Sports
NBA Rumors: JaVale McGee to Sign Kings Contract After Being Waived by Mavericks – Bleacher Report
Veteran center JaVale McGee was not a free agent for long.
Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report reported Thursday that McGee will sign with the Sacramento Kings, two days after he was waived by the Dallas Mavericks.
The Mavs signed McGee to a three-year contract as a projected starter last year, but the 15-season NBA veteran fell out of the Dallas starting rotation in November.
McGee likely won’t be starting in Sacramento, but he could be competing with Alex Len and Nerlens Noel for minutes behind Domantas Sabonis.
That battle could potentially result in the big man seeing more time on the court in his age-36 season than the career-low 8.5 minutes per night he was seeing as he moved in and out of the lineup in Dallas.
In that limited playing time through 42 games, McGee saw his numbers drop to 4.4 points and 2.5 rebounds per night last season.
Prior to earning a three-year deal with the Mavericks, McGee had put up 9.2 points per night in 74 regular-season appearances with the Phoenix Suns during the 2021-22 campaign.
McGee had $11.7 million remaining on his Mavericks deal when he was waived. He will still be paid that out over the next five years according to the NBA’s stretch provision, per Spotrac.
The day the Mavericks waived McGee, Haynes reported that the Kings had immediate interest in signing him as a free agent.
Having just snapped their 16-season playoff drought, the Kings are apparently looking to bolster center depth with a player boasting postseason experience. McGee, who was a member of two title-winning Golden State Warriors teams and a championship Los Angeles Lakers squad, fits the bill.
McGee’s mother also played professionally in Sacramento. Pamela McGee, the No. 2 pick in the 1997 WNBA draft and member of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, spent her rookie season with the Sacramento Monarchs.
