5:04pm: The Mavericks have officially signed Jackson, the team announced today in a press release.
9:07am: One of the D-League’s top performers so far this season is making the leap to the NBA, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical. According to Charania (via Twitter), the Mavericks are signing guard Pierre Jackson to a two-year contract that will feature a partial guarantee.
Jackson, 25, was the 42nd overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft, having been sent from the Sixers to the Pelicans in the trade that also sent Jrue Holiday to New Orleans. However, the former Baylor guard never made it into an NBA regular season game, having spent the last few seasons playing in the D-League or overseas.
This season, Jackson has played in 10 games for Dallas’ D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends, and has thrived, scoring a league-leading 29.1 PPG to go along with 6.0 APG, 1.9 SPG, and a .540/.429/.829 shooting line. The Legends are 7-3 with Jackson in the lineup, after having started 2-3 without him.
The Mavericks currently have a full 15-man roster, so they’ll have to waive a player to open up a spot for Jackson. Jonathan Gibson, who was already waived once by the team earlier this year – and has a non-guaranteed salary – is a candidate to be cut. Dorian Finney-Smith, whose roster spot appears safe, is the only other Maverick without a fully guaranteed contract, so the team would have to eat some money if another player is waived.