The Mavericks and Devin Harris had agreed upon a three-year deal in the neighborhood of $9 million that would return the guard to the team that traded him away in the deal that brought Jason Kidd to Dallas back in 2008. An injury that Harris is dealing with that will now require surgery, however, has made both parties decide to call things off for now, though it’s possible that they may re-visit the situation in the future. Read more after the jump.
From Marc Stein of ESPN.com:
The Dallas Mavericks have been forced to amend their plan to bring back former Mavericks stalwart Devin Harris after X-rays unexpectedly revealed that Harris has a dislocated toe on his left foot, according to sources close to the situation.
The Mavericks remain interested in signing Harris, sources said, but the parties have mutually agreed to shelve the three-year deal worth in excess of $9 million that Harris agreed to over the weekend and was poised to sign this week.
Sources told ESPN.com that Harris is now likely to have surgery on toe by month’s end to put him in line for a return to the court by the start of the NBA’s regular season.
This is the second guard the Mavs have technically lost due to injury. The team’s first round draft pick, Shane Larkin, suffered a broken ankle at a Summer League practice, and is expected to miss two-three months.
With the money they were going to spend on Harris, Dallas is expected to pursue free agent big manSamuel Dalembert, whom the team met with on Thursday.
Harris averaged 9.9 points and 3.4 assists in 24.5 minutes per game last season with the Atlanta Hawks. After learning of the injury news, the Mavericks agreed to a three-year deal with Monta Ellis.
