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Per the New York Times’ Marc Stein, Salah Mejri will be returning to the Dallas Mavericks on a one-year league minimum deal.
One-year league minimum deal for Salah Mejri to stay with the Mavericks, according to league sources. Dallas' desire to bring Mejri back only rose after the draft-night acquisition of his former Real Madrid teammate Luka Doncic
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 1, 2018
This will be Mejri’s fourth season in Dallas. This past season, he averaged averaged 3.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in only 12 minutes of playing time per game. Despite inconsistent playing time, Mejri consistently brings energy and tenacity off the bench. (Sometimes, a little too much so?) Dalton Trigg profiled Mejri’s season here a couple months ago.
Mejri was also a teammate of Luka Doncic, both playing for Real Madrid in the 2014-15 season. According to Stein, Mejri’s and Doncic’s familiarity playing with each other seemed to increase the Mavericks’ desire to retain him. It was unclear if the Mavs would be able to sign Mejri - they had to pull his qualifying offer in order to clear space for a potential DeAndre Jordan trade and eventual signing in free agency. But it seems that both sides came to a relatively quick agreement once the dust settled.
Regardless of how you feel about Mejri’s approach and attitude, he should continue to be a solid backup big in Dallas. Now about finding some bench wings...