Jermaine O’Neal looked like he was hanging up his sneakers entering the 2014-15 season. But the chance to join a loaded Dallas Mavericks team could convince the big man to make a comeback.
O’Neal is “highly intrigued” about the possibility of signing with the Mavericks after the team acquired point guard Rajon Rondo in a trade with the Boston Celtics on Thursday night, sources told ESPN.com on Saturday.
Dallas has a need for a player like O’Neal after shipping center Brandan Wright to Boston in the Rondo deal. Wright had been playing well in a backup role to starter Tyson Chandler, averaging 8.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game while playing 18.7 minutes per game.
O’Neal is expected to make a decision by early 2015 about whether he’ll play this season but now could decide sooner, according to ESPN. The network reports that the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers also are interested in signing the 36-year-old.
If O’Neal does decide to play, Dallas appears to be the front-runner. He has an offseason home in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and spent the peak years of his career playing for current Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle on the Indiana Pacers. The big man also played with Rondo for two seasons in Boston from 2010 to 2012.
“He’s had a terrific career,” Carlisle told reporters Friday, via ESPN.com. “He had a real solid year last year for Golden State despite having some injury issues. I have not talked to him yet myself. It’s a possibility, but I don’t want to jump the gun out of respect to him and his family. So we’ll see. It’s certainly one option.”
Thumbnail photo via Rick Osentoski/USA TODAY Sports Images
