DALLAS — Third time’s the charm for Seth Curry in Dallas?
The Mavericks hope so.
Brooklyn Nets free agent Curry, 32, has verbally agreed to a two-year deal with the Mavericks, a person familiar with the negotiations confirmed Friday.
NBA rules prohibit teams and players from officially signing and announcing new contracts until the free agency moratorium lifts July 6.
The deal will return the sharp-shooting guard to Dallas, where he has a home in the offseason, for a third time.
Curry first signed a two-year, $5.9 million contract with the Mavericks in 2016 and shot 42.5% from 3, averaging 12.8 points per game, as a part-time starter. He sat out the entire second year of the deal with a left tibia injury.
Curry then returned in 2019 on a four-year, $32 million deal, but the Mavericks’ previous front-office regime traded him to the Philadelphia 76ers after the first season in a swap for 3-and-D addition Josh Richardson.
In two full seasons in Dallas, he shot a combined 43.8% from 3 across 134 games. During his second stint, Curry capitalized on open 3-point opportunities — 45.2% on five attempts per game — which Luka Doncic has proven to generate better than nearly any superstar in the league.
Though the Mavericks have prioritized defense and rebounding upgrades this offseason, Curry’s addition will fill a need for guard depth off the bench and add to the Mavericks’ 3-point shooting arsenal around Doncic and free-agent re-signee Kyrie Irving’s lead. Curry and Irving were teammates on the Nets as well as the 2010-11 Duke team.
Curry also played some point guard during his first season in Dallas, adding to the Mavericks’ current reserve ball-handling options.
His scoring average in 2022-23 (9.2 points per game) dipped below double digits for the first time since 2018-19. But Curry’s 40.5% 3-point shooting rate (across an average of 19.1 minutes in 61 games) ranked as one of the most efficient marks in the league.
