Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl
Free-agent guard J.J. Barea has reached an agreement in principle with the Minnesota Timberwolves on a four-year contract worth an estimated $19 million, according to sources with knowledge of the deal.
NBA.com reported that the Wolves and Barea were finalizing the deal Monday.
Barea joins Tyson Chandler and Caron Butler as prime free agents to leave the Dallas Mavericks in the wake of their championship, but Dallas has focused exclusively on acquiring players on one-year deals to preserve maximum salary-cap space for the summer of 2012.
The speedy guard from Puerto Rico drew interest from several teams, most notably the New York Knicks, after emerging as a playoff difference-maker. But none of the other suitors could match the sort of offer that the under-the-salary-cap Timberwolves could present.
Barea will join a backcourt rotation in Minnesota most notably headlined by Spanish rookie Ricky Rubio, who will make his NBA debut this season after spending the last two playing for Barcelona in his native country.
The Wolves selected Rubio with the fifth overall pick in the 2009 draft, then signed him to his first NBA contract on May 31, 2011. The Wolves also have Luke Ridnour at point guard but have long believed privately that Ridnour is easily traded when they’re ready to move him.
Barea expressed disappointment last week over the dimming prospect of returning to the Mavs.
“I wasn’t expecting it to be like this after everything we did, after my five years here, after what we did last year,” Barea said on ESPN 103.3’s Ben and Skin Show. “Now you’ve just got to go with it and things happen.”
Barea said the Mavericks had refused to offer deals that went beyond one year.
Barea had said the Mavericks’ plan to possibly sign one of the free-agent superstars expected to available next summer had not been clearly articulated to him or his agent, Dan Fegan.
“We don’t understand what’s going on with the management here in Dallas,” Barea said. “I don’t know what their plans (are). Their plan is not to bring me back, not to bring Tyson back, so we’ll see what happens.”
WRITTEN BY Marc Stein is a senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. Information from ESPNDallas.com’s Tim MacMahon was used in this report & FULL STORY HERE
Follow Marc Stein on Twitter:Â @ESPNSteinLine
