Harris’ future with Mavericks uncertain
DALLAS—With his future in Dallas clouded with uncertainties, Devin Harris realizes he might have played his last game with the Mavericks.
But the veteran guard doesn’t want to listen to his gut to get any signs on whether or not he’ll have to pack his bags and play elsewhere next season.
“I tend to not follow my gut, because once you think one thing ... it’s been pretty spoton,” Harris said. “Obviously, the first time I left here (in 2008) was very hard.
“My heart was into (remaining with the Mavericks), this is where I wanted to be, but like I said sometimes the business gets the best of you. So I’ll let the chips fall where they may and try to make the decision possible with the information that I have.”
The Mavericks own a team option on Harris that will pay him $4.4 million next season. Whether they plan to pick up that option and bring him back next season or simply allow him to become a free agent on July 1, they haven’t publicly stated.
“I don’t know at this time exactly what management’s view is,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “I’m the coach.
“Devin has been one of the great soldiers that I’ve had here in this organization and in this locker room, fighting for this team.”
Harris, 34, said management hasn’t given him any assurances that they plan to bring him back next season.
“Obviously, it’s a team option,” he said. “The ball is in their court, but they haven’t given me any indication.
“I think going into the summer, the draft and free agency kind of plays a part first (as far as what the Mavericks’ top priorities are). And we’ll kind of see where it is from there.”
Harris has been down this road a few times with the Mavericks. The 6-foot3, 185-pounder played his first threeand-a-half seasons in the NBA for the Mavericks before they traded him to the New Jersey Nets on Feb. 19, 2008 in a blockbuster deal that brought Jason Kidd back to Dallas.
Then in the summer of 2013, Harris verbally agreed to sign a three-year, $9 million free agent contract to return to the Mavericks. But the deal was rescinded when the Mavericks discovered Harris needed toe surgery.
Nevertheless, the Mavericks eventually restructured Harris’ contract later that summer and signed him to a one-year, $1.3 million deal. However, that actually worked in Harris’ favor, because he inked a four-year, $16.5 million contract—the fourth year was a team option—on July 17, 2014.
Still, with the Mavericks on this youth movement, they could possibly either draft a point guard or acquire a young one via free agency. And with guards Yogi Ferrell, Seth Curry, J.J. Barea and Wesley Matthews already under contract, and with the team expected to pick up the modest $905,249 team option on Nicolas Brussino’s contract, there might not be any room on their roster to accommodate Harris.
“Obviously, I’d like him to stay here healthy as long as he can,” Carlisle said. “He’s playing at such a high level.
“Some of that will be determined by other things. Right now, it’s just impossible to know.”
The operative word in Carlisle’s previous remark is healthy, and the ability of Harris to remain healthy enough so he can be a viable asset. Harris sprained his right big toe last Oct. 21 in the preseason finale at Denver, and that ultimately put this season in jeopardy for the 13-year veteran.
“For me, this year was just a blessing,” Harris said. “Early in the year, I was initially told I was going to miss the season.
“I was supposed to have surgery— another foot injury—but I was able to kind of rest it and it healed on its own. So just to be able to get out there and be productive was just great for me, personally.”
Harris wound up missing the first 16 games this season. But once he got his bearings, he finished the season averaging 6.7 points and 2.1 assists in just 16.7 minutes per game.
That includes being even more productive over the final 23 games of the season when he averaged 7.8 points and 2.6 assists in 16.6 minutes per outing.
“I think the last month or so—or two months—when I’ve been healthy, I’ve kind of shown what I’m capable of doing,” Harris said. “At this point, I just kind of let the chips fall where they may and see what happens.
“But just going (in the offseason) healthy and knowing what I need to do and kind of building on the season that I had, I think is important.”