Darrell Armstrong will return to the Dallas Mavericks after signing a one-year contract under the veteran?s exception. Armstrong, 37, gives the Mavericks a third point guard to complement Jason Terry and Devin Harris. The signing also apparently closes the door on a possible Dallas return for Nick Van Exel.

After being acquired from New Orleans in December, Armstrong averaged 2.3 points and 2.2 assists in 52 games. His top moment as a Maverick was a 4-for-4 shooting performance in Game 7 of the first-round playoff series against Houston.

?He had a lot of choices,? agent Glen Schwartzman said. ?The Mavericks and the coaching staff know they can look to him, and he can contribute with his play and leadership. He felt this was the best situation to try to compete and win a championship."