Report: Mavericks plan to release veteran guard Barea

The Dallas Mavericks are planning to release J.J. Barea on Thursday, ESPN's Tim MacMahon reports.

Dallas signed Barea to a fully guaranteed one-year, $2.6-million contract in November. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban anticipated having to release Barea but decided to give the veteran guard a payday to reward his play over 11 seasons with the organization, MacMahon adds.

Barea reportedly intends to seek out a contract with another organization upon his release.

The 36-year-old began his career with the Mavericks after they signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Northeastern University in 2006. He played three seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2011-14 before returning to Dallas.

Barea owns career averages of 8.9 points on 35.2% shooting from long range, 3.9 assists, and 2.1 rebounds across 831 NBA games. The Puerto Rican played a key role in the Mavericks' upset of the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals, contributing 17 points in a Game 5 win and 15 points in a title-clinching Game 6 victory.