12 Worst free agent signings in Mavericks history

1. Tariq Abdul-Wahad

The Mavs traded for Abdul-Wahad in a deal with the Nuggets that brought Raef LaFrentz, Avery Johnson, and Nick Van Exel to Dallas in 2002. The 6’6 shooting guard played in just four games the remainder of the season, but that did not stop the team from signing the oft-injured wing to a six-year contract worth $40 million in the offseason.

Abdul-Wahad played 14 games for the Mavericks the following season, and things got so bad that he still got paid, while remaining home in France over the final years of his deal. Dallas claimed he was unable to play because of a knee injury in 2005, but the 6’6 believed he was healthy. He refused a buyout, so Dallas had to pay him through the 2006-2007 season, despite him not playing a game for the team in four years.

The summer of 2002 was a forgettable one for Dallas after that trade with the Nuggets. The Dallas Mavericks still rebounded to make two finals appearances with Dirk Nowitzki and win a championship in 2011, but there were plenty of blunders along the way.

The Dallas Mavericks' free agency track record is far from strong. Signing JaVale McGee to a three-year deal in 2022 is another move that could have easily made this list, but it just missed. Stay tuned to see if the Mavs can improve their history as they look to build a title contender around Luka Doncic.