David Lee Clears Waivers, Will Sign With Dallas Mavericks

David Lee has officially cleared waivers, and according to reports will indeed sign with the Dallas Mavericks.

David Lee has officially cleared waivers, and according to ESPN’s Marc Stein, will join the Dallas Mavericks. The 32-year old was involved in many a deadline rumor, as his expiring $15 million contract was thought to be an attractive piece for teams hoping to clear as much space as possible for the spending spree that will take place this offseason, but nothing materialized and now the Mavericks hope they have found an answer to their scoring woes off the pine.

Up until the last two seasons, when injuries and limited playing time stymied his production in Golden State and Boston, Lee was a viable offensive threat. Lee made the all-star team with the Knicks after averaging 20.2 points and 11.7 rebounds in 2009-10, before signing a free agent deal with the Warriors. From 2011-2014 the former Florida Gator averaged 18.2 points on 51% shooting. Lee was also a strong rebounder over those four seasons, coming down with exactly 10.0 a night.

Mavericks fans shouldn’t expect that type of production out of Lee in Dallas, but he should be able to pick up the offense quickly and serve as a nice punch off the bench stealing minutes from backup big men. Remember, Lee essentially lost his spot in Golden State due to the emergence of Draymond Green while he was injured, and had to compete with a group of young, talented big men for playing time in Boston.

Still, one can’t help but see the parallels between this signing and the move that brought in Amar’e Stoudemire, the guy that took over for Lee in New York, last season. Lee could spend some time at center, but due to his defensive limitations can’t realistically do it alongside Dirk Nowitzki. We saw how that worked out with Stoudemire backing up Tyson Chandler last year.

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And management is high enough on Powell that they turned down first round picks for him at the trade deadline. It will be interesting to see how the addition of Lee affects his role in the rotation.

Concerns aside, the addition of Lee figures to be a positive one. It’s doubtful that Joe Johnson would choose the Mavericks over a real contender if he ends up being bought out by Brooklyn, and Kevin Martin looks like he’s staying put in Minnesota. Lee was probably the best player the Mavericks could get, and should help solve some of the problems Dallas is having.

Next: Orlando Could Be a Threat to Sign Parsons this Summer

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