Dallas Mavericks point guard J.J. Barea is heading back to Texas once again in the 2020-21 season after he decided to ink a new one-year deal with the team.
Barea, an NBA veteran who has spent 11 of his 14 seasons in the league with Dallas, will sign a one-year, $2.6 million veteran minimum deal to contribute off of the bench for the Mavs.
The Puerto Rico native, who won an NBA title with the team in 2011 and has served as a spark plug off of the bench for many years in the league, missed part of last season after rehabbing from a torn Achilles tendon suffered in January 2019.
He appeared in just 29 games for the Mavs, averaging 7.7 points and 3.9 assists per game in an average of 15.5 minutes of action.
Barea, who has long expressed a desire to become a coach after his playing career ends, is expected to play a role as a mentor in the upcoming season while serving as one of the team’s last options off of the bench.
His expertise should help young players like Jalen Brunson and newly-acquired draft pick Tyrell Terry continue to grow as they look to become the team’s stars of the future.
Barea’s new deal is expected to be formally announced in the coming week.
