The Mavericks have moved on from Tyler Smith, waiving the young forward from his two-way contract after a Summer League that didn’t go the way anyone expected. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported the move, which clears a two-way roster spot for Dallas.
Smith went to Las Vegas as one of the Mavericks’ more anticipated summer pieces, projected for a real rotation role and possibly a starting job. It never came together. He made little impact off the bench in the first two games, sat out the next two entirely, and appeared disengaged in the finale even while putting up numbers. Dallas closed its Summer League slate at 3-2.
The turning point, according to Noah Weber of The Smoking Cuban, was Smith showing up late to a film session in Las Vegas. After that, it became clear he had lost the trust of the coaching staff, which made the waiver more of a formality than a surprise.
A Bumpy Road So Far
The release is another setback in a career that hasn’t found stable footing. Smith was the 33rd overall pick in the 2024 draft by Milwaukee, but he lasted only one season with the Bucks before being waived ahead of 2025-26. He caught on with the Houston Rockets on a two-way deal in December, spent about a month there, and then signed with Dallas in late February. He appeared in 12 games for the Mavericks last season, averaging 4.7 points and 2.8 rebounds after joining late.
Filling the Open Spot
Dallas didn’t leave the vacancy open for long. The Mavericks quickly signed wing Jett Howard to a two-way deal to take the slot, adding a former lottery pick as depth. The front office does have other young talent to keep an eye on, including 56th overall pick Vsevolod Ishchenko, who impressed in Vegas and remains unsigned as a candidate to bring over down the line. With the backcourt thinned out after the Ryan Nembhard trade, Dallas has options to keep shaping the back end of its roster through the rest of the offseason.
