Mavs Sign Harris To Five-Year Extension

The Mavericks consider Devin Harris one of the cornerstones for their future. They proved that Wednesday by agreeing to a lucrative five-year contract extension with the 6-3 point guard.

Harris, entering his fourth season, will earn $3.99 million this season. According to a source, the extension will kick in for the 2008-09 season and is worth more than the five-year, $42.6 million deal Milwaukee point guard Mo Williams signed recently.

That would put Harris' salary around $8 million in the first year of the extension, presuming 10.5 percent raises through the life of the contract.

"Devin, along with Josh [Howard], those guys will carry the baton for us into the future," president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said. "Devin's deal was something we were hopeful of getting done so that it doesn't have to be weighing on his mind this season.

"Devin definitely wanted to be here, and the feeling was mutual."

The negotiations between Nelson, owner Mark Cuban and Henry Thomas, Harris' agent, were going slowly, Nelson said, until things began to move rapidly Tuesday and Wednesday.

Harris, 24, was the fifth overall draft pick in 2004, coming to the Mavericks in a draft-night trade with Washington.

Harris averaged career highs last season with 10.2 points, 3.7 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 26 minutes per game. He was one of the few Mavericks who had a strong series in the first-round upset loss to Golden State, averaging 13.2 points and five assists.

Harris is expected to be the full-time starter this season at point guard. The Wisconsin product has increased his scoring and assists in each of his first three seasons.

"All he has to do now is just play," Mavs coach Avery Johnson said. "You look a
t what the Spurs did with Tony Parker. They signed him to an extension, and it's paid dividends for them. Devin, we think, has a enormous amount of talent and potential."

Harris, along with Howard, who signed a four-year extension last summer that kicks in this season, are locked up long term. The team also signed Jerry Stackhouse earlier in the summer to a three-year contract and has Dirk Nowitzki locked up for four more seasons and Jason Terry for five more.

source : dallasnews.com