Report: Joel Freeland hits pause on Russian deal to talk with Mavericks
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The Dallas Mavericks may find themselves on the right end of an about-face just yet.
Spurned by DeAndre Jordan and left in the lurch to find a center, the Mavericks have blown past any Plan B or Plan C, opting instead for Plan Z and Plan Free. That is, they've reportedly acquired Zaza Pachulia, and have made overtures to Joel Freeland.
Freeland was reported to have signed with CSKA Moscow on Thursday but is said to have put off an official signing for up to 48 hours. That makes sense, considering he has been involved in "advanced negotiations" on a multi-year deal with Dallas, according to a report from Shams Charania of RealGM.
The Farnham, United Kingdom native wasn't tendered a qualifying offer by the Portland Trail Blazers this offseason, making him an unrestricted free agent. A former No. 30 overall pick, he's averaged 3.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 12.1 minutes over 151 career games, shooting 45.9 percent from the floor.
There's probably not a lot of upside left to tap into with the 28-year-old, but the Mavs need bodies inside and Freeland has a 6-foot-10, 250-pound one.