Mavericks add 7-foot-5 free agent center to bolster Luka Doncic & Kyrie Irving-led lineup
The Dallas Mavericks are right in the midst of championship contention with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving leading the team. The team narrowly missed out on winning the Larry O’Brien trophy in 2023-24 after losing 4-1 to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. Thus, this offseason has been all about bringing in the necessary players to take the team over the hump in the upcoming seasons.
Senior NBA Insider for TNT and Bleacher Report, Chris Haynes, reported on Friday that Dallas had signed free agent center Jamarion Sharp. Haynes wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter:
“Undrafted free agent center Jamarion Sharp - tallest player in college at 7-5 - has reached an agreement on a one-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks, his agent Scott Nichols of @Rize_Management tells @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport.”
The 7-foot-5 center played three years of college basketball. He spent the first two years at Western Kentucky before playing for Ole Miss in 2023-24. Sharp was the tallest Division-I basketball player in the country in a season where he averaged 3.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 blocks, shooting 59.4% from the floor.
Jamarion Sharp ended his college career with averages of 6.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.7 blocks. He was a part of the Dallas Mavericks in this year’s Summer League and averaged 2.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks across five games.
While he might not be NBA ready yet, he could be seen as a work in progress as Dallas tries to overcome last season’s heartbreak.
Dallas Mavericks signed Klay Thompson in the offseason
After spending 13 seasons with the Golden State Warriors, Klay Thompson changed teams for the first time in his NBA career to sign with the Dallas Mavericks in the offseason. Dallas completed a sign-and-trade and offered Thompson a three-year, $50 million contract.
While the move must have definitely hurt the Warriors faithful, it was surely a step in the right direction for Dallas. In fact, Fadeway World’s Fran Leiva called Thompson’s sign-and-trade the best of the 2024 NBA free agency.
The Mavs struggled mightily from the 3-point line in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. Signing arguably one of the top-five 3-point shooters in the history of the game should remedy some of Dallas’ shooting woes.
Klay Thompson is a career 41.3% shooter from beyond the arc in the regular season. While the number drops slightly in the playoffs, it’s still a healthy 40.5%.