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J.J. Barea Back With Dallas Mavericks After Clearing Waivers

By Phil Watson

Oct 19, 2014; Tulsa, OK, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard J.J. Barea (11) handles the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) during the third quarter at BOK Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 19, 2014; Tulsa, OK, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard J.J. Barea (11) handles the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) during the third quarter at BOK Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
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Three years ago, J.J. Barea was coming off a championship with the Dallas Mavericks and chased free-agent cash in Minnesota. Today, he’s back in Big D.

J.J. Barea left the Dallas Mavericks after the lockout in 2011 to sign a four-year, $18 million deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Puerto Rican point guard was so good in the Twin Cities that the Timberwolves elected to eat the final year of that deal, more than $4.5 million, to waive the eight-year veteran on Monday.

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Now he’s back with the Mavericks, signed to a $1.31 million veteran minimum deal,

according

to

The Dallas Morning News

.

The Mavericks cut second-year point guard Gal Mekel to make room for Barea on the roster.

Barea, 30, joined the Mavs in 2006 as a non-guaranteed training camp invitee after he went undrafted out of Northeastern.

He progressed to become a key piece of Dallas’ rotation and in 2010-11 averaged 9.5 points, 3.9 assists and two rebounds in 20.6 minutes per game while helping the Mavericks to their first NBA title.

He averaged 11.3 points, 4.6 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 23.9 minutes per game his first two seasons with Minnesota, backing up Ricky Rubio, but his playing time dropped dramatically last season.

In 18.6 minutes, Barea averaged 8.4 points, 3.8 assists and 1.9 rebounds and shot just .387/.316/.790—the worst percentages from the field since his rookie year.

Mekel, 26, signed as a free agent with the Mavericks in July 2013 after playing professionally in Israel and Spain for four seasons.

Mekel had been in the U.S. previously, playing two seasons at Wichita State, where he averaged 6.7 points, 2.7 assists and 2.1 rebounds in 62 games from 2006-08.

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