Former Mavericks draft pick is falling apart with no sign of recovery

The Dallas Mavericks have likely made all of their moves for this summer, concluding with the Mavs keeping Dante Exum on a one-year deal. Exum's key moment with the Mavs came late in the regular season in 2024, when he knocked down a 3-point shot to tie the game and force overtime against the Houston Rockets. His resume has been fairly solid for his whole career, with more hopes that the Mavs can do more with him compared to their former first-rounder, who fans had tons of hope for when he was drafted.

When Olivier-Maxence Prosper was picked at 24th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, the Mavs and their fans had high hopes for him. His 6-foot-7 frame, along with his freak athleticism and length, made the Mavs and their fans take Prosper seriously. His game didn't pan out like fans hoped in Dallas, and now, he's joining the Memphis Grizzlies on a two-way contract. Not only did the Mavs get disappointed when Prosper was waived, but for Prosper, about to get G League minutes on a two-way deal means that he's got much more work to do than we thought.

The Grizzlies have been able to turn two-way contracts into studs, like Scotty Pippen Jr. and Cam Spencer, for example. The G League never means the end of a career; it can mean the opposite for someone like Pippen Jr. and Spencer, but for a former first-rounder with plenty of hype to end up in the G League shows that Prosper was falling apart long before the Mavs threw in the white towel.

Olivier-MaProsper's fall to a two-way contract tells the whole story

The Mavs could've done the same thing to allow Prosper to split time with Dallas and the Texas Legends, but it wasn't worth it for Jason Kidd and Nico Harrison. They have seen how Ryan Nembhard and Miles Kelly looked during the NBA Summer League, and their respective showings came with some hope for what more they can do in the future as they grow as players.

Keeping Prosper on a two-way with Dallas could've been an option, but it seems the project exploded thanks to a generational talent by the name of Cooper Flagg and the weapons he now has at his disposal. The Mavs were simply too loaded to keep Prosper, which isn't his fault by any means, but if there was any reason to keep him, Harrison would've.

The Mavs dropping Prosper wasn't particularly fair, but the fact is, it's never a guarantee for anyone in this league. A player is only as good as his last performance, and while it's unfair to put that on a young, promising wing like Prosper, he simply had to do a lot to keep his spot in the first place.

To be honest, Prosper's two-way deal in Memphis isn't a bad thing at all for his career. His development should be utilized properly, and a team with a history of success for two-way players is maybe all he needs. Prosper was a fan favorite, and there's no doubt fans will miss him. At the end of the day, it's all business, and that's why Prosper is now a Grizzly instead of a Maverick.

He'll have the chance to prove he belongs in the league on this two-way deal in Memphis, but it goes without saying that Prosper's career has not gone as expected. Going from a first-round pick to a two-way deal is a major fall from grace, and while Mavs fans will be rooting for him, his NBA career could be over before it starts if he doesn't take major strides in his development this season.