JULY 6: Pinson’s new deal is now official, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.
JULY 1: The Mavericks will keep Theo Pinson on a one-year deal, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The 26-year-old guard only played in 19 games during his first season with Dallas, but his greater value involved the team’s “chemistry and culture,” notes Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link). Pinson, who was on a two-way contract for most of last season, is no longer eligible for that type of deal, but the Mavs believe he has “development potential,” MacMahon adds.
Pinson is best known as the vocal leader of Dallas’ bench, which harassed opponents so much in the playoffs that it amassed $175K in fines for “decorum” violations. Pinson wasn’t eligible to participate in the postseason because of his two-way deal, but he still found a way to make an impact as the Mavericks advanced to the Western Conference Finals.
After going undrafted out of North Carolina in 2018, Pinson broke into the NBA on a two-way contract with the Nets. After two years in Brooklyn, he was claimed off waivers by the Knicks and then got an opportunity in Dallas last season, starting with a pair of 10-day contracts in December.
The Dallas bench was great last year at getting under the opponents skin. They were all so vocal that it made the games even more fun to watch.
The only time he spent on the court, he got fined for doing so.
But he’s loud and talks allot of s***