Rumor: Harris back to Dallas

[some1nw]

ESPNSteinLine Marc Stein
Hearing Devin Harris is on his way back to Dallas. Mavericks and Harris are closing in on three-year, $9+ million deal

[yahyes]

Somebody about to get traded? Akognon, Larking, and Mekel though.

[MavsFTR]

Oh geez.

[CanadianMavsFan]

Doesn't this kill our cap room in the pursuit of a decent center? Good lord what is going on? Why do we need Devin Harris?

[Kirobaito]

5'10" Larkin, 6'3" Harris, 6'3" Calderon, 6'4" Mekel, and 6'6" Calathes would be a badass high school team.

... One can only assume some of these people are being traded for help down low. At least one would hope.

[some1nw]

I have a feeling that VC or Marion will get traded for a center

[pepe]

Originally Posted by yahyes

Somebody about to get traded? Akognon, Larking, and Mekel though.

5 PG without counting Calathes...wow

[yahyes]

I'm confused too. Either there's a trade conspiring. Or Mavs want to be the fastest quick team in the league.

[grndmstr_c]

Very cool. I've been thinking about Devin since last night when I was processing the news about Calderon. Jose/Devin actually makes a good bit of sense as a backcourt combo, IMO.

[sefant77]

Weird..or they plan Harris as SG to play beside Calderon. Guess they see it as value deal if they are able to bring Harris back to his old level

Edit: Daaamn, he is allready 30...time flies.

[Kirobaito]

Originally Posted by some1nw

I have a feeling that VC or Marion will get traded for a center

Doing this would leave us without anything besides, what, Crowder at the 2 or 3? This might happen if we were signing swingmen rather than point guards. If we're trading for a center it has to come out of the point guard glut.

[Budapest Maverick]

Makes the quote i've linked in the other thread even more hilarious.

From 2008: "Harris must be considered for future dream teams right? Here's another question: Who do you take as your starting PG if you're starting a team right now, Harris or Deron Williams?"

Wow. Why would they even think about that move? They plan to play him as a SG, or what? They won't even attempt to get a center? What is going on?

[Kante]

A trade seems very likely now for a big.

[grndmstr_c]

Originally Posted by sefant77

Weird..or they plan Harris as SG to play beside Calderon...

I'm sure he'll get looks at both positions, but that's my thought. His speed is a nice counterpoint to Calderon's limitations and style of play.

[Budapest Maverick]

Originally Posted by sefant77

Weird..or they plan Harris as SG to play beside Calderon...

Edit: Daaamn, he is allready 30...time flies.

Yep, that's what i thought. Would make sense with Carlisle and his 2-PG lineups.

[Kante]

Originally Posted by sefant77

Weird..or they plan Harris as SG to play beside Calderon...

Edit: Daaamn, he is allready 30...time flies.

Harris as the ball handler in the P&R with Dirk and Calderon as a spot-up shooter.

[mavs777]

A good outlook on Devin Harris's past season this could help on defense

http://hawkshoop.com/2012-13-rewind-devin-harris/

There was a time where I hated the Devin Harris trade.

It was early in the season. Devin had quickly wowed the Atlanta crowd in his first game, scoring nine of the team’s first 15 points. He did, however, finish that game with just nine points.

That was the start of what was a rough couple of months for Devin. He couldn’t hit a shot, was clanking free throws left and right, and quite plainly looked like he just didn’t fit in the rotation. Then he got hurt, missed about a month, and it seemed quite clear: the Hawks could live without Devin Harris, and may have actually been better off with Marvin Williams.

The problem for Devin is that his role on the team was still unknown at that point. Between Jeff Teague, Anthony Morrow, Lou Williams, John Jenkins, DeShawn Stevenson, and Kyle Korver, minutes weren’t something that were always guaranteed. At some points, it felt like he’d be the one left out of the rotation.

However, injuries started to effect the rest of Atlanta’s guard rotation. Korver had back spasms, DeShawn started having problems with his knee, Morrow was falling out of the coaches’ favor, and of course, Lou tore an ACL. All of these factors led to an increase in Devin’s minutes and a more defined role: the team’s second ball-handler and primary guard defender.

Devin Harris

After he came back from his December/January injury, Devin averaged 11 points and four assists per game. His free throw numbers steadily improved, and his true contributions to the team started to be reflected in his on/off court efficiency numbers.

For the season, the Hawks were 9.2 points per 100 possessions better when Devin was on the floor. This was the best differential by a rather large margin, and was largely reflected on the defensive side of the floor. Yes, the Hawks did shoot better and turn the ball over less when Devin was playing, but his ability in defending the pick-and-roll, which are much more competent that Jeff Teague’s, was the best asset he brought to this Atlanta team.
The lasting image of Devin Harris from this season will likely be him untangling himself from the cameramen on the baseline, and walking to the charity stripe for two free-throws. The Hawks had a hard enough time getting to the line as a team, so seeing a player put everything out there in a futile attempt to score a couple of points was refreshing. While Devin’s reckless abandon led to some of his injury problems, his presence on offense was palpable. When he pushed the ball up the floor, his teammates responded. If he was trying to drive the ball to the hoop, Jeff Teague often played copycat and tried to do the same. Simply, the result was an Atlanta offense that passed more, did so more effectively, and scored more points.

Devin’s future in Atlanta is still uncertain. His contract is up, and he could potentially have some suitors that simply offer Devin more than the Hawks are willing to pay. That said, I’m sure that all of us in Atlanta would be fine to have him back for another season.

[some1nw]

Originally Posted by Kirobaito

Doing this would leave us without anything besides, what, Crowder at the 2 or 3? This might happen if we were signing swingmen rather than point guards. If we're trading for a center it has to come out of the point guard glut.

True. Or Mavs might as well pick JO

[adonis]

Pretty good for a backup PG

[mavs777]

The Hawks were 6 points per 100 possessions better on defense when Harris was on the floor

[Budapest Maverick]

Originally Posted by Kante

Harris as the ball handler in the P&R

Yeah, let's not do that. Devin still can't shoot. He should play the Avery Bradley role for us.

[pepe]

So Collison is gone...right?

[Budapest Maverick]

Originally Posted by pepe

So Collison is gone...right?

Definitely, no question about it. Roddy too, unfortunately. I hope Mike James as well, although i'm not sure if he is an expiring.

[purplefrog]

Good pick up. Need someone to play D on more physical PGs. I agree he can also put in some time at SG.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Thank you Devin for not making me look stupid anymore...

Oh wait, you probably won't start, but hey, it's all good.

[SeanL]

Larkin is getting traded no doubt

[Bayliss]

KAHN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sefant77]

I start to like it more and more.

Bargain if they can resurrect his career.

Helps the backcourt defense

Security for the PG spot if Larkin sucks or is a throw-in in a trade

[grndmstr_c]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

Thank you Devin for not making me look stupid anymore...

Oh wait, you probably won't start, but hey, it's all good.

With the roster as it stands right now, though, who's a better choice to start at SG?

[DisraeliGears]

Larkin's gotta be on the way out. Shoulda known Rick would never play a rookie PG.

Here's what's probably gonna happen. We got Harris, so we can sign Ellis for 7/year, S&T Larkin for Bynum so we can go over the cap to get Bynum. 76ers need a PG after dealing Jrue

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by grndmstr_c

With the roster as it stands right now, though, who's a better choice to start at SG?

That's true. And I like seeing those defensive stats. He is an excellent pnr defender indeed.

[some1nw]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

Thank you Devin for not making me look stupid anymore...

Oh wait, you probably won't start, but hey, it's all good.

lol i was just thinking about your nickname lol

[grndmstr_c]

Originally Posted by DisraeliGears

Larkin's gotta be on the way out. Shoulda known Rick would never play a rookie PG.

Here's what's probably gonna happen. We got Harris, so we can sign Ellis for 7/year, S&T Larkin for Bynum so we can go over the cap to get Bynum. 76ers need a PG after dealing Jrue

What in god's name are you talking about?

[Underdog]

Devin Harris, Mavs to reunite

link

The Dallas Mavericks have agreed to terms with guard Devin Harris on a three-year deal worth in excess of $9 million, sources told ESPN.com's Marc Stein.

The Mavs struck an agreement Saturday to bring Harris back to the team on which he began his career as the fifth pick overall in the 2004 NBA draft. The deal can't be officially signed until Wednesday, when the league lifts its annual moratorium on free-agent signings and trades.

Harris, 30, averaged 9.9 points and 3.4 assists as a part-time starter last season for the Atlanta Hawks, the third team he has played for since the Mavs made him the centerpiece of a package to acquire Jason Kidd in a blockbuster deal before the 2008 trade deadline.

The Mavs have landed two veteran point guards in the last 24 hours.

Jose Calderon, who agreed to a four-year, $29 million deal Friday night, is the projected starter at point guard. Calderon's perimeter shooting and the 6-foot-3, 192-pound Harris' ability to defend shooting guards make them a potentially compatible backcourt pair.

Harris played the first three-and-a-half seasons of his career in Dallas. The Mavs inquired about him in trade discussions with the New Jersey Nets in 2010 before he was dealt to the Utah Jazz.

The Mavs, who are cautiously pursuing injury-riddled center Andrew Bynum, have approximately $7.5 million in salary-cap space remaining, although they could create more in a variety of ways.

.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by grndmstr_c

With the roster as it stands right now, though, who's a better choice to start at SG?

I always wanted to see Devin at the 2, but JET never gave him much of a chance... This should be interesting.

[grndmstr_c]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

That's true. And I like seeing those defensive stats. He is an excellent pnr defender indeed.

Can also get to the basket and the line some (albeit not as well as he could 5 years ago), and dishes well enough that him being out there would allow the Mavs to take more frequent advantage of Calderon's ability to stretch the defense off the ball. Provides a nice complement in a lot of ways (defense/rebounding against big backcourts being a notable exception).

[DevinHarriswillstart]

You can tell with these moves that the Mavs definitely don't want to go through last season again pg-wise.

[Dirk's Knee]

Stupid move. Would much prefer to develop a couple rookies behind solid vets building a future lineup. At this rate our lineup is going to one of the oldest in the NBA and we'll be right back where we were the season after the championship. Get a damn center already...

[pepe]

If a trade is brewing two choices come to mind...Okafor and Mcgee

[mavs777]

Devin Harris had a higher PER than OJ Mayo last year, not to mention he is a better defender, and about 5 mill per year cheaper...