National Basketball Association

Kaman tweets that he agrees to deal with Mavericks

Published Jul. 12, 2012 3:28 a.m. ET

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Chris Kaman has agreed to a deal with the Dallas Mavericks, giving the 7-foot center a chance to play with friend Dirk Nowitzki.

Kaman, who played last season in New Orleans, announced on his Twitter account Wednesday that he was ''Partnering up with (at)swish41 and heading to the Mavs ...'' and then later tweeted asking if there was ''a good lake to live on that's close to downtown Dallas?''

Kaman was Nowitzki's teammate on the German national team during the 2008 Olympics.

The deal for Kaman is for one year, according to a person familiar with the agreement. That person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Mavericks had not made any official announcements.

That person also said Dallas was planning to use the amnesty clause on center Brendan Haywood.

ESPN, citing an anonymous source, first reported the use of the amnesty clause on Haywood, who is set to make $8.3 million next season and is due $27 million over the next three years.

While only a one-year deal, adding Kaman is a step forward this offseason for the Mavs, who failed in their pursuit to sway guard Deron Williams into leaving the Brooklyn Nets and coming to play for his hometown team. Dallas is losing guards Jason Kidd and Jason Terry in free agency.

Kaman averaged 13.1 points and 7.7 rebounds in 47 games with the Hornets last season. He played the first eight seasons of his career with the Los Angeles Clippers.

In 540 career games, Kaman has averaged 11.9 points and 8.3 rebounds. He played in the 2010 NBA All-Star game that the Mavericks hosted at Cowboys Stadium.

But Kaman has been prone to injuries. He was limited to 32 games in 2010-11 because of problems with his back, left ankle and right knee. A strained arch in his left foot contributed to him playing only 31 games two seasons before that.

Haywood, acquired by Dallas from Washington in a seven-player deal in February 2010, averaged 5.2 points and 6.0 rebounds in 54 games last season.

The 7-foot Haywood has averaged 7.2 points and 6.3 rebounds in 733 career games, all with Washington and Dallas.

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