The Nuggets aren’t exactly making splash moves with the roster, but they are making big waves in coaching circles. There were already reports out that the team planned to interview Mavericks’ assistant Jared Dudley, and now the team is honing in on another Mavs fan favorite, former NBA champion, JJ Barea.
Jose Juan Barea had an incredible run in the NBA after being undrafted out of Northeastern. The 5’10” guard from Puerto Rico played most of his career with the Mavericks, including playing a key role in helping the team win the 2011 title.
Barea retired from the NBA in 2020 and served one year as a developmental coach in Dallas before becoming the head coach of Mets de Guaynabo in Puerto Rico. He served almost two seasons there before being fired in May.
Barea is now a free agent, and according to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer on Substack, in addition to interviewing Dudley, the Nuggets are interested in adding Barea to David Adelman’s staff.
Adelman needs former players on staff
Adelman needs a strong lead assistant, and he needs former NBA players on his staff. By hiring Dudley and Barea, the Nuggets could check both of those boxes in spades. Adelman and Barea already have a relationship as JJ played for the Timberwolves in 2014 while Adelman was an assistant on the staff to his father, Rick Adelman.
Experienced NBA voices in the locker room would go a long way alongside Adelman’s leadership and coaching acumen. He’s still young and obviously never played in the league. That’s hardly a deal-breaker, but it’s important to have some “player’s coaches” in the locker room as well to build relationships and chemistry.
Mavericks’ connections are fascinating
Since trading Luka Doncic, the Mavericks appear to be an extremely vulnerable organization. They’ve made one puzzling move after another, and now they appear to be willing to let their top assistant leave to join a conference rival.
Adding a former Mavs legend in Barea as well would just add salt to the wounds for Mavs fans who have already seen their franchise torn to pieces in recent months. “Winning” the draft lottery and adding Cooper Flagg will cover up a lot of the dysfunction and questionable decisions, but things have gotten ugly in Dallas, and it appears the Nuggets are ready to take advantage.