The Dallas Mavericks and free-agent center Boban Marjanovic reportedly reached an agreement on a two-year, $7 million contract.
Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic reported the deal’s details Wednesday.
Marjanovic is one of the NBA’s most effective players. His player efficiency rating (26.4) since his rookie season with the San Antonio Spurs in 2015-16 is tied with Kevin Durant for the sixth-best figure in the league among players with at least five games played, per Basketball Reference.
His size (7’3”, 290 lbs) combined with an evolved NBA that places a greater emphasis on post players who can stretch the floor over traditional centers has severely limited his playing time, though.
Marjanovic averaged 8.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists across 22 appearances after joining the Philadelphia 76ers in February trade from the Los Angeles Clippers. Those numbers are more impressive when you consider he only played 13.9 minutes per game.
On a per-36 basis, those are averages of 21.2 points and 13.3 rebounds for the 30-year-old Serbia native, who shot 62.5 percent from the field.
It’s unlikely he’ll secure a significant role as he arrives in Dallas, though. He’ll probably land behind Kristaps Porzingis, Dwight Powell and Maxi Kleber on the Mavs’ frontcourt depth chart.
Marjanovic may never play 20 minutes a night during his NBA career, but he’s shown the ability to make a positive impact in a more limited role.
So it’s a nice low-risk signing for the Mavericks, who are quietly putting together a roster that can make some noise in the loaded Western Conference if Porzingis returns to full strength from the torn ACL he suffered in February 2018 while with the New York Knicks.
Courtesy: Bleacher Report
