A Dallas Connection: Phoenix Suns once again sign a Dallas Maverick
Jul 1, 2015, 2:55 PM | Updated: 2:55 pm
The Phoenix Suns reportedly agreed to a four-year, $52 million contract with former Dallas Mavericks star Tyson Chandler on Wednesday.
Sound familiar? Well it’s not the first time the Suns have landed a former Mav.
Remember Steve Nash? Yes, that Steve Nash. The two-time NBA MVP.
While Chandler is not expected to make as big of a splash as Nash was in the desert, both had more than their fair share of success in the Lone Star State.
So how did the two do in the Dallas Mavericks careers before choosing the Valley of the Sun(s)?
Steve Nash
Position: Point guard
Mavericks stats (1998-2004): 14.6 points, 7.2 assists per game, 46.8 percent shooting (41.6 percent on 3-pointers), two All-Star appearances
Nash started to show off his All-Star form once Phoenix traded him to Dallas before the 1998 season, as he, Michael Finley and Dirk Nowitzki turned the organization from perennial bottom-dwellers to title contenders (sound familiar?). The highlight of his tenure came in 2002-03, when he averaged 17.7 points and 7.3 assists per game while leading Dallas to the Western Conference Finals.
Phoenix stats (post-free agent signing): 16.3 points, 10.9 assists per game on 51.0 percent shooting (43.7 on 3-pointers), two MVPs, six All-Star appearances
Nash’s reinvention was completed in Phoenix, as he led one of the iconic teams in league history under the “Seven Seconds or Less” offense en route to three Western Conference Finals appearances (2005, 2006 and 2010) and two NBA MVP trophies (2005, 2006). He also reached the esteemed 50-40-90 club for shooting four times as a Sun.
Tyson Chandler
Position: Center
Mavericks stats (2010-11): 10.1 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game, NBA championship (2014-15): 10.3 points, 11.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game
Chandler had two cups of coffee in Dallas, with both resulting in trips to the NBA playoffs. Chandler was a center piece (literally) on the 2010-11 Mavericks team that won the first title in franchise history, and came back to anchor the defense for the Mavericks team that was eliminated by the Houston Rockets in the first round in 2014-15.
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