NBA -- Mavs ink Barea to four-year, $16 million deal

Barea.

CHICAGO -- Spurned by All-Star center DeAndre Jordan, who broke his verbal commitment to come to Dallas and opted instead to return to the L.A. Clippers, the Mavericks continue to move.

After signing Wes Matthews and Deron "D-Will" Williams to long-term contracts last week, the Mavs inked J.J. Barea to a four-year deal.

According to ESPN.com, Barea's extension is worth $16 million, a huge chunk of cash that is significantly more than the 2-year, $5.7 million deal that he had previously agreed upon.

Generously listed as 6-feet tall, the 185-pound Barea was a fixture in the Mavs' 2011 championship run. He was pried by the Minnesota Timberwolves to a four-year, $19 million deal in December of 2011.

But after a 3-year stint with the Timberwolves, Barea returned to Dallas last season, averaging 7.5 points and 3.4 assists per outing.

The 31-year old Barea will likely come off the bench behind Williams and Devin Harris next season. And that suits him just fine..

"They knew I wanted to be here for a long time. They wanted me there for a long time so we made it happen," Barea told ESPN.com.