Dalembert, Villanueva sign with the Mavs

Samuel Dalembert is back. So, too, is Charlie Villanueva.

After being away from the Dallas Mavericks for a year, Dalembert is back with the North Texas team he played with during the 2013-’14 season.

Dalembert signed a one-year contract with the Mavs on Thursday worth approximately $1.5 million. And the Mavs are so thin in the middle that the 34-year old Dalembert may wind up being the team’s opening-day starter at center this fall.

In the meantime, the Mavs also signed Villanueva to a one-year contract Thursday worth about $1.5 million. Last year in 64 games with the Mavs, Villanueva averaged 6.3 points and 2.3 rebounds while playing 10.6 minutes per contest, and also shot 37.6 percent from 3-point range.

Now entering his 15^th season, Dalembert (6-11, 255) played just 32 games for the New York Knicks this past season and averaged four points and 5.3 rebounds in only 17 minutes per contest. The points and rebounds were the lowest for Dalembert since his rookie campaign – the 2001-’02 season.

Dalembert fell so far out of favor in New York that the Knicks waived him on Jan. 5, and no other team decided to pick him up for the remainder of the season. At the time of Dalembert’s release, the Knicks saved $2 million of the $3.8 million that they owed him.

Meanwhile, in 80 games with the Mavs two years ago –including 68 starts – Dalembert averaged 6,.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 20.2 minutes per game, and also shot a career-high 56.8 percent from the field.

Zaza Pachulia and Dalembert currently are the top two centers on the Mavs’ roster.

This story was originally published August 6, 2015 at 2:00 PM.