Mavericks Champion J.J. Barea Lands NBA Coaching Gig

Shortly before retiring from a 14-year NBA career in 2019, point guard J.J. Barea moved back to his native Puerto Rico to be the head coach of the Indios de Mayagüez in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional. He spent a brief stint as a Dallas Mavericks player development coach before returning to Puerto Rico in 2023 to coach the Mets de Guaynabo.

Now, sources confirm that Barea will continue his young coaching career and return to the NBA as he joins David Adelman's staff with the Denver Nuggets as an assistant coach.

Barea, 41, was a fan-favorite during his 11-year playing career with the Mavericks from 2005-2010 and 2013-2019. The 5-10 guard played for the Minnesota Timberwolves for three years in between those two stints.

A dependable role player on both ends of the floor, Barea is best remembered for being a major contributor in the Mavs' 2011 NBA championship, averaging 8.8 points and 3 assists per game in the Finals series.

He's an integral part in Mavs' lore having appeared in the starting lineup in the final three games of the series and providing much-needed gutsy defense against the LeBron James-led Miami Heat.

Barea was always respected for his upbeat personality and strong friendships with all of his teammates. He grew especially close with franchise stars Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Doncic during their times together in Dallas.

Barea now brings those leadership traits to the Nuggets after a peculiar shakeup of their coaching staff last season. Head coach Michael Malone was surprisingly fired just three-games before the end of the regular season. After getting bounced in the second-round of the playoffs, Adelman, who served as the interim coach during the run, has been hired as the replacement.

The Nuggets have been active elsewhere in free agency this week, as well.

Denver traded forward Michael Porter Jr. to the Brooklyn Nets for Cameron Johnson and also re-acquired Bruce Brown, who was a member of the Nuggets' title team in 2023.