BREAKING: Naji Marshall Agrees to Sign with Dallas Mavericks; Details
If the Dallas Mavericks' top plan was to land Klay Thompson in addition to retaining Derrick Jones Jr. in free agency, apparently, something went wrong with part of that plan.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Mavs and former New Orleans Pelicans forward Naji Marshall have agreed on a three-year, $27 million contract, using a significant portion of Dallas' $12.9 million Mid-Level Exception.
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Although the Mavs really wanted to bring back Jones, his agency switch to Klutch Sports complicated things, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon.
In 66 games for the Pelicans, Marshall averaged 7.1 points and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 46.3 percent from the floor and a career-best 38.7 percent from deep. In 76 games for Dallas, Jones averaged 8.6 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting 48.3 percent from the floor and 34.3 percent from deep. Both Marshall and Jones are aggressive point-of-attack defenders.
Ideally, the Mavs would've liked to bring back the guy who was a starter on a team that made it to the NBA Finals this past season, but Marshall could certainly be a decent replacement, especially when considering his higher ceiling on the offensive end of the floor.
The Mavs aren't done making moves yet, as multiple reports claim that they're trying to work out a sign-and-trade with the Golden State Warriors in order to land Klay Thompson. Heading into free agency, the Mavs were pegged as the favorites for Thompson, even after LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers entered the race. We'll see if Mavs GM Nico Harrison can close the deal.
