Dallas Mavericks center Willie Cauley-Stein has informed his team that he will opt-out of the resumed NBA season due to the impending birth of his child in July.
The NBA gave the players of the teams who will compete in the season resumption the option to opt-out of the games without receiving their salary. If a player opts out, his team will have the ability to sign a player to replace him.
Cauley-Stein, a 26-year-old center who was traded to the Mavs in January from the Golden State Warriors, has played primarily as a backup for Dallas this season after being a starter for the Dubs.
The Kentucky alum is averaging 7.2 points and 5.8 rebounds for a game this season, providing irregular production as a big man whose game hasn’t quite blossomed as expected ever since he was the 6th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Drat.
Dallas is expected to sign point guard Trey Burke in Cauley-Stein’s place for the rest of the season, an important addition to their team at a position where they needed to improve their depth.
Burke spent last season with the Mavericks, averaging 9.7 points and 2.6 assists per game in 25 games.
