He also recognized that the market for aging swingmen was shrinking. If he wanted to remain employed, he had to become something else.

“It wasn’t easy,” said Carter, a perennial starter who recalled being relegated to coming off the bench during his final weeks with the Phoenix Suns in 2011. “It was my own personal battle. I’d sit there and go home frustrated. But what was I going to do about it? I guess I could have torn up the locker room. But that’s never been me. I wasn’t going to make a public fuss. I had to make myself of value.”

That process began in earnest when he signed with the Mavericks ahead of the 2011-12 season. Carter studied game film of high-octane reserves like Manu Ginobili of the San Antonio Spurs. Carter also scoured the Internet for old video of Vinnie Johnson, a former guard with the Detroit Pistons.

“Just zeroing in on guys like that who were sixth men but still played big minutes and were effective,” Carter said. “You had to game plan for them just like you’d game plan for the team’s best players.”

At the same time, Carter continued to hone his outside shooting. He knew that was where he would make his living. He could still drive. He could still dunk, even if the landings hurt more than they once did. But he was realistic about his fading physical abilities. His familiar pop, the explosiveness that had made him a household name in his early 20s, was not going to be there in his late 30s.

“Everybody struggles with change,” Carter said. “We’re afraid of it. We’re not sure about it. And I wasn’t sure about it, either, but I was going to try to conquer it.”