J.J. Barea to Play for Spain’s Estudiantes Team

J.J. Barea is heading to España.

The 36-year-old Puerto Rican professional basketball player, a former Dallas Mavericks guard, has signed a contract to play in Spain’s top division with Estudiantes, the Madrid-based club has announced.

J.J. Barea

Barea played for the Mavericks for 11 seasons, helping the team win the NBA title in 2011. The Mavericks released him in December.

 

Barea played 14 NBA seasons, including three with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and averaged 8.9 points and 3.9 assists in 831 games. 

He’s signed through the end of the season, Estudiantes said. He’s scheduled to arrive in Madrid this week to start training.

Barea told Spanish sports daily Marca in 2011 that his father’s family came from a village in northern Spain.

J.J. Barea Re-Signs with Dallas Mavericks

J.J. Barea is still a maverick

The 36-year-old Puerto Rican professional basketball player and NBA point guard has agreed to re-sign with the Dallas Mavericks on a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum of $2.6 million, according to ESPN.

JJ Barea Dallas Mavericks

With Barea’s return, the Mavericks anticipate entering training camp with 16 players on guaranteed contracts, one over the regular-season roster limit. Dallas plans to have competition for the final roster spots in camp.

Barea has spent 11 of his 14 NBA seasons with the Mavericks, playing a key role on the 2010-11 championship team. He played a limited role last season after returning from a ruptured Achilles, averaging 7.7 points and 3.9 assists in 29 games, but provides valuable leadership in the locker room and has an especially strong relationship with superstar Luka Doncic.

The 5-foot-10 Barea, who first made the Mavs as an undrafted rookie, has career averages of 8.9 points and 3.9 assists per game. He has coaching ambitions after his playing career ends.

Barea Agrees to Four-Year, $16 Million Deal with the Dallas Mavericks

J.J. Barea has landed a Maverick deal… 

The 31-year-old Puerto Rican professional basketball player has signed a four-year, $16 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks.

J.J. Barea

Barea had originally agreed to sign a two-year, $5.7 million deal, which would have given him Dallas’ cap-room exception, but both sides negotiated a new deal after center DeAndre Jordan backed out of his commitment to sign a max contract with the Mavs.

“They knew I wanted to be there for a long time,” Barea told ESPN.com. “They wanted me there for a long time, so we made it happen.”

Barea, who has averaged 8.2 points and 3.4 assists during his nine-year career,

Was a key contributor to the Mavericks’ 2010-11 championship team. He returned to Dallas in the fall after being bought out from the Minnesota Timberwolves for the final season of his four-year, $18 million deal.

He spent the first five seasons of his career with the Mavs after breaking into the league as an undrafted free agent, was an effective fourth guard in his second Dallas stint. He averaged 7.5 points and 3.4 assists in 17.7 minutes per game last season. His assist-turnover ratio (3.78-1) ranked behind only the Los Angeles Clippers‘ Chris Paul and the Denver Nuggets‘ Ty Lawson among league leaders.

Barea to Play for the Timberwolves?

Well, shiver me timbers! J.J. Barea could be playing ball for the Minnesota Timberwolves next season, according to multiple reports.

The 27-year-old Puerto Rican basketball star—who helped lead the Dallas Mavericks to the 2011 NBA title this summer— has been offered a four-year contract valued at $19 million by Minnesota, according to ESPN.

JJ Barea Dallas Mavericks

Barea had been pursued by the New York Knicks, but the team just couldn’t make Barea a more competitive offer after dipping under the salary cap to deal for Barea’s former teammate Tyson Chandler. NBA.com sources reported the Knicks offered him a two-year deal.

Meanwhile, Barea’s team since 2006, the Mavericks, only pitched him a one-year deal.

Barea was an important contributor in the Mavericks’ run to the NBA title, especially in the team’s Western Conference Semifinals sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers, where he averaged 11.5 points and 5.5 assists and shot 50-percent from the field.