a salary dump, as they waived him a month later. He also had stints with the Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns, and Cleveland Cavaliers.

This article first appeared on Dallas Mavericks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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