2:16pm: Mejri tells Carchia that he hasn’t signed a contract with Liaoning, though the team has announced that he met with the coach today and will start practicing with the club tomorrow (Twitter link). Mejri has been invited by Liaoning to take part in the East Asia Superleague tournament, which begins on September 17, Carchia notes.
11:20am: Former Mavericks center Salah Mejri has signed a contract to play with Liaoning of the Chinese Basketball Association, reports Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. According to Carchia, it’ll just be a one-month deal, with Mejri temporarily replacing Brandon Bass on the roster.
Mejri, 33, has spent the last four seasons in Dallas, appearing in a total of 204 games for the Mavericks. The big man averaged 3.4 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 0.9 BPG in 11.9 minutes per contest during that stretch.
When Mejri reached unrestricted free agency this summer, the Mavs went in another direction, signing veteran center Boban Marjanovic to fill the role that Mejri has played over the last few years.
Although Tunisia didn’t advance beyond the first round in the 2019 FIBA World Cup, Mejri had a big tournament, averaging 16.2 PPG and 10.2 RPG in five games. He has also been the World Cup’s leading shot blocker, with 3.2 BPG. In Tunisia’s final classification-round game against Angola on Sunday, he blocked eight shots, tying Yao Ming‘s World Cup record.
While he’s off the free agent market for now, Mejri could still be a factor in the NBA this season, given the short-term nature of his new deal in China.
Mejri is the second NBA player to sign with Liaoning this offseason, joining Lance Stephenson.
What’s happening with Bass?
Couldn’t find any info on whether it’s an injury or a personal issue or something else. But I assume Mejri would’ve signed for more than a month if Bass wasn’t planning on returning.