Jameer Nelson signed with the Dallas Mavericks this offseason to play with a contender. Just two months into the season, he finds himself back where he was last season with the Orlando Magic, a savvy veteran on a team firmly in rebuilding mode.
That reality means that Nelson may not be a long-term fit in his new home with the Boston Celtics, but he'll be sporting green for at least a little while. The Celtics and Nelson have had discussions about his future, but the two sides have not discussed a buyout, according to a report from Shams Charania of RealGM.
The news makes perfect sense considering the time at which Nelson was dealt. Not only do the Celtics have two months before the trade deadline, during which time they can shop the steady 32-year-old point guard, but the trade happened early enough that Nelson can be packaged with other pieces before the deadline.
A team can't pair an acquired player with anyone else for two months, so the Celtics have an incentive to work the phones until at least the trade deadline. Buying Nelson out now may save some money - he's owed $2.7 million this year and has a $2.9-million player option for next season - but it takes a one-player trade off the table in the interim and a multi-player trade off the table at the deadline.
Nelson should be an attractive trade piece, though he won't command a high asking price. In 23 games with Dallas, he was averaging 7.3 points and 4.1 assists while shooting 36.9 percent on threes. An unspectacular player on both ends, he could slot in as a reliable backup point for a lot of teams.
In the interim, he'll mentor rookie Marcus Smart, much as he did for Victor Oladipo a season ago.
