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The Dallas Mavericks made arguably the biggest move on NBA trade deadline, then followed it up by handing over the team to Yogi Ferrell.
Hours after trading away Andrew Bogut for young forward Nerlens Noel, the Mavs bought out the contract of Deron Williams, officially making Ferrell the starting point guard.
Source: Deron Williams "possibly" receiving a buyout from the Mavs. Dallas is preparing to hand point guard reins to rookie Yogi Ferrell.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) February 23, 2017
Mavericks announce they have waived Deron Williams. Few players have fallen further in the last five years.
— Brian Mahoney (@briancmahoney) February 23, 2017
Yogi’s rise into the NBA has been well-documented both here and across the internet. The Mavericks made a very clear statement of what they thought of Ferrell by offering him a two-year deal midway through his first 10-day contract.
However, Thursday’s move might be their loudest move yet in regards to the team’s love for Ferrell. Buying out Williams, who was making $9 million, was certainly not a cheap investment into the team’s future.
Also intriguingly, the Mavericks dealt Andrew Bogut for Noel, a move that both makes them younger and also could help benefit Ferrell. Noel is one of the top young defensive big men in the league and will help anchor things defensively in Dallas.
Offensively, he’s known as a great pick-and-roll player and excellent at finishing lobs. IU fans are certainly familiar with how great Ferrell can be out of the pick-and-roll and with shooters like Wesley Matthews and Seth Curry spotting up around him, the Mavericks will certainly be one of the more fun teams to watch in the second-half of the season.