Every NBA team that missed out on Dwight Howard has been looking for a big man to take his place. The Dallas Mavericks want size and have missed out on every player they have targeted. The team lost the Howard race. They missed Andrew Bynum. They are out of the Greg Oden discussions. So, who is next on the list? DeJuan Blair appears to be the next person of interest for Dallas.
ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports the Mavericks and Blair are in serious contract negotiations and a deal could be finalized very soon. Blair is 6'7, 265-pounds and could be a nice addition for the Mavericks at center. Blair has garnered a reputation as an excellent rebounder during his time with the San Antonio Spurs. In four seasons with the Spurs he has averaged 5.8 rebounds per game. His best season was 2010-11 where he averaged 7.0 rebounds per game.
Blair was considered the second-coming of Tim Duncan, but has since fallen out of favor with Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich. His minutes have slowly decreased during his time in San Antonio. When Blair was drafted, some considered him a steal after multiple NBA teams were scared off by the fact that the big man has no ACL tendon in either knee. He fell all the way to second round, but has been a strong rotational player since entering the NBA.
Blair's skill set is limited, but Dallas needs him. At this moment, their center spot is occupied by Samuel Dalembert and Brandan Wright. Dirk Nowitzki will play power forward, leaving plenty of need for Blair's ability to box out.
Blair has received a lot of interest from teams since the Spurs have continued to show a lack of care for the big man. The Washington Wizards have also taken a serious look at him, leaving many to speculate they will try to work some kind of sign-and-trade deal. However, the Spurs denied any interest in striking a deal with the Wizards, mainly because they had few enticing options for the team. The Philadelphia 76ers are another team with some interest since they will likely have to wait until mid-season for Nerlens Noel to make his debut.
Blair is just 24-years-old and in the right situation, he can be extremely successful. Blair is targeting a multi-year deal, hoping for at least $3 million in salary. He is not opposed to re-signing with the Spurs, but it appears the Mavericks might get to him first.
