Mavericks, JaVale McGee agree to three-year contract

The annual money attached to the 34-year-old McGee’s next contract basically should cover the Mavericks’ full taxpayer mid-level exception.

McGee expects to start at the five for the team, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN. MacMahon adds that this signing will reunite McGee with former Los Angeles Lakers comrades Jason Kidd, now the Mavericks’ head coach, and Dallas assistant coach Jared Dudley. Kidd served as an assistant coach under Frank Vogel and Dudley was a reserve on a title-winning 2020 Los Angeles team along with McGee.

The seven-footer, a three-time NBA champion, raved about his on-court fit with Mavericks All-Star guard Luka Doncic. 

“I saw some opportunities out there where I was like, ‘Oh yeah, if they had a rolling big, they could dominate in a different aspect,'” McGee said.

After being selected with the No. 18 pick by the Washington Wizards out of Nevada in 2008, McGee flashed plenty of promise with Washington as a hyper-athletic, rim-rolling big, but was ultimately dealt to the Denver Nuggets in 2012. He was re-signed to a pricey extension in Denver, only to be dealt again, this time to the Philadelphia 76ers in 2015.

McGee then enjoyed an initial one-year stint with Dallas during the 2015-16 season. He only really blossomed as one of the best low-usage centers in the league after signing with the Golden State Warriors in 2017, winning two titles with a star-studded Golden State franchise. McGee then joined the Lakers in 2018, eventually winning his third championship in 2020. The Lakers sent him to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2020, before he was dealt to the Nuggets and once again became a valuable reserve on a playoff contender. He spent last-season with yet another starry postseason club, the 64-win Suns, on a one-year, $5M deal.

Through 74 games with Phoenix, McGee averaged 9.2 PPG, 6.7 RPG and 1.1 BPG across just 15.8 MPG. The 34-year-old connected on an excellent 62.9% of his 6.2 field goals per night.