While the rest of the NBA is focused on figuring out a way to sign LeBron James and/or Dwyane Wade, the Dallas Mavericks are concentrating on getting better in a less flashy manner.
The Mavericks, who won the Southwest Division with a 55-27 record before being ousted by the Spurs in the first round of the playoffs last year, are pursuing a sign-and-trade deal for Atlanta Hawks guard Joe Johnson, according to Yahoo Sports.
While Johnson might not be the all-world player that James or Wade is, he’s certainly no slouch. The four-time All-Star averaged over 21 points per game for the Hawks last year, pulling down over four rebounds and four assists per contest as well.
The Hawks offered Johnson a four-year, $60 million deal before the season, but the shooting guard turned it down.
Sources say the two most likely sign-and-trade scenarios for Johnson are the Mavericks and the New York Knicks, but sources say that Johnson won’t go to the Knicks unless he’s one of two stars to sign in New York this offseason.
"New York is far from his first option," one source told Yahoo Sports.
Signing with Dallas allows Johnson to play with perennial All-Star Dirk Nowitzki, who is a free agent but is expected to re-sign with the Mavs.
The Mavericks, led by enthusiastic owner Mark Cuban, are always in contention to win the NBA championship but never seem to have the right pieces in place to get the job done.
Adding Johnson, a tremendous wing player who can run the floor and hit just about any kind of jump shot, could put Dallas over the top.
