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NBA: Mavs to ink Israeli point guard Gal Mekel to minimum


The Dallas Mavericks may have found a diamond in the rough, agreeing to terms with Israeli floor general Gal Mekel, ESPN's Marc Stein reported Monday.


Mark Deeks of ShamSports later confirmed the deal, and added that its length would be three seasons.

The Mavs intend to sign Mekel, who played two seasons of NCAA basketball at Wichita State, to a multi-year deal at the league minimum, Stein said, once the league moratorium for new contracts is lifted on July 10.

Mekel has played in Europe since the 2008-09 season, beginning with Maccabi Tel Aviv. Most recently though, he was with Maccabi Haifa, defeating the former squad for the Israeli Basketball Super League championship, 86-79 earlier in June.

That feat, combined with averages of 13.3 points and 5.4 assists, helped him earn his second Super League MVP award, the first coming in 2011. He was previously named Super League Rising Star in 2009.

A previous report by Stein said he had drawn attention from the Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers and Memphis Grizzlies, before reaching an agreement with the Mavs.

Given the minimum-level deal, it is unlikely that this signing will affect the Mavs' chances of possibly signing free agent center Dwight Howard.  - AMD, GMA News
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