Anthony Davis just revealed the roster move the Mavericks must make ASAP

Earlier this week, Anthony Davis made it clear that he thinks the Dallas Mavericks should convert Ryan Nembhard's two-way contract to a standard deal. After the Mavericks' 131-121 win over the Denver Nuggets, Davis didn't hold back when asked about the young rookie, and he knows that he is quickly outplaying his current contract.

"It’s above my pay grade, but I don’t know if he’s going to be a two-way too much longer," Davis told reporters. "I don’t even know how that works, but all of the guys on the team love playing with him."

Signing Nembhard to a standard deal as soon as they can should be the Mavericks' No. 1 priority, even more than capitalizing on some of the trade rumors that have been floating around, and they should have the perfect opportunity to make this move at the beginning of January.

Anthony Davis made it clear that Ryan Nembhard can't stay on a two-way

As soon as it was announced that Dante Exum would be out for the season, it became clear that he'd become a candidate to get waived. He also happens to play the same position as Nembhard, making it easy for Dallas to cut him while converting Nembhard to a standard deal and signing a different player to a two-way deal.

The Mavericks have the perfect opportunity in front of them to make Nembhard a key piece of their future while waiving Exum to create a roster spot to sign him, but this won't happen overnight.

The Mavericks can't make this move until January 6, as they are hard-capped at the second apron, but it can be expected that they will explore making such a move as soon as they can. It makes perfect sense, especially since Jason Kidd recently made him their starting point guard, and he continues to take his game to the next level as the coaching staff elevates his role and trusts him more.

As a starter, Nembhard is averaging 17.7 points and 5.7 assists per game while shooting 66.7 percent from the field and 60 percent from 3-point range, and the Mavericks have truly found the point guard of the future to grow alongside Cooper Flagg. Everyone knows it, including Davis.

He recently returned from a 14-game absence due to a left calf strain, and Nembhard has clearly made his life easier when they share the floor. Nembhard is as unselfish as they come, and he is always looking to find Davis in the pick and roll or for an easy jumper around the perimeter. He makes everyone around him play better, and the warm sentiment that Davis shared toward Nembhard is mutual.

"It’s huge, offensively and defensively, he’s the anchor for us," Nembhard said when asked about Davis rejoining the lineup. "We throw it in to him, he can go get a bucket, and defensively he’s a shot blocker, and he takes care of our little mistakes."

Davis and Nembhard will be crucial for Dallas as they look to stack up some wins to end 2025, and one of the first moves that they need to make to kick off 2026 is to ensure that Nembhard is on a new contract for the rest of this season and next season. Dallas hit the jackpot on their two-way signings over the last two seasons, as Brandon Williams had his two-way deal converted to a standard contract at the end of last season, and it looks like the same thing will happen for Nembhard.

All of the work that Nembhard has put in has paid off, and if Anthony Davis were the team's general manager, he'd be calling Ryan Nembhard and his agent to ensure they lock up his future as a Maverick.