The Dallas Mavericks selected 22-year old power forward Ahmad Nivins with the #56 pick in the NBA Draft. Nivins played in 126 games in his 4 seasons at St. Joseph’s in which he averaged 14.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. Nivins should be able to give the Mavericks solid minutes off the bench in 2009-2010 and maybe much more down the road.

The Mavericks acquired Nick Calathes from the Timberwolves on Draft Night. Calathes played in 72 games in two seasons at Florida and he averaged 16.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game. He could back up and learn from Jason Kidd if the Mavericks bring him back. This was a solid move for the Mavericks.

The Mavericks acquired 21-year old shooting guard Rodrique Beaubois last night in a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Beaubois is strictly a offensive minded player. He played in 54 games in three seasons in France and he averaged 7.5 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Beaubois did shoot 58.8% from the floor in France but he will be a longshot to play a lot of minutes as a rookie as he appears to have a lot to learn yet.

The Dallas Mavericks have brought back center DeSagana Diop on a five year contract. Diop was part of the Jason Kidd trade with the Nets last season. The 26-year old Diop is a defensive stopper and a good rebounder but that’s about it. Don’t expect him to do anything on offense. Diop played in 79 games (23 starts) for the Nets & Mavericks this season and he has averaged 16.4 minutes, 2.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 1.1 blocked shots per game. Diop has now played in 434 games (82 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 14.7 minutes, 2.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 1.1 blocked shots per game. Look for Diop to do a decent job for the Mavericks this season.

The Mavericks have signed G/F Gerald Green to a 1-year contract that will become official on July 9th. He’s more known as a dunk artist than a basketball player and that will need to change if he wants to get off the bench in Dallas. The 22-year old, 6′8″, 200 pound Green can handle either the shooting guard or small forward position. Green played in 30 games (0 starts) last season with the Timberwolves & Rockets and he averaged 12.1 minutes, 5.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. Green has now played in 143 games (29 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 17.6 minutes, 8.1 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. This was a nice low risk/high reward signing for the Mavericks.