Former Mavericks fan-favorite center named one of most overpaid players ever

Noah Weber

Oklahoma City Thunder v Dallas Mavericks - Game Two / Ronald Martinez/GettyImages

When someone thinks of the Dallas Mavericks' 2011 NBA Championship team, everyone's thoughts go to Dirk Nowitzki.

Nowitzki was the face of the franchise, the Finals MVP, and the obvious best player on the team, but the role players that surrounded him were a big reason that they were so successful.

The team was perfectly built around Nowitzki, and every player had a distinguished role.

Former Mavericks fan-favorite center named one of most overpaid players ever

One of the players with one of the most important roles was Tyson Chandler.

Chandler was the starting center, the vocal leader, and the defensive anchor all in one. He quickly became a fan-favorite in Dallas, but left after the Mavericks' championship season before returning for a year in 2014.

In 149 games for the Mavs, Chandler averaged 10.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game. He was the perfect center to pair with Nowitzki, and his time in Dallas was unforgettable.

Although Mavs fans will always love Chandler, HoopsHype dropped a list and ranked Chandler the fourth most overpaid player of all time. Although he was a bit overpaid towards the back end of his career, he is not a player that people would expect to see on this list.

As Frank Urbina and Raul Barrigon mentioned in the article, Chandler's biggest overpay during a single season was in the 2018-19 season. He made over $13 million despite only averaging 3.1 points per game.

After the 2018-19 season, Chandler signed with the Houston Rockets on a one-year, $2.6 million deal before retiring from the NBA.

Chandler is one of the best Mavs big men from the 2000s, and he was missed dearly after both of his tenures with Dallas.

This summer, Chandler has helped work with the No. 12 overall pick Dereck Lively II and has taken him under his wing, as he helps as a player development coach from time to time. Lively II was compared to Chandler during the pre-draft process, and if he can be anything close to what Chandler was for the Mavs, they'll be in good hands.

We'll have you covered with all the latest news and rumors surrounding the Dallas Mavericks this offseason, so stay tuned.

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.