Mavericks have an offseason advantage due to forgotten contract moves

The Dallas Mavericks only have one vacant two-way contract slot to fill heading into next season, as Dallas signed Tyler Smith and John Poulakidas to two-year, two-way contracts back in March, so this gives the Mavericks a significant roster-building advantage this offseason. This is a wrinkle that many fans have forgotten about, as most two-way contracts are one-year deals.

Teams normally have to worry about filling all three of their two-way slots before the start of training camp, as this was the case with the Mavericks last summer, but Dallas only needs to find one more two-way contract player through Summer League or the draft. The Mavericks signing Smith and Poulakidas to two-year, two-way contracts is a slept-on move that fans didn't realize or talk about at first, but it gives them an advantage that most teams don't have in the two-way department.

Continuity is extremely important in the NBA, and Smith and Poulakidas developing into future rotation players would be huge for Dallas in this new era.

Poulakidas and Smith only leave one more two-way spot this summer

While this isn't anything too crazy, it's nice for Masai Ujiri and company to have one less thing to worry about, given all the attention that will be needed to Dallas' upcoming draft as well as their pursuit of a new head coach. Poulakidas and Smith played excellently in limited minutes down the stretch for the Mavericks as well, so there's no doubt Dallas completely aced getting both of those guys on two-year deals.

Poulakidas is the type of movement shooter and 3-and-D piece that any team would love to have, and Smith is extremely interesting as a slashing and lengthier wing, so they fit the mold of the type of young players Dallas wants to put around Cooper Flagg.

While Dallas' Summer League roster could turn into a gigantic battle for the last two-way slot now, it will certainly breed some competition this summer, which is never a bad thing in Summer League. It's hard to say who exactly is most likely to get Dallas' last two-way slot, as it very well could be a standout from the G League last season, or perhaps an overlooked prospect in the draft, or maybe even whoever Dallas drafts with the 48th pick this season.

This allows the Mavericks to focus their attention elsewhere

Nonetheless, it's a lot more work to worry about having to fill three of those slots as it is compared to just one, which gives Dallas' new front office the ability to really hone in on who the team can acquire via trades or free agency, as well as the draft.

It will be very interesting to see if Dallas can find another diamond in the rough from a two-way contract player once again this season, as Poulakidas and Smith were playing better than their contracts toward the end of the season, and Dallas has been hitting home runs with former two-way players in recent seasons, with Brandon Williams and Ryan Nembhard, for instance.

The Mavericks are just days away from the NBA Draft, and they'll be able to establish all of their focus on that, which is crucial considering they may be in a position to trade up or down. Perhaps Dallas will fill their final two-way slot after the end of the second round on June 24, or maybe they'll wait till the beginning of training camp next season, but only having to worry about filling one of those spots is a huge plus for a team that has a busy summer elsewhere ahead.

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