The Dallas Mavericks have acquired 26-year old shooting guard Rudy Fernandez along with the rights to SG/PG Petteri Koponen, who was drafted by the Blazers in 2007 for essentially both of the Mavericks’ draft picks.  Those picks were forward Jordan Hamilton out of Texas (he was dealt to the Denver Nuggets) and forward Tanguy Ngombo (he was dealt to the Blazers).  Fernandez played in 78 games (3 starts) for the Trailblazers last year and he averaged 23.3 minutes, 8.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game.  He has now played in 218 games (9 starts) in his first three years in the NBA and he averaged 24.1 minutes, 9.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  This was a good deal for the Mavericks as Fernandez should be able to help them right away, while Hamilton and Ngombo were going to take a little while to be ready to help the team.  As part of this deal, the Blazers dealt a future second round pick to the Nuggets along with point guard Andre Miller for point guard Raymond Felton.

The Dallas Mavericks have signed 24-year old SG/SF Corey Brewer to a 3-year contract.  Brewer played in 56 games (22 starts) earlier this season for the Timberwolves and he averaged 24.3 minutes, 8.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game.  Brewer has now played in 232 games (147 starts) in his first four years in the NBA and he is averaging 25.7 minutes, 9.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game.  Brewer is a solid defensive player and that is why the Mavericks wanted him.  They also wanted to block some of the other playoff bound teams like the Celtics from getting their hands on Brewer.  I like this pickup for the Mavericks.

The Mavericks have released 27-year old small forward Sasha Pavlovic.  Pavlovic played in 10 games (6 starts) for the Mavericks last season and he averaged 16.3 minutes, 4.1 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  The Mavericks released Pavlovic so they wouldn’t have to pay him for the rest of the season.  Peja Stojakovic is almost ready to start playing for the Mavericks and that was also a consideration when they were thinking about keeping or letting Pavlovic go.

The Mavericks have dealt 22-year old center Alexis Ajinca, a future 2nd round pick and cash considerations to the Toronto Raptors for the draft rights to 25-year old SF/PF Giorgos Printezis.  Ajinca played in 10 games (2 starts) for the Mavericks this year and he averaged 7.5 minutes, 2.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game.  This deal was just made so that the Mavericks were enough under the salary cap to sign Peja Stojakovic.  Printezis was a 2nd round pick (#58 overall) of the San Antonio Spurs way back in 2007.  He is playing overseas in Europe right now.

The Mavericks have signed 33-year old small forward Peja Stojakovic.  Stojakovic played in 8 games (0 starts) for the Raptors & Hornets earlier this year and he averaged 13.9 minutes, 8.1 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.  He is still shooting the lights out as he is hitting 48.4% from three point range (15 of 31).  Stojakovic has now played in 779 games (652 starts) in his NFL career and he is averaging 34.0 minutes, 17.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.  This was a good signing for the Mavericks who need help at small forward with Caron Butler out for the year.

The Dallas Mavericks have signed 27-year old shooting guard Sasha Pavlovic to a 10-day contract.  Pavlovic played in 71 games (0 starts) for the T-Wolves last season and he averaged 12.4 minutes, 3.7 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.  Pavlovic has now played in 452 games (127 starts) in his first 7 years in the NBA and he is averaging 16.5 minutes, 5.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game.  Pavlovic brings a lot of energy to the court and he might be able to help the Mavericks off the bench.

The Dallas Mavericks have released 27-year old small forward Steve Novak.  Novak played in 7 games (0 starts) for the Mavericks this year and he was averaging 2.6 minutes, 1.6 points and 0.7 rebounds per game.  This is no big loss for the Mavericks as they are deep enough without Novak around.

The Mavericks have signed 26-year old guard Dee Brown and Adam Haluska. Brown played played in 2008-2009 with the Suns & Wizards. Brown has played in 68 games (11 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 10.5 minutes, 2.1 points, 1.0 rebound and 1.8 assists per game. But, Brown is only a 34% shooter from the floor so he will likely have a hard time making the team. Adam Haluska last played pro ball in the U.S. in 2007-08 in the D-League with the Iowa Energy. Haluska played in 11 games (all starts) that season and he averaged 38.5 minutes, 18.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. Brown & Haluska are both big longshots to make the Mavericks this year.

The Mavericks have signed 33-year old small forward Brian Cardinal. Cardinal played in 29 games (0 starts) for the T-Wolves last year and he averaged 9.2 minutes, 1.7 points, 1.0 rebound and 0.8 assists per game. He has played in 356 games (33 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 15.7 minutes, 5.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Cardinal has been a decent outside shooter in this NBA career as he has knocked down 36.9% of his shots from three point range and that’s likely why the Mavericks signed him.

The Mavericks have invited 27-year old small forward Steve Novak to training camp. Novak played in 54 games (0 starts) for the Clippers last year and he averaged 10.1 minutes, 2.1 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game. He has now played in 195 games (4 starts) in his four years in the NBA and he has averaged 10.1 minutes, 4.1 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. Novak’s main skill is his long distance shooting as he has connected on 40.3% from three point range. If he makes the team he will be sitting on the very end of the bench.