16 Players the Mavericks never should have gambled on

6. Amar'e Stoudemire

Stoudemire was one of the best big men in the NBA for eight years. Steve Nash led the Seven Seconds of Less Suns, but the 6’10 big man was their top scorer. He was known for his monster dunks and helping Phoenix reach the conference finals three times in eight years.

Stoudemire was traded to the Knicks in 2010 where he signed a five-year $99.7 million contract that did not go as planned. He began to decline and was bought out in Feb. 2015. The Knicks made just three playoff appearances and won one postseason series during that stretch.

Stoudemire chose the Mavericks in 2015 as he felt they gave him the best shot at competing for a championship. Dallas was 36-19 when he signed, but struggled down the stretch. STAT put up numbers in limited minutes off the bench. It was not enough as the Mavs were 14-13 over their final 27 regular season games and were bounced by the Rockets in the first round of the playoffs.

Amar’e Stoudemire made a quick exit and played his final season with the Miami Heat before signing a one-day contract to retire as a Knick. The six-time All-Star was an elite big man during his prime, but his time in Dallas left everyone involved with regret.