Jameer Nelson on signing with Dallas Mavericks: ‘I want to win’
The Orlando Magic parted ways with point guard Jameer Nelson after he spent the first 10 years of his career with the Magic. Nelson wanted to play for a contender and that’s just something the Magic couldn’t offer. That’s why Nelson inked a two-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks.
More from Dallas Mavericks
- Grant Williams’ attempt to embarrass camper backfires hilariously
- NBA Rumors: Warriors, Lakers among contenders for key free agent
- Mavericks: Mark Cuban calls Kyrie Irving ‘misunderstood’ after new contract
- Why isn’t Matisse Thybulle on the Mavericks?
- The new NBA flopping rules explained
“I just think with the makeup of the team and the organization it’s similar to what we had in Orlando when we were winning,” Nelson told Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel when asked about why he signed with the Mavericks. “And I wanted to get back to that. I’ve dealt with the process of rebuilding, and it’s tough. I want to win. I don’t want to sit back and develop anymore. I tried that for two years. It was fun and it was tough. It was challenging. It was more challenging than people know. I was up for the challenge. It was something that I was up for. Nobody forced me to do it. It was something I wanted to do.”
Nelson averaged 12.1 points, 7.0 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting 39.4% from the field, 34.8% from beyond the arc and 85.7% from the free throw line last season.
It has been a very busy summer for the Mavericks. As the offseason began, they dealt point guard Jose Calderón, center Samuel Dalambert, swingman Wayne Ellington, point guard Shane Larkin and two second round picks, the 34th-overall selection and the 51st-overall selection in the 2014 NBA Draft to the New York Knicks (the Knicks used the picks to select select former Wichita State Shockers’ swingman Cleanthony Early and Greek swingman Thanasis Antetokounmpo) in exchange for center Tyson Chandler and point guard Raymond Felton. They also signed Houston Rockets’ forward Chandler Parsons to a three-year, $46 million contract and re-signed point guard Devin Harris.