Dallas Mavericks first-round pick Shane Larkin will have surgery to repair a broken ankle suffered Friday and is expected to miss approximately three months, the team announced.
Larkin suffered the injury during the last practice before the Mavs flew to Las Vegas for summer league games. The No. 18 pick in last month's NBA draft confirmed news of the injury on Twitter.
Yes it is true. But if you think I won't come back stronger then before then you got the wrong guy. #GoMavs
— Shane Larkin (@ShaneLarkin) July 12, 2013
Larkin, the ACC player of the year as a sophomore at Miami last season, is expected to compete with fellow rookie Gal Mekel for backup minutes behind Jose Calderon. Mekel, a former Israeli League star who signed with Dallas as a free agent, is now the only healthy pure point guard on the Mavs' summer league team in Las Vegas.
The injury came on a whirlwind day for the Mavericks.
Dallas struck a three-year deal worth at least $25 million with free-agent guard Monta Ellis, according to sources close to the process. But a three-year deal worth in excess of $9 million for former Mavericks guard Devin Harris fell apart after X-rays unexpectedly revealed that the veteran has a dislocated toe on his left foot, according to sources close to the situation.
Yahoo! Sports first reported Larkin's injury.
