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The Dallas Mavericks Are Looking For Extra Options In Summer League Players

By Cole Mentzel

Mar 28, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Brandon Ashley (21) controls the ball against Wisconsin Badgers during the second half in the finals of the west regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 28, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Brandon Ashley (21) controls the ball against Wisconsin Badgers during the second half in the finals of the west regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Dallas Mavericks have continued to build their team for the 2015-16 season after losing out on DeAndre Jordan this summer.

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Mark Cuban remains committed to not tanking by signing players such as Wesley Matthews and Deron Williams to deals for the upcoming season, but that’s not the only thing the Mavs have been doing. In the past few weeks, they have signed four Summer League players to deals and are continuing to throw offers out there.

If we take a look at the Mavs roster with players we know will make it, this is what it looks like:

That only leaves space for one more small forward, so why do the Mavs keep on signing undrafted players who most likely won’t make the final roster? The answer to that question is simple: the Mavs want options.

The Mavs currently have a mindset of bringing in more contracts than they can have on a final roster and letting them battle it out in training camp. They are thinking that there could end up being players like John Jenkins, Jeremy Evans or Dwight Powell that either have to beat out other players or end up getting beat out by other players. The bottom line is that the Mavs are just trying to get all the options they can to build the best roster they can since things didn’t work out in free agency again.

As I stated above, the Mavs have been busy signing players to partially guaranteed contracts and a few of them may be familiar names for college basketball fans.

They started things off by signing 6’11” forward Jarrid Famous, who went underrated in 2011 and bounced around in the D-League and overseas before landing his deal with the Mavericks. He played college ball with the University of South Florida from 2009-2011. Famous is only 27 years old, so he may have the opportunity to fix his game before hitting his peak.

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Next, the Mavs inked Maurice Ndour to a deal. Ndour was a standout player with the Knicks in Summer League this year, averaging nearly 10 points and five rebounds a game. Ndour is 23 years old and played college basketball for Ohio then went undrafted this season. He is 6’9″ and is an explosive player who will most likely be battling with players like Jeremy Evans during training camp this year.

To finish things off, they signed both Brandon Ashley and Jamil Wilson. Ashley is another 6’9″ forward who had a decent Summer League showing. He played at Arizona and eventually went to the draft after his junior year. Wilson is 6’7″ and played for Marquette. He is also an undrafted player like the others mentioned.

The Mavs have also been rumored to have offered Tunisian center Salah Mejri a deal. Mejri is a giant, standing at 7’1″ and the Mavs are hoping a three-year deal is enough to bring him over to the United States for training camp.

Though the Mavs nearly have a fully guaranteed roster, they are still signing partially guaranteed contracts just to come in and show them what they have to offer. It’s unlikely that any of the partially guaranteed players will actually make the final roster but if they show up in training camp and show signs of nice play, they very well could bump someone who could’ve been destined for a bench role.

One thing is certain: From the center position to the bench roles, training camp in Dallas is going to be VERY competitive and entertaining this season.

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