Source: Dallas’ plan is for fan-favorite J.J. Barea to return for his 12th Mavericks season — as a player

Friday night’s news that Trey Burke had agreed to a three-year, $10 million contract to remain a Maverick seemingly signaled the end of J.J. Barea’s 11-season tenure as a Dallas player.

Wrong. According to a source on Saturday, the Mavericks and 36-year-old Barea plan on a 12th season here. As a player, not as an assistant coach, as some have speculated.

That would seem to indicate another roster move ahead for a guard-heavy Mavericks franchise that currently has Luka Doncic, Jalen Brunson, Burke, Tyrell Terry and guard-forward swingmen Tim Hardaway and Josh Richardson. But given the unpredictability of the Dallas’ offseason moves thus far, nothing is guaranteed.

Barea, a hero of the 2011 NBA Finals, when he was inserted as a starter and helped lead the Mavericks to victories in Games 4, 5 and 6, is one of the most popular players in team history. He’s also one of Luka Doncic’s closest friends on the team and a mentor to Doncic — and those intangibles alone are well worth the veteran’s minimum contract that Barea presumably would get and one of 17 roster spots he would hold down.

Last season was difficult for Barea. During the 2018-19 season, he was well into one of his best seasons — 10.9 points and 5.6 assists per game -- when he suffered a torn right Achilles. He worked hard in rehab and was optimistic about playing a significant role last season, but he played in only 29 games.

When he played, he usually shined, averaging 7.7 points and 3.9 assists in just 15 minutes of court time per appearance. Those opportunities were fleeting, though. He only appeared in one game of the playoff series loss to the Clippers, playing five minutes.

His planned return, however, gives him another opportunity to contribute -- on and, perhaps most important, off the court.

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