DALLAS – Not long after putting pen to paper on a reported one-year, $5 million contract on Monday for 13-time All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki, the Dallas Mavericks continued their wheeling and dealing ways.
Early Monday evening, the Mavs signed a pair of players in two separate transactions. First, the Mavs acquired the rights to forward Maarty Leunen and cash considerations from the Los Angeles Clippers for forward Johnathan Motley and the rights to guard Renaldas Seibutis.
Shortly thereafter, the Mavs signed guard/forward Ding Yanyuhang (6-7, 205) to a contract. Ding, who played for the Mavs’ summer league teams in Orlando and Las Vegas last year, averaged 26 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.6 steals for China’s Shandong Golden Stars this past season.
Chosen by the Houston Rockets in the second round (54th overall) of the 2008 NBA Draft, Leunen spent the last 10 seasons playing in Turley, Italy and Germany. In 34 games last year for Italy’s S.S. Felice Scandone, the 6-9, 220-pounder averaged 7.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists.
The Clippers had acquired Leunen’s draft rights from the Rockets on Jan, 22, 2016 in exchange for Josh Smith, the draft rights to Serhiy Lishchuk and cash considerations.
Meanwhile, Seibutis has been playing overseas since 2002 and was the 50th overall pick by the Mavs in the 2007 NBA Draft. The 6-5, 180-pound shooting guard played this past season for Spain’s Basket Zaragoza.
Elsewhere, Motley — he was one of Dallas’ two two-way players — went undrafted out of Baylor last year and flourished with the Mavs and in the G-League with the Texas Legends. In 49 minutes recently while playing in only two of the Mavs’ five summer league games in Las Vegas, Motley scored 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
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