Mavericks could reunite with former leading scorer?

The Dallas Mavericks are in the mud right now, but they could be turning to an old friend to help dig them out of it.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported this week that the Mavericks are interested in veteran forward Harrison Barnes, who is an unrestricted free agent this summer. Scotto also mentions Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams as another free agent that Dallas has interest in.

Barnes in particular is an eye-catching name. That is because he already played for the Mavericks from 2016-19, leading the team in scoring twice. Barnes is also a long wing defender at 6-foot-8, which is something Dallas badly needs again after trading away Dorian Finney-Smith as a part of the Kyrie Irving deal in February.

The 31-year-old Barnes is very dependable, starting all 82 games this past season for the Sacramento Kings. He managed an efficient 15.0 points per contest despite getting fewer than 10 shot attempts per night as a tertiary offensive option. That is exactly the kind of puzzle piece that the Mavericks could use behind Irving and Luka Doncic. Granted, Barnes may have some fences to mend with Dallas owner Mark Cuban before entertaining the idea of a possible return.