Vince Carter Rumors: Latest Buzz and Speculation Surrounding Free-Agent Forward

Updates from Friday, July 11

Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reports Vince Carter and the Memphis Grizzlies have agreed to a contract:

Marc Stein of ESPN previously indicated Memphis was making a push for Carter:

Updates from Monday, July 7

Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram reported the latest on Vince Carter and the Mavericks:

Original Text

Vince Carter may no longer be the player who seemingly had a dunk appear on SportsCenter's Top 10 every night, but the 37-year-old proved to be a valuable sixth man for the Dallas Mavericks a season ago.

Valuable enough that it looks as though the team will be bringing him back. 

From Tim MacMahon of ESPN:

Jeff Caplan of NBA.com has more on that front:

"

The Mavs want to re-sign Vince Carter, who has suitors, including contending teams, and Shawn Marion, while Dallas would like him back is looking to upgrade the position in its starting lineup.

If the Mavs don't land LeBron or Melo, it will be an intriguing race to sign the likes of [Luol] Deng and Chandler [Parsons] (and his future is totally hinged to the Rockets acquiring James, Anthony or Bosh). Deng has interest from Atlanta and was reportedly meeting with Miami on Saturday.

This is the third consecutive summer that Cuban has entered free agency with the cap space to sign a max (or near-max) free agent. With Nowitzi, Monta Ellis and Chandler back, they truly are one superstar away from once again becoming contenders in the brutally competitive Western Conference.

"

Dallas isn't alone in coveting Carter, however, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders:

Last season, Carter averaged 11.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 24.4 minutes per game. In seven postseason games, he averaged 12.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 27.1 minutes per contest. Not superstar numbers, no, but Carter was an efficient option coming off of the bench. 

Few players offer more bang for the buck, that much is certain. Carter knows as much—after the season, he told Marc Stein of ESPN (per MacMahon), "I think more than anything I'm hoping that a lot of teams that appreciate, at my age, what I bring to the table."

In other words, he hopes a lot of teams don't try to low-ball him when offering him a contract, the Mavericks included.

Still, he was always likely to return to Dallas and continue in his sixth-man role. While the Mavericks would likely love to upgrade at the forward position, the big names on the market probably aren't coming to Dallas. Carmelo Anthony is the longest of long shots, it seems, while Trevor Ariza and Deng are pricey targets, and Parsons and Gordon Hayward are restricted free agents.

And without bringing in a star, the Mavs have the room to build depth instead and offer players like Carter the money they are worth. 

It's a relationship that makes sense to extend for both parties, in other words. Nothing is finalized at this point, obviously, but logic should prevail and bring Carter back to Dallas.