The Dallas Mavericks have traded the NBA rights to Nick Calathes to the Memphis Grizzlies, it was announced Monday.
The move, which sends Dallas a 2016 second-round draft pick,?appears to greatly increase?the likelihood that Calathes will play in the NBA following four seasons overseas.?The former Lake Howell and University of Florida standout played three seasons in Greece, then last season averaged 12.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game for Lokomotiv Kuban in Russia.
Calathes, 24, has a second year remaining on his Russian contract. He has an NBA buyout clause in?the deal and worked out for Dallas coach Rick Carlisle in June.
Memphis, which won a franchise record 56 games and reached the Western Conference finals for the first time, is looking to solidify its backup point guard situation. The Grizzlies currently have?three point guards on their roster: starter Mike Conley, second-year backup Tony Wroten and veteran Keyon Dooling.?Dooling is a free agent who is negotiating with other teams and appears likely to sign elsewhere.
NBA teams are permitted to pay up to $500,000 to buy out international contracts and all signs indicate Calathes is more than willing to listen to NBA offers. On his Twitter account Calathes posted this message on Monday:
?Thanks for the welcome everybody glad to be a part of Grizz Nation!!!?
The 6-foot-6 former All-SEC player left Panathinaikos Athens of the Greek League to play for Lokomotiv Kuban last season. He was MVP in leading the Russian franchise to its first EuroCup title in April, averaging 12.9 points, 6.7 assists and 5.9 rebounds in that tournament.
Dallas has beefed up its backcourt this offseason. The Mavs used the No. 18 pick in the June 27 draft to take another locally-grown point guard ? former Dr. Phillips standout Shane Larkin ? and then signed Israel star Gal Mekel and added veterans Jose Calderon and Monta Ellis via free agency.
Calderon, 31, signed a four year $29 million deal three weeks ago to depart Detroit and is now the presumed starter for Dallas.?
Larkin suffered a broken ankle in practice after the draft and is likely out until training camp in October.
Calathes was a second round NBA draft pick (45th overall) in 2009 after he had agreed to leave UF for a deal in Greece, where he has dual citizenship. He helped Panathinaikos win two Greek League titles.
Calathes was SEC Freshman of the Year in 2008an d all-conference as a sophomore for the Gators, when he averaged 17.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and a league-leading 6.2 assists per game.
He was Florida Mr. Basketball as a high school junior and senior and combined with current Houston Rockets forward Chandler Parsons and former VCU standout Joey Rodriguez in leading Lake Howell to the 2006-07 Class 5A state championship.
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