Flying Away To Beantown? Jason Terry Close To Signing 3-Year Deal With Celtics

Jason Terry Confirms Interest In Celtics, Wants Ray Allen Back

Jason Terry confirmed his interest in the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, and told Fox Sports columnist Chris Tomasson that he hopes Ray Allen returns. Terry appears to be headed to Boston, as the Dallas Mavericks reportedly won't match the Celtics if Boston offers the guard a $5 million annual contract by using its full mid-level exception.

Jason Terry says that, if he joins the Celtics, he wants Ray Allen to return: "That wouldn't hurt,'' Terry said.

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) July 3, 2012

Terry likes the fact the Celtics are title contenders, naturally, and had some high praise for Rajon Rondo when talking to Tomasson.

"I just love that they have a championship pedigree," Terry said. "And I think their point guard (Rajon Rondo) is the best in the business at controlling both ends of the floor. And they've got Hall of Famers.''

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Jason Terry Likely To Sign With Celtics, Mavericks Unlikely To Match Offer, According To Report

It looks like Jason Terry's departure from the Dallas Mavericks to sign with the Boston Celtics will indeed be happening. The Mavericks, in an attempt to maintain their salary-cap flexibility, are unlikely to match or exceed the Celtics' three-year offer for Terry, according to ESPN's Marc Stein and Jeff Caplan.

Terry reportedly agreed to a contract with the Celtics that would pay him the value of the $5 million mid-level exception annually, but had wanted to take it back to the Mavericks to see if they would exceed the offer. The Mavericks need to save salary-cap space for Deron Williams, so it's not a surprise that they appear uninterested in meeting the Celtics' price.

Terry, who will turn 35 in September, averaged 15.1 points per game on 43-percent shooting last season. The former Sixth Man of the Year is expected to provide a much-needed scoring boost for the Celtics' second unit.

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Jason Terry Will Give Mavericks A Chance To Counter Celtics' Contract Offer Before Deciding, Report Says

Hold the phones on Jason Terry heading to the Boston Celtics. ESPN's Marc Stein is reporting that Terry will give the Dallas Mavericks a chance to "counter" the Celtics' offer before he makes a final decision.

Yahoo! Sports' Marc Spears is reporting that Terry was "closing in" on a three-year contract with the Celtics for the mid-level exception, which would be just under $16 million. The Mavericks can offer Terry more because they have Larry Bird rights on him. It appears that Terry will give the Mavericks a chance to offer him more money if they so choose. Now, it's up to Dallas to figure out if it's worth paying the 35-year old to stay with the franchise for longer than three years for just under $16 million.

The Celtics originally wanted to pursue O.J. Mayo, according to HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy, but he asked for more money than the Celtics were willing to give.

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Jason Terry Finalizing Contract With Boston Celtics, According To Report

The Boston Celtics are closing in on a multi-year contract for Dallas Mavericks' guard Jason Terry, according to Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Terry, who will turn 35 next season, has been with the Mavericks for the past eight seasons.

The Mavericks' ace sixth man averaged 15.1 points per game on 43-percent shooting in 2011-12, his 13th in the league. He would likely assume a similar role for the Celtics next season behind Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley in the backcourt.

It remains unclear how much Terry would end up making, but his addition does throw Ray Allen's future in Boston in doubt. The Celtics could certainly still afford to keep Allen, and coach Doc Rivers has been quoted saying he'd like both players on his team, but it's unclear if Allen will be interested in returning to a much more crowded backcourt. Allen currently is drawing interest from the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers, among other teams.

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Jason Terry Uninterested In Potential 1-Year Deal With Mavericks

If the Dallas Mavericks decide to punt the 2012-13 season and reserve long-term cap space for the 2013 free agent class of Dwight Howard and Chris Paul, Jason Terry will be playing somewhere else. The guard told Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News that he has no interest in returning to Big D on a one-year rental.

"It's a tough situation," Terry said. "I'm finally in a position where I can kind of predict my own future, so to speak. I want to stay here in Dallas. That's always been my goal. But it needs to be long-term. If they're not ready to step up and do that, then I'll have to make my home elsewhere."

Terry sounds a lot like Tyson Chandler did a year ago, only instead of contract length being the wedge between J.E.T. and the Mavericks, with Chandler it was contract size. There's no question that, if Dallas punted, it'd give Terry a massive one-year deal. The more punitive luxury tax penalties don't kick in until 2013-14, and Dallas has Terry's Bird rights, so there'd be no particular harm in paying J.E.T. $12 million for next season.

But if Terry would rather lock in his last big contract, he should be able to find a partner elsewhere. The free agent class is fairly shallow, and Terry is far from the oldest dollar-seeker out there.

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