The Dallas Mavericks Should Bring Back Vince Carter
By Isaac Harris
Vince Carter just completed his 19th season in the NBA and still doesn’t plan on retiring just yet. The Dallas Mavericks should bring Carter back to Dallas.
The Memphis Grizzlies’ season came to an end as the San Antonio Spurs eliminated them in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs in six games. With the elimination, Vince Carter completes his 19th season in the league where he played 73 games and all six playoff games.
He also becomes a free agent this summer.
The 40-year-old Carter is still defying the odds as the future Hall of Famer is still throwing it down in the paint and looking just as fresh as he did five years ago.
So is retirement on the horizon for Vinsanity?
Absolutely not.
"“I said to myself ‘I want to play 15 years’. I don’t know where I got that from. And the I got to 15 years and I kept going. I never capped it, but at the same time I’ve had a lot of players remind me of things I’ve said,” said Carter about how he kept telling fellow players he would retire after two more years according to Real GM"
On his plans moving forward, Carter is still pushing the envelope…
"“I’m still saying ‘two more years and I’m done.” –Carter told RealGM. “I could play three more rounds of basketball right now.”"
Well here’s to hoping those few years can be in Dallas.
Before his time in Memphis, Carter spent three seasons in Dallas where he averaged in double-digit points over all three seasons. Carter played an integral role off the bench in his last two years in Dallas and had one of the better playoff moments that fans in Dallas will never forget.
I mean, can we just bring him back now?
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I have to say that I am a little biased. Carter has been and always will be my favorite basketball player of all-time. I grew up a North Carolina Tar Heel fan and was a fan of his ever since he came into the league. When he joined my favorite team, the Dallas Mavericks, in the winter of 2011, it was like the stars aligned in my favor.
As far as roster fit, I believe Carter would fit perfectly back into the roster.
The Mavericks roster will continue to get younger moving forward with the draft this summer, but the need for veterans is always a must. Then you consider the possibility of Dallas letting Devin Harris go this summer and Carter could be the veteran wing player off the bench that helps out guys like Dorian Finney-Smith and even his friend, Harrison Barnes.
Signing Vince Carter won’t cost much, but the dividends it could pay could be huge.
Next: The Importance of Draft Position for Dallas
For the sake of the team, fans, and myself…bring Vince Carter back to Dallas.