The Dallas Mavericks have spent this week watching key players from their 2011 NBA Champion team walk away in free agent deals, but they’ve made their first move of the abbreviated offseason, signing Brandan Wright.
Wright, the eighth pick in the 2007 draft, entered the NBA after just one year at North Carolina. He’s long (6-10) and athletic, and he’d flashed the ability to shoot the ball, but injuries and lack of development have him on the cusp of exiting the NBA picture.
After limited action his rookie season, Don Nelson gave Wright 23 starts among his 39 appearances in his second, and he managed 8.3 points, four rebounds and a block per game. A shoulder injury cost him the 2009-10 season, and his return last season was not successful. He saw about nine minutes per game with the Warriors before being dealt to New Jersey for Troy Murphy in a February salary shifter.
There was question over whether Wright’s next contract would be with an NBA team, but the Mavericks need low cost players to fill in for the numerous free agents they’re losing and still see potential in Wright. He will battle for a role behind Dirk Nowitzki in the back half of the Dallas roster.