Remember These 10 Former All-Stars Who Played for the Dallas Mavericks?
![Mar 22, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Amar'e Stoudemire (right) and forward Richard Jefferson against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Mavericks 98-92. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports Mar 22, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Amar'e Stoudemire (right) and forward Richard Jefferson against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Mavericks 98-92. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3620,h_2036,x_0,y_84/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/dallas_basketball/01j5we2ax3h12h8b4hn3.jpg)
The Dallas Mavericks were notorious for chasing big names in free agency in the 2000s and 2010s, even if those players were well past their primes. In Mark Cuban's everlasting desire to surround Dirk Nowitzki with the best talent possible, he also wanted names who would help fill the American Airlines Center.
Players like Jalen Brunson and Devin Harris started their careers in Dallas before making All-Star games elsewhere, but this is about the players who made a name for themselves elsewhere but had brief stints in Dallas in honor of Kemba Walker's recent retirement, who had a legendary month with the Mavs.
Here are 10 former NBA All-Stars who played for the Dallas Mavericks.
1. Alex English
To start the list, we throw it back to 1991. Alex English was one of the most prolific scorers of the 1980s, leading the league in total points twice and making eight consecutive All-Star games from 1982 to 1989 with the Denver Nuggets. His last stop as an NBA player was with the Mavs in the 1990-91 season, where he played in 79 games and averaged 9.7 PPG.
2. Amar'e Stoudemire
Amar'e Stoudemire revolutionized the game in the high screen-and-roll with Steve Nash on the Phoenix Suns but injuries plagued his last few years in the desert and his time with the New York Knicks. The Knicks bought him out in 2015 and he signed with the Mavs for the remainder of the season, appearing in 28 total games, including the playoffs, and averaged 10.3 PPG. He'd play for the Miami Heat the next season and would retire soon after.
3. Andrew Bogut
Slightly cheating here as Bogut was never an All-Star, but he did make Third Team All-NBA in 2010, which is arguably more impressive. The Golden State Warriors dumped Bogut to the Mavericks to open cap space to sign Kevin Durant in the 2016 offseason, a move that would win them two championships. Bogut only played 26 games in Dallas, averaging 3.0 PPG and 8.4 RPG before being traded to the 76ers as part of the deal for Nerlens Noel. He'd play for the Cavaliers and Lakers before returning to the Warriors and calling it quits.
4. Chris Kaman
Chris Kaman made the 2010 All-Star Game as a member of the LA Clippers but joined the Mavericks for the 2012-13 season, one of the wildest roster compositions in franchise history (more on that team soon). Kaman appeared in 66 games for Dallas, averaging 10.5 PPG and 5.6 RPG.
5. David Lee
David Lee somehow made two All-Star games in his career, once for the Knicks in 2010 and again for the Warriors in 2013. He was traded from the Warriors to the Boston Celtics in the 2015 offseason, but Boston bought out his contract after the trade deadline. He signed with the Mavs after clearing waivers and played in 25 games in Dallas, averaging 8.5 PPG.
6. Elton Brand
Another member of that odd 2012-13 roster, Elton Brand was a walking 20 and 10 from the moment he entered the NBA, making two All-Star games for the Clippers in 2002 and 2006. The Mavs spun the tires on Brand and he responded by averaging 7.2 PPG and 6.0 RPG in 72 games. Some other fun names on that roster include O.J. Mayo, Darren Collison, Eddy Curry, Derek Fisher, Troy Murphy, and Chris Douglas-Roberts.
7. Isaiah Thomas
Isaiah Thomas is in the running for the strangest NBA career ever. After being selected with the final pick of the 2011 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings, he used solid performances there to sign a big deal with the Phoenix Suns but was their third point guard alongside Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe. He only lasted 46 games before landing in Boston in a trade and blossomed into a superstar, culminating in a 28.9 PPG season in 2016-17. He finished 5th in the MVP voting that year but would never be the same player after a hip injury.
Thomas has played for eight different franchises since being traded away from Boston for Kyrie Irving, including all of one game in Dallas, playing 13 minutes and scoring 6 points.
8. Jameer Nelson
Jameer Nelson was a key component of the 2009 Orlando Magic that went to the NBA Finals and made the All-Star game that season. He signed with Dallas in the 2014 offseason, leading the Mavs to one of the best offenses in the league, but was sent to Boston after just 23 games in the Rajon Rondo trade. Safe to say that didn't work out for either side, as Rondo's tenure in Dallas was a disaster and Nelson bounced around the league for the last few years of his career.
9. Sam Cassell
Sam Cassell played for eight different teams in his career, including a short 16-game stretch in the 1996-97 season. The Mavericks acquired Cassell, Michael Finley, and A.C. Green from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Jason Kidd, Tony Dumas, and Loren Meyer. After less than two months in Dallas, they sent Cassell packing once again, this time to the New Jersey Nets with Eric Montross and Jim Jackson for a package that included Shawn Bradley and Robert Pack. He averaged 12.3 PPG and 3.6 APG in his short time with the Mavs but would go on to make the 2004 All-Star Game as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
10. Tim Hardaway Sr.
Tim Hardaway Sr.'s recent headlines regarding the Mavericks were about his displeasure with how they played basketball since his son was on the team and he wanted Hardaway Jr. to take more shots. Now that his son has been traded to Detroit, it's unlikely we hear his ire towards Dallas anymore. But did you know he actually played in 54 games for the Mavs in the 2001-02 season?
Well out of his prime, Hardaway averaged 9.6 PPG and 3,7 APG before a trade to Denver landed the Mavs Nick Van Exel, Avery Johnson, and Raef LaFrentz.
READ MORE: The Dallas Mavericks' Addition of Klay Thompson Is Underrated
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