Mavericks close to signing Mahinmi

According to the Star-Telegram.com, the Dallas Mavericks are close to signing San Antonio Spurs’ free-agent, Ian Mahinmi:

The Dallas Mavericks are close to signing former San Antonio Spurs center Ian Mahinmi, NBA sources said Sunday.

Mahinmi, 25, is a 6-foot-11 Frenchman who played 26 games for the Spurs last season and is an unrestricted free agent. He averaged 3.9 points and two rebounds in six minutes per game. Several NBA sources said he’s ready to make a significant improvement.

With the Spurs re-signing Matt Bonner and Brazilian center, Tiago Splitter, coming to the team, not to mention other big-men such as Tim Duncan, DeJuan Blair and Antonio McDyess on the roster, Mahinmi seems to be the odd big-man out.

Also, Mahinmi never could get on time on the court whether it be due to injuries or simply falling out of the rotation. Perhaps now he will be able to get significant time on the floor and show what he can do.

 UPDATE:

According to ESPN, the Mavericks and Mahinmi have agreed to a two-year deal:

The Dallas Mavericks, seeking youth and front-line help, have agreed in principle to a two-year deal with 6-foot-11 project Ian Mahinmi, a source with knowledge of the team said Monday.

Mahinmi, 23, averaged 3.9 points and 2.0 rebounds in 26 games for the San Antonio Spurs last season. The French center played briefly in two games against the Mavericks in their first-round playoff series. According to the source, the deal is believed to be for the bi-annual exception of about $2 million per season. The second year is a team option.