The Dallas Mavericks have emerged as the frontrunners to sign Terrence Ross once the veteran shooting guard finalizes a buyout with the Orlando Magic, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.
Ross, who has been the subject of trade rumors for a number of years now, went unmoved at the deadline in large part because most teams assumed he would be bought out and had little interest in giving up anything to get him. As expected, he will soon part ways with the Magic after seven years with the franchise.
When he first arrived in Orlando via a deadline-day trade from the Toronto Raptors in 2017, Ross played a significant scoring role off the bench and helped the team make the playoffs in back-to-back seasons in 2019 and 2020. However, once they leaned into the rebuild over the past few seasons, Ross’ opportunities diminished in favor of younger players.
His minutes (22.5), shot attempts (7.1) and points (eight) per game this season were all at their lowest since his rookie campaign. Still, he was shooting a strong 38.1 percent from 3-point land, a mark that is much more in line with his career numbers after a disappointing 2022. That shot-making ability off the bench will always be in demand, which is why teams were lining up to sign him before he officially became a free agent.
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Ross figures to be a strong fit on the Mavericks, who recently made a blockbuster move to acquire Kyrie Irving from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, an unprotected 2029 first-round pick and two future second-round selections.
While Irving is obviously a significant talent upgrade, the move did weaken their wing depth, which is where Ross comes in. He’s a 36.2 percent 3-point shooter for his career and has hit 39.5 percent of his catch-and-shoot opportunities this season. Playing alongside Irving and Luka Doncic, he’ll get all sorts of wide-open looks, and if he can continue hitting them at that clip he’ll help boost the Mavericks’ offensive attack.