Mavericks finally pull off rumored move to secure key piece of the Cooper Flagg era

On Saturday morning, the Dallas Mavericks finally made the move that fans have been waiting for. After waiving Tyus Jones, they converted Ryan Nembhard’s two-way contract to a two-year standard deal, sources told The Smoking Cuban.

This move has been rumored for months, and the Mavericks have officially locked down a key piece of the upcoming Cooper Flagg era. Dallas signed him to a two-way deal following the 2025 NBA Draft, and it didn’t take him long to prove that he deserved to be drafted.

Dallas waives Jones to secure Nembhard for the Flagg era

The Mavericks knew that they had a steal in Nembhard right away, and him getting a standard contract before he even completes his rookie year shows how well he’s played this season.

This growth, though, didn’t come without hours in the gym.

Right after he arrived to Dallas, he began working with renowned player development coach and current recruiting coordinator at SMU, Jeremie Hart. The two build a special bond right away, and Nembhard knew that he was the right trainer for him if he wanted to take his game to the next level after signing with Dallas.

Hart’s focus on helping Nembhard improve all areas of his game has paid off massively, and he couldn’t be more proud of the rookie guard.

“From the first time I met him I could tell how much he loves the game and how much he loves to work,” Hart told The Smoking Cuban. “He would come work out with me at 6 AM sometimes and late at night in between his responsibilities with the Mavs. The credit goes to him and his sacrifice to gain a competitive edge while getting better. He is an example of why my saying is “Trust Your Work” because that’s exactly what he did and it’s paying off!”

In 38 games for Dallas, Nembhard is averaging 6.7 points and 4.9 assists per game while shooting 37.9 percent from downtown. The Mavericks no longer have to worry about conserving his games anymore (since he was approaching the 50-game limit for two-way players), and they can fully unleash him ahead of next season.

With Jones gone, Nembhard and Brandon Williams have sole control of Dallas’ point guard spot. This is how things were earlier this season, and Jason Kidd can now experiment with Nembhard as much as possible in an effort to see what his future role will look like.

He has already shown that he will be a rotation player in today’s NBA at the very least, and him developing into a high-end bench player would change everything for Dallas. This would solidify himself as a key building block alongside Flagg, and they’d have the chance to be a special duo for Dallas moving forward.

Flagg and Nembhard have a bright future ahead

Nembhard and Flagg formed a special on-court connection immediately during NBA Summer League, and fans should be excited to see how they grow together moving forward. Flagg is expected to miss some additional time as he recovers from a left midfoot sprain, but as soon as he returns, we should see him and Nembhard pick up right where they left off.

Nembhard is always looking to get his teammates involved, and having at least one pass-first point guard on your squad is important when building a roster. He takes pride in making the right play over and over again, and this is exactly why he and Flagg mesh so well.

Both players are all about winning and putting their teammates above themselves, and these are the exact types of players that Dallas is looking to bring in as they kick off this new era next season. They want players that bring toughness, selflessness, and strong defense, and Nembhard brings several of these qualities.

He outplayed his two-way contract almost immediately for Dallas, and waiving Jones to sign him was an excellent move. Jones never looked like he was going to be a long-term fit in Dallas to begin with, and the Mavericks just made sure that Nembhard couldn’t hit free agency after this season.