Addressing the perennial need for shooting, the Mavericks officially signed Seth Curry on Wednesday, bringing back the 6-3 marksman after he spent last season with Portland.
Curry, the younger brother of two-time MVP Steph Curry of Golden State, averaged 7.9 points last season with the Blazers, connecting on 45 percent of his 3-point attempts. Three seasons ago with the Mavericks, Seth Curry moved into the starting lineup with the Mavericks in January and ended up averaging 12.8 points while shooting 42.5 percent from 3-point range.
He missed all of the 2017-18 season with a leg injury that eventually required surgery.
The Mavericks made Curry one of their targets during free agency after he returned from the lost season with a quality showing as the Blazers offensive spark off the bench. He played a significant role in helping Portland reach the Western Conference finals, where the Blazers lost to Golden State and Curry’s brother.
Curry, who turns 29 in August, has played parts of five seasons with six different NBA teams. He had by far his most productive – and healthiest – stint with the Mavericks in 2016-17. He hit 137 of 322 3-pointers and also averaged 2.7 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game.
After moving into the starting lineup, he averaged 15.4 points and shot 44.9 percent in 36 games. One of Curry’s best games that season came in a four-point win at San Antonio when he had 24 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
That game started the Mavericks on a four-game winning streak in which they also beat LeBron James and Cleveland won at Portland.
The Mavericks had high hopes in 2017-18 of pairing Curry with incoming rookie point guard Dennis Smith Jr., but Curry suffered a leg injury in training camp and the healing process eventually required surgery later in the season.
He signed with Portland last summer and played a career-best 74 games with the Blazers, all but two of them coming off the bench. That show of durability helped re-establish his marketability and was why the Mavericks invested in a multiyear deal for Curry. Terms were not disclosed.
The Mavericks will use training camp to determine how best to utilize Curry, but he played about 19 minutes per game off the bench for the Blazers and that seems to be a role that he can both handle physically and flourish in.
Curry was a well-liked teammate and his locker-room presence has always been a positive one.
“When he played here, he was good for us,” said 13-year NBA veteran J.J. Barea. “He gets better every year and his shooting is something every team needs. He had a good year last season so hopefully he gets even better with us.”
The Mavericks open training camp in late September.
Below is the official release from the team:
DALLAS—The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have signed free agent guard Seth Curry. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Curry (6-2, 185) signs with Dallas after spending the 2018-19 season with the Portland Trail Blazers where he averaged 7.9 points, 1.6 rebounds and 18.9 minutes in 74 games (2 starts). Curry ranked third in the NBA in three-point shooting, finishing the season at .450 from behind-the-arc and competing in the Three-Point Contest at All Star Weekend in Charlotte. He also shot .456 from the field and .846 from the foul line while helping Portland reach the Western Conference Finals.
The signing marks Curry’s second stint with the Mavericks. He signed with Dallas as a free agent on July 15, 2016, and averaged a career-high 12.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 70 games (42 starts) while shooting .481 from the field, .425 from three-point range and .850 from the free throw line. In his second year in Dallas, Curry did not see the floor for the entire 2017-18 season due to a stress injury to his left tibia that eventually required season-ending surgery.
After going undrafted in the 2013 NBA Draft, Curry was acquired by the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA Development League and scored 36 points in his D-League debut. On Dec. 24, 2013, Curry was signed by the Memphis Grizzlies and made his NBA debut. He was waived by Memphis on Jan. 4, 2014 before returning to Santa Cruz where he went on to average 19.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists in 38 games (37 starts) and be named D-League All-Star and All-NBA D-League Third Team. The following season, Curry averaged 23.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 43 games (42 starts) with the Erie BayHawks of the D-League. He again garnered D-League All-Star honors as well as being named 2015 All-NBA D-League First Team.
Curry began his collegiate career at Liberty University before transferring to Duke after his freshman campaign. In three seasons with the Blue Devils, he played in 106 games (86 starts). During his senior season, Curry started all 35 games and averaged 17.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 32.3 minutes on his way to First Team All-ACC and Second Team All-American honors.
The native of Charlotte, Curry is the son of Dell, a 16-year NBA veteran, and the brother of Golden State’s Stephen Curry. Like his father, his brother and his previous season in Dallas, he will wear number 30 for the Mavericks.
Twitter: @ESefko
Share and comment