Mavericks' sneakiest offseason move happened way before D'Angelo Russell signing

The Dallas Mavericks kicked off free agency last night by signing D’Angelo Russell to a two-year deal worth about $13 million after a successful 2025 NBA Draft last week that included them drafting Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick, but their sneakiest move of the offseason is one that happened right after the draft ended and no one is talking about it.

To kick off undrafted free agency, Dallas signed Ryan Nembhard, the brother of Indiana Pacers star guard Andrew Nembhard, to a two-way deal to become one of the Mavs’ point guards off the bench. Undrafted players fly off the board right after the draft ends, and Nembhard was undoubtedly one of the best undrafted guards that Dallas could have signed.

While two-way signings are typically overlooked, Dallas’ guard depth is dangerously low, even after signing Russell, and Nembhard is poised to be part of the rotation right away. Kyrie Irving is set to miss over half of the season with a torn ACL, and Jason Kidd is going to be forced to rely upon Nembhard, Russell, and the rest of the backcourt to play increased minutes and increased roles during his absence.

Ryan Nembhard is the Mavs' most underrated offseason pickup by far

Last season at Gonzaga, Nembhard averaged 10.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 9.8 assists, and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 44.6 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from downtown. Nembhard’s 9.8 assists per game led the entire NCAA, and with him joining Flagg in Dallas, they now have two of the best rookie passers in the NBA.

Over the entire 2024-25 season at Gonzaga, Nembard chalked up 344 assists. His 344 assists are the fifth-most assists in a season in NCAA history, and Mavs fans will be hoping that his passing greatness carries over to the NBA.

Nemhard is an excellent decision maker in the pick and roll, as he fires passes to rolling bigs with accuracy and timeliness, and he never seems to force anything. If the roller isn't open, he's always ready to fire a skip pass to a shooter on the perimeter, and his patience when the ball is in his hands is that of an NBA veteran.

Dallas needs more facilitating and ball handling, as their only healthy true point guards to begin the season will be Russell and Brandon Williams, and Nembhard has the potential to be among the best two passers in that group alongside Russell.

Outside of his passing and ball handling, Nembhard is also a good scorer and solid defender. Despite only being 6-foot, Nembhard is a pesky, solid team defender who can annoy ball handlers, pick off passes in the passing lanes, and effectively stay in front of his man. He doesn't have the size needed to provide great versatility, but he always gives good effort on that end and holds his own.

As a scorer, Nembhard is a good. 3-point shooter off the catch and off the dribble, as he punishes defenders that go under screens. He also has a consistent mid-range pull-up jumper when driving, and his jump shooting off the bounce forces the defense to be honest when he is the ball handler in the pick and roll.

Nembhard's play style when running the show truly fits exactly what the Mavs need, as he is one of the only true playmakers on the roster. He makes everyone around him better while taking care of the rock and playing with selflessness, and this should help them as they begin the Flagg era.

Nembhard is going to have the chance to wow fans right away in just over a week, as he is set to be the team's lead guard at Summer League, and some strong performances could help him inch toward being a rotation regular once the regular season rolls around in October.