Dallas Mavericks agree to four-year deal with rookie Ray Spalding

The Dallas Mavericks are signing second-round draft choice Ray Spalding to a four-year contract securing his future with the team.

The Dallas Mavericks were busy on draft night.  They traded up to pick three to secure the rights to Luka Doncic and made four selections.  They chose Jalen Brunson, Ray Spalding, and Kostas Antetokounmpo in the second round.  It was an exciting night for Mavs fans.

The team signed Doncic and two of their three second round picks heading into July 19.  Well, the final domino fell late Thursday evening.   Here is the Tweet from Shams Charania breaking the news.

Spalding’s deal

The deal is expected to be a four-year rookie minimum deal and is unlikely to be fully guaranteed according to Hoops Rumors.

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More on Spalding and his game

He is 21 years old and was the 56th overall pick in the 2018 draft.  Spalding checks in at 6’10 and figures to play primarily at the four in the NBA.  He played three seasons at Louisville including averaging 12.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game as junior for the Cardinal.

Spalding is more of a traditional big man.  He figures to shoot a high field goal percentage but struggle to hit his free throws.  Rebounding and defense are likely to be his calling cards in the NBA.  Spalding is a good athlete that played well for the Mavericks in Summer League.

Expect him to see most of his on-court time next season with the Texas Legends, Dallas’ G-League affiliate.

Final thoughts

Ray Spalding agreed to a four-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks.  It came as a bit of a surprise for one of the last selections in the 2018 draft.  The Mavs could have gone a similar route to their signing of Kostas Antetokounmpo and put Spalding on a two-way deal.

It will be interesting to see how much action Spalding gets with Dallas this season.  Stay tuned.

Next: Will DeAndre Jordan be with the Mavs long-term?

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