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ESPN: Latest Best Guess of what is heading to Dallas
The deal, according to sources, calls for the Mavericks to acquire Marion and Kris Humphries from Toronto and Greg Buckner from Memphis, with Marion to receive a five-year contract worth an estimated $39 million. Buckner has had two previous stints with the Mavericks but is likely to be released, sources said.
What grabbing Shawn Marion could mean to Dallas - Ball Don't Lie
This team obviously fancies itself a tinker or two away from re-joining the elite of their conference, two years removed from posting the NBA's best record. With all this money tossed around, will it make a difference? It should. Bringing in Marcin Gortat(notes), an above-average player who will only get better, is a sweet deal for an average salary. Retaining Kidd is fine, though he'll be slightly overpaid in the last two years of his three-year, $25 million dollar deal. And Marion can really help this squad.
DB.com Morning Donuts
So did the Mavs do a deal worthy of passing on Shaq, Jefferson and Carter? The best of that lot, for the Mavs' needs, is Jefferson. He's going to make $14.2 million. We're predicting Shawn Marion's new contract will start at $7 million or so. Are RJ and Shawn comparable talents? I would say so.
David Lord's Technical Morning Donuts
Buckner has an instant expiring contract (Stack-like) and he will definitely get waived later this year. The Mavs might use it themselves, but don't be surprised if they picked up his chip to include in a package later with a team needing financial relief. Buckner instant expiring deadline isn't until 11/30.
D Magazine: The Mavericks’ Summer Plan Unfolds
He is 31 years old. As someone who has gone to great lengths to suggest that our basketball team is becoming very old, I would likely be a hypocrite if I didn’t see this as another "older" addition. On the other hand, if you were going to get someone over 30, I would imagine a human jumping-jack like Marion will appear a bit younger than he is when he is going right. He plays above the rim. He will not be 32 until next May. If you are playing in a 3-year window, you are getting his 31, 32, and 33-year old seasons for this run (and 34 and 35, too). Not a horrible gamble, but it is worth noting that the Mavs have just added more "experience".
Eddie Sefko: Dallas Mavericks trade for Marion
The Mavericks now have a potential starting lineup of Marcin Gortat, Dirk Nowitzki, Marion, Josh Howard and Jason Kidd, with sixth man of the year Jason Terry coming off the bench. Marion, 31, has been on the decline the last few seasons but has averaged 17.8 points and 9.9 rebounds in his career. He had a strong second half last season after getting traded from Miami to Toronto, averaging 16 points and 9.3 rebounds in April.
Tim Cowlishaw: Marion makes Dallas Mavericks worthwhile
Are the Mavericks ready to dethrone the Lakers in the West? I don't think you can say that about any team. On paper, are they a better team than the one that advanced to the second round in May and are they a more intriguing team to watch in 2009-10? By a mile.
John Hollinger: Four-way trade puts Dallas Mavericks back in West's elite
It's all about prying the window open as long as you can. And with this week's moves to re-up Jason Kidd, sign Marcin Gortat to an offer sheet and acquire Shawn Marion in a four-team deal, the Mavs are doing all they can to keep it from slamming shut while Dirk Nowitzki is still an elite player.
...That said, this could all go to hell amazingly fast. On opening day, Kidd will be 36, Dampier 34, Terry 32, Nowitzki 31 and Marion 30; Howard also turns 30 in April. Of their top seven players, only Gortat, 25, could be described as in his prime, but he has the opposite problem: He's so untested that there's still some uncertainty surrounding how he'll perform as a 30-minute starter.
On the other hand, based on last season's performance, this team looks like a real danger to the West's elite. Dallas boasts eight players who had a PER above the league average last season -- nine if Bass re-signs -- and one of them is a genuine star in Nowitzki.
Mark Cuban, Mavericks choose to reload, not rebuild - Scott Howard-Cooper - SI.com
The Mavs believe they've got something special in a veteran team that was only three games from missing the playoffs. How else to explain three years for the 36-year-old Kidd? Only a team in win-now mode makes that investment. "It's hard to say what we would have done [if the finish had not been as encouraging]," owner Mark Cuban said. "We take the same approach every summer. We try to be opportunistic. If we get players we think can make us successful, we are going to do it."
NBA.com: Mavs, Raptors make big push to improve themselves
The Mavs could afford to let Wright go after signing defensive specialist Quinton Ross on Wednesday. Overall, Dallas has added depth, defense and speed. They're pretty stacked with talent as well, led by the former MVP Nowitzki. Among Western Conference contenders, only L.A. and San Antonio are surer bets to be a top-four seed in April.
Doug Smith's Toronto Raptors blog
Yes, this is the single greatest masterstroke achieved by a Raptors general manager in the time I’ve been covering the team, which is as long as the team has been in existence. Bryan got the free agent he wanted – Turkoglu – at the number he wanted him at. He got two guys who are if not serviceable – and I don’t know about Wright but I bet he’s got a shot at doing something there – have contracts that expire at the end of this season so they do not interfere with any salary machinations next summer.