JJ Barea Returning to Dallas on Two-Year $5.6 Million Deal

The Dallas Mavericks are bringing back free agent guard JJ Barea, on a reported two-year, $5.6 million deal.

Barea, 31, has career averages of 8.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in nine seasons.

The diminutive guard is beloved in Texas, largerly for his role in the Mavs’ 2011 NBA championship run.

Per the AP:

The deal is reportedly for two years and $5.6 million. The 6-foot guard told a newspaper in his native Puerto Rico that he was rejoining Dallas.

 

The Mavericks brought back Barea early last season when Minnesota bought out the remainder of the four-year deal he signed after playing a key role in the Mavericks’ run to the NBA championship in 2011. […] Early in free agency, Barea was linked to Miami — where he went to high school — but that was before the Mavericks improved their outlook significantly by reaching deals with center DeAndre Jordan and shooting guard Wesley Matthews.

 

The 31-year-old Barea spent his first five seasons with Dallas after catching on as an undrafted free agent out of Northeastern. The Mavericks trailed the Heat 2-1 in the NBA Finals four years ago when coach Rick Carlisle inserted Barea into the starting lineup. Dallas won three straight games to take the franchise’s first title.