Grand opening. Grand closing?
Guard Rudy Fernandez's career with the Dallas Mavericks may be over before it even started. TuBasket.com and ESPN.com both reported on Tuesday that the Mavericks will move the moody shooting guard to the Denver Nuggets. ESPN.com reported that the Mavericks would receive a future second round pick and included reserve guard Corey Brewer in the deal as well. NBA.com quickly confirmed those details.
The Mavericks acquired Fernandez from the Portland Trail Blazers on the night of the 2011 NBA Draft for a first round pick that the Blazers re-routed to the Nuggets with guard Andre Miller in a trade for Raymond Felton. During the lockout, Fernandez, a Spanish national team player, signed a multi-year contract with Real Madrid.
Brewer, a lithe wing, signed with the Mavericks in March after getting bought out by the New York Knicks after they acquired him in a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves that helped facilitate the acquisition of All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony.
Recent reports indicated that Fernandez, who regularly complained at his role in Portland, would not be happy in Dallas if he did not receive ample playing time and was considering requesting a buyout. Following the 2011-2012 season, Fernandez is free to return to play for Real Madrid. He reportedly had issues with his travel visa that delayed his arrival to Dallas' training camp.
On Monday, Dallas announced the signing of free agent wing Vince Carter and reports surfaced that the Mavericks had signed free agent guard Delonte West as well. Over the weekend, Dallas swung a trade for Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom, too, giving Dallas 11 players competing for playing time at the one, two and three positions.
Fernandez, 26, has not yet delivered on the considerable hype he brought with him to the NBA following the 2008 Olympics, where Spain won the Silver Medal. Last season, Fernandez averaged 8.6 points and 2.5 assists in 78 games for the Blazers.
Brewer, 25, played just 13 games for Dallas last season, posting season averages of 8.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game in 69 combined appearances for the Mavericks and the Timberwolves.
