Free agency rumors: Dallas Mavericks among top suitors for veteran wing

Noah Weber

Utah Jazz v Dallas Mavericks / Tim Heitman/GettyImages

One of the Dallas Mavericks' obvious priorities this summer was adding wing depth.

Last season, they didn't have much size on the wing and needed more wing defenders after the departure of Dorian-Finney Smith in the Kyrie Irving trade. Dallas tried to lure Matisse Thybulle away from the Portland Trailblazers with an offer sheet, but they matched it.

The Mavs also acquired Grant Williams in a sign-and-trade via a three-team trade with the San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics, but they still need one more wing that can come off the bench. Williams was a great pickup, but they lost a reliable wing defender in Reggie Bullock in that trade.

Free agency rumors: Dallas Mavericks among top suitors for veteran wing

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Mavericks could be interested in a 18th-year wing.

Scotto said that free agent wing Rudy Gay is "expected to draw interest from several playoff-caliber teams" and listed the Dallas Mavericks as one of the suitors, along with the Golden State Warriors, New Orleans Pelicans, Chicago Bulls, and Los Angeles Lakers.

Gay has career averages of 15.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game. Although his play is nowhere near the level that it was during his prime, Gay could still potentially provide some minutes off the bench for Dallas. He averaged 5.2 points and 2.9 rebounds per game last season for Utah in 14.6 minutes per game.

Gay isn't going to be a player that moves the needle much for this team, but his veteran presence could be attractive for Dallas. He was a mentor for the past few seasons in Utah, and Olivier-Maxence Prosper would benefit from having a guy like Gay as a big-brother-type figure as he takes on his rookie year.

Stay tuned to see if the Mavs make a move for Rudy Gay. We'll have you covered with all the latest free agency news and rumors so don't go away.

Noah Weber

Noah Weber is the Site Expert for The Smoking Cuban, covering the Dallas Mavericks as a credentialed media member since the 2022-23 season. With a Bachelor of Science in Sports Media from Oklahoma State University, Noah has worked in sports journalism since 2019. While he's covered the Dallas Cowboys and Oklahoma State Cowboys, he has now established himself as a go-to voice for Mavericks coverage. Noah's expertise includes in-depth game analysis, social media content creation, and offering unique perspectives through his reporting. His work has been featured on major platforms such as ESPN, Bleacher Report, and Overtime. During his time at Oklahoma State, Noah won first place in the Oklahoma Broadcast Education Association Awards for a show he co-produced. Outside of covering the Mavs, Noah enjoys working out, playing basketball and Spikeball, and spending quality time with friends and family.