The Mavericks have acquired 33-year old forward Eduardo Najera from the Nets for 24-year old forward Kris Humphries and 23-year old small forward Shawne Williams. Najera played in 13 games (2 starts) for the Nets this season and he averaged 15.7 minutes, 3.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. He has now played in 533 games (82 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 18.9 minutes, 5.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. Najera is back to where he started his NBA career as he played for the Mavericks from 2000-2004. Kris Humphries played in 25 games (0 starts) for the Mavericks this season and he averaged 12.6 minutes, 5.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. Mavericks’ coaches were upset with Humphries who sometimes runs the wrong plays. Shawne Williams has not played in any games this season for the Mavericks. Last year he played in 15 games (0 starts) for the Mavericks in which he averaged 11.3 minutes, 2.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game on only 28.6% shooting from the floor. The Mavericks are really happy with this trade as it gets rid of a couple of problems while bringing in a player they have always liked.

The Dallas Mavericks have released veteran center Jake Voskuhl. I’ll admit I was a tad surprised when Voskuhl accepted a training camp invite from a team that was so loaded in the frontcourt. He had to know that he wasn’t going to make the team unless the Mavericks suffered some injuries. Voskuhl will likely hook on with another team this season but the Mavericks won’t miss him due to the depth they already have at the positions that he plays.

The Mavericks have traded 23-year old center Nathan Jawai to the Timberwolves for a future 2nd round pick in the NBA Draft. Jawai was going to play in the D-League for the Mavericks this season as he was buried on the depth chart. This was a good move for everyone involved as a 2nd round pick might be more valuable than Jawai. It gives Jawai a chance to play in the NBA and show what he can do as the T-Wovles have a lot of injuries in the frontcourt.

The Mavericks have added 31-year old center Jake Voskuhl to their training camp roster. Voskuhl played in 38 games (1 start) with the Raptors last season and he averaged 6.3 minutes, 0.9 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. He has now played in 450 games (93 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 14.3 minutes, 4.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. Even if Voskuhl makes the Mavericks’ roster he will be buried on the depth chart.

The Mavericks re-signed 36-year old point guard Jason Kidd over the off-season and it was a smart move for them. No one plays harder at both ends of the court than Kidd does. He’s a good shooter, rebounder, defender and passer. Kidd played in 81 games for the Mavericks last season and he averaged 35.6 minutes, 9.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 8.7 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Look for the Mavericks to possibly cut his minutes down a little bit this season. That’s because Jose Juan Barea has stepped up behind Kidd. Barea played in 79 games for the Mavericks last season and he averaged 20.3 minutes, 7.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. Jason Terry could also get some minutes at the point but he’s more of a shooting guard.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE POINT GUARDS IN 2009-2010: A-

James Singleton was a solid and versatile role player for the Mavericks last season as the forward played in 62 games (started six) and averaged 5.1 PPG, 4 RPG, 0.5 BPG, in only 14 minutes per game.   Singleton was a restricted free-agent and shopped himself around before deciding Dallas is the place where he wants to stay.  The Mavericks also dropped guard Greg Buckner.

The Dallas Mavericks have been one of he busiest teams in the NBA and they have really improved their roster. First off, the Mavericks re-signed point guard Jason Kidd and DeSagana Diop in two sound moves by the Mavericks. The Mavericks then pulled off a huge trade to net them new starting forward Shawn Marion who should fit right in with the Mavericks who want to run more this season. F/C Drew Gooden was signed as a free agent and he might get most of his minutes at center. He will bring toughness and rebounding to the Mavericks. Tim Thomas was signed as a free agent to bring some long range shooting off the bench. SG Quinton Ross and SG/SF Gerald Green were both signed as free agents to help the Mavericks off the bench. SG Greg Bucker, PF Kris Humphries and C Nathan Jawai were brought in through trades and they will all compete for bench spots this season. The draft brought SG Rodrique Beaubois, PG Nick Calathes and PF Ahmad Nivins to the Mavericks but they will all have a hard time getting much playing time as rookies. The players the Mavericks have lost won’t cause them to miss any sleep. PF Brandon Bass signed with the Magic and he’s the only player of this bunch the Mavericks probably wanted to keep. Jerry Stackhouse, Antoine Wright, Devean George and Ryan Hollins all were moved in trades.

OFF-SEASON GRADE FOR THE FRONT OFFICE SO FAR: A

The Mavericks have signed 31-year old forward Tim Thomas to a 1-year deal. Thomas played in 64 games (6 starts) for the Bulls, Knicks and Clippers last season in which he averaged 19.5 minutes, 8.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. He has now played in 806 games (407 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 26.1 minutes, 11.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. This was a good move for the Mavericks as Thomas should provide some offense off the bench.

The Mavericks have signed 27-year old power forward Drew Gooden to a 1-year, $4.5 million dollar deal. Gooden played in 51 games (28 starts) for the Kings, Bulls and Spurs last season in which he averaged 24.8 minutes, 11.9 points, 7.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. The much traveled Gooden will likely play quite a bit at power forward or center when the Mavericks decide to go small and run the court. Gooden has now played in 510 games (396 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 28.1 minutes, 12.0 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. This was a good signing for the Mavericks as Gooden is a good basketball player.

The Mavericks have re-signed 36-year old point guard Jason Kidd to a 3-year deal. Kidd played in 81 games (all starts) last season for the Mavericks and he averaged 35.6 minutes, 9.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 8.7 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Kidd is still a good shooter as evidenced by his 40.6% shooting from three point range last season. The Mavericks would probably like it if Kidd looked for his own shot more but that’s nitpicking. It was very smart to re-sign Kidd to run the offense despite his advancing age. Kidd has now played in 1,107 games (1,094 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 37.2 minutes, 13.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game.