Mavericks Notes: Flagg, Nembhard, Robinson-Earl, Coaching Staff
Cooper Flagg, the top pick in the draft, started at point guard in the Mavericks’ last two preseason games. Will head coach Jason Kidd keep him there? It’s uncertain, but Kidd liked what he saw, according to Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal.
“There’s a lot of good, positive stories here, and so we have some time to make a decision,” Kidd said. “But I think [Flagg] has done an incredible job of handling the situation of running the team. The other thing that I think is going unnoticed is that his teammates enjoy him running the team.”
Flagg averaged 12.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game across those two starts. The 6’8” forward struggled to defend the Lakers’ Gabe Vincent, who knocked down five three-pointers in the first five minutes on Wednesday.
“No matter if you’re 6-4, 6-2 or 6-8, when you’re in a pick-and-roll in this league against guys who know how to run the pick-and-roll, it’s hard,” Kidd said, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “It becomes a two-man game, and we’ll get better at that. But [with] his competitiveness, he’s going to figure it out sooner than later, and the more he’s in these situations, I think the long run he’s going to benefit.”
Here’s more on the Mavs:
- The summer addition of Ryan Nembhard on a two-way deal was met with little fanfare, but he could be part of the early-season rotation due to his strong preseason play, Afseth writes. Nembhard racked up 20 assists, compared to two turnovers, in 64 minutes. “He is steady,” Kidd said. “[He] understands how to play the game. Ryan is a point guard who sets the table. In the games that we have put him in a different rotation spot, he has had success finding guys. Even when we talk about misses, we’re getting great looks with him running the show. He is steady, gets us organized, and our pace does not drop off when he is at the point guard.”
- The team waived Jeremiah Robinson-Earl on Thursday but not before he made a strong impression on Kidd. “When you talk about him being a pro — he should be on an NBA roster,” Kidd told Afseth. “When you look at what he does, he’s consistent. He comes to work every day and does his job. He can shoot it, he can pass it, he can defend. It’s really sad that he’s not on an NBA roster for whatever reason.”
- The assistant coaching staff this season includes two former head coaches, Frank Vogel and Jay Triano, plus highly-respected Popeye Jones, Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News notes. They were all added during the offseason, with Vogel sporting the reputation of being a defensive mastermind and Triano considered an offensive savant. “We feel that we have a championship staff that can compete at a high level to help our younger players become the stars that we all think they can become,” Kidd said. In an interview with The Athletic’s Dan Woike, Vogel recalls leading the Lakers to a championship in the Florida “bubble” during the COVID-19 season.
Hornets Sign, Waive Eric Dixon
October 18: Ahead of the roster cutdown deadline, the Hornets have waived Dixon, they announced today (via Twitter).
October 8: The Hornets have filled the open spot on their 21-man preseason roster by signing rookie forward Eric Dixon, the team announced today (Twitter link).
Among this year’s draft-eligible players who went unselected in June, Dixon was the top prospect on ESPN’s big board, having been ranked 44th overall prior to the draft. The 6’8″ lefty led all Division I players in scoring in 2024/25, putting up 23.3 points per game on .451/.407/.813 shooting splits in 35 appearances for Villanova (34.8 MPG). He also chipped in 5.1 rebounds per contest en route to third-team All-American honors.
Dixon reportedly agreed to a two-way contract with the Lakers after going undrafted, but when he officially joined the team a month later, it was on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal. Health concerns were believed to be a factor there — Dixon wasn’t able to participate in Summer League due to a foot injury, and his contract with the Lakers included injury language related to his foot.
Still, after he was waived by the Lakers last month, it seemed like the plan would be for Dixon to join the South Bay Lakers, Los Angeles’ G League affiliate. Whether that plan fell through or he got an offer from Charlotte that he liked more, the 24-year-old now seems more likely to end up with the Greensboro Swarm, the Hornets’ G League team, as an affiliate player.
Assuming Dixon got an Exhibit 10 contract from Charlotte, he could earn a bonus worth up to $85,300 on top of his base G League salary if he’s waived by the Hornets and then spends at least 60 days with the Swarm. An Exhibit 10 deal could also be converted to a two-way contract prior to the start of the regular season, though all three of the Hornets’ two-way slots are currently filled.
Pacers Waive Gabe McGlothan, Jalen Slawson
The Pacers have waived forwards Gabe McGlothan and Jalen Slawson, according to a team press release. In subsequent moves, Indiana signed guard Kyle Guy and forward Ray Spalding to Exhibit 10 contracts, with an eye toward having them join the Noblesville Boom.
McGlothan, who was signed to a camp deal last month, was on the Nuggets’ training camp roster in 2024 but was waived before opening night. He spent the season with the Grand Rapids Gold of the G League, averaging 8.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 42 games. McGlothan went undrafted after playing four collegiate seasons at Grand Canyon and was on Dallas’ Summer League roster this July.
Slawson, who joined the Pacers on a camp contract in early July, spent last season with the Osceola Magic in the G League. He appeared in 50 games at that level, averaging 12.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 30.1 minutes per contest. The 25-year-old was on the Sixers’ Summer League squad in July.
Indiana’s intent to sign Guy was previously reported. The Boom acquired Spalding’s returning rights from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (the Rockets’ affiliate) in exchange for a 2026 first-round pick earlier this month.
McGlothan and Slawson will likely wind up with the Boom. All four players could earn bonuses worth up to $85,300 if they stay with Indiana’s affiliate for at least 60 days.
Mavs Convert Moussa Cisse To Two-Way Deal
11:50 am: The Mavericks have officially converted Cisse to a two-way contract, the team announced today (via Twitter). He’ll be eligible for restricted free agency next summer if he finishes the season on that deal.
10:27 am: The Mavericks are converting Moussa Cisse‘s Exhibit 10 contract into a two-way deal, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.
Cisse was signed in early July after going undrafted and obviously made a strong enough impression to earn a promotion.
The 6’11” Cisse will add a shot-blocking presence for the Mavericks, though he’ll likely spend a lot of time in the G League this season. The big man appeared in three preseason games and rejected seven shot attempts in 34 minutes.
Cisse started and ended his college career at Memphis, sandwiching stints with Oklahoma State and Ole Miss. The Guinean center blocked 1.7 shots per game in 150 career college contests despite averaging fewer than 20 minutes per game.
The addition of Cisse will round out the team’s two-way slots. Guards Ryan Nembhard and Miles Kelly possess the other two-way deals.
Warriors Waive Seth Curry, LJ Cryer
The Warriors have made a pair of cuts, announcing in a press release that they’ve placed guards Seth Curry and LJ Cryer on waivers (Twitter link).
The decision to waive Curry, who was in camp on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 contract, had been expected. While Golden State reportedly wants to have Stephen Curry‘s brother on its roster, the team is hard-capped at the second tax apron and isn’t currently in position to carry a 15th man.
The younger Curry is expected to return to the team at some point within the first couple months of the season, tweets Anthony Slater of ESPN. The Warriors could bring the 12-year veteran back by mid-November but could opt to wait a little longer than that in order to give themselves a little additional flexibility below their hard cap for the rest of the season.
Cryer, meanwhile, had a solid preseason with Golden State, averaging 5.0 points, 1.8 assists, and 1.6 rebounds in 9.6 minutes per game across five outings. It seemed as if the undrafted rookie out of Houston might be making a case for a two-way deal, but today’s move suggests the plan is likely for him to join the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s G League affiliate, assuming he clears waivers.
Cryer would earn a bonus worth $85,300 if he spends at least 60 days with Santa Cruz.
The Warriors now have 14 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals.
Bulls’ Zach Collins Undergoes Wrist Surgery, Out At Least One Month
Bulls big man Zach Collins underwent surgery on Friday to repair a non-displaced fracture in his left wrist, the team announced (Twitter link). He’ll be reevaluated in four weeks.
Collins, 27, was projected to be Nikola Vucevic‘s primary backup at center, so Chicago’s frontcourt depth will be significantly impacted by his injury during the early going.
Collins was included in the three-team blockbuster trade last February among the Bulls, Spurs and Kings. That was the deal in which Zach LaVine wound up in Sacramento and De’Aaron Fox headed to San Antonio.
He appeared in 28 games, including eight starts, after the deal and averaged 6.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 19.7 minutes per game. Collins has appeared in 378 regular season games over the course of a career that began in Portland during the 2017/18 season.
Collins has an $18.1MM expiring contract, which figures to make him a trade candidate this season.
Pelicans Waive Christian Shumate
Camp invitee Christian Shumate has been waived by the Pelicans, the team announced today (Twitter link).
Shumate went undrafted this June after spending his final four college seasons at McNeese State. While the 6’6″ forward made just 26.9% of his three-pointers and 51.2% on free throws over the course of his college career, he was an All-Southland selection in each of his four years with the Cowboys and won the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year award in both 2024 and 2025.
In 35 games as a senior last season, Shumate averaged 10.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 27.6 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .623/.309/.423. He helped the Cowboys reach the NCAA tournament for the second straight year — they upset Clemson in the first round before falling to Purdue.
Shumate made three appearances during the preseason for the Pelicans, averaging 4.0 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 6.1 MPG. His next step will likely be the Birmingham Squadron, New Orleans’ G League affiliate. He’ll earn a $50K bonus on top of his base G League salary if he spends at least 60 days with the Squadron.
The Pelicans now have 18 players under contract — 14 on guaranteed deals, Jaden Springer on an Exhibit 9 agreement, and three on two-way contracts.
Hawks Waive Charles Bassey, Lamont Butler
The Hawks have waived Charles Bassey and Lamont Butler, ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk tweets. The moves reduce the Hawks’ standard roster count to 14 players, one below the maximum.
Bassey was signed to an Exhibit 10 contract prior to training camp. Butler was added to the roster once again earlier this week on a camp deal after being waived in late September.
Bassey was selected by Philadelphia with the 53rd pick in the 2021 draft. He was cut after one year with the Sixers and signed in San Antonio, where he played for the past three seasons.
Injuries were an issue for Bassey during his time with the Spurs — his 2022/23 season was cut short due to a non-displaced patella fracture, then he suffered a season-ending ACL tear in December 2023. The 24-year-old appeared in 36 games in 2024/25, averaging 4.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in 10.4 minutes per night.
Butler, a 6’2″ guard who played his final college season at Kentucky, averaged 11.4 PPG and 4.3 RPG while shooting 39.1% from three as a fifth-year senior. He went undrafted in June.
Both players could wind up with the College Park Skyhawks, the Hawks’ G League affiliate.
Atlanta has only 10 players with fully guaranteed salaries. Vit Krejci and N’Faly Dante have partially guaranteed deals while Caleb Houstan and Mouhamed Gueye have non-guaranteed contracts. Youngmisuk confirms that Dante will make the Hawks’ regular season roster; the other three players without fully guaranteed salaries also look well positioned to make the team.
Grizzlies Sign DeJon Jarreau, Waive Lawson Lovering
The Grizzlies have signed guard DeJon Jarreau and waived center Lawson Lovering, according to a team press release (Twitter link). Terms weren’t made available but Jarreau likely received a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal, as Memphis already has 15 players on guaranteed contracts.
Jarreau appeared in 10 games as a reserve in two NBA seasons (2021/22 and ’23/24) with the Pacers and Grizzlies, averaging 4.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 15.1 minutes. The 27-year-old, who went undrafted in 2021 out of Houston, played with Indiana on a two-way deal and with Memphis on a pair of 10-day contracts.
The New Orleans native also has competed in 67 total games (27 starts) in two seasons with the NBA G League’s Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Texas Legends, Capital City Go-Go and Memphis Hustle, averaging 13.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.0 steals in 23.9 minutes per contest at the NBAGL level.
Lovering was signed by Memphis on an Exhibit 10 deal in early September. He played four preseason games for the Grizzlies and averaged 2.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 9.5 minutes. The 22-year-old Wyoming native went unselected in the 2025 draft after his final collegiate season at Utah.
Lovering will probably head to the Memphis Hustle, the team’s G League affiliate, where he’ll be eligible for a bonus worth $50,000 if spends at least 60 days with the club. Jarreau will likely wind up getting waived and joining the Hustle as well.
Wizards Waive Kadary Richmond, Alondes Williams
The Wizards have waived guards Kadary Richmond and Alondes Williams, the team’s PR department tweets. Both players were signed to non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contracts earlier this week.
Richmond, a 6’5″ guard, played at St. John’s last year after spending one season with Syracuse and three with Seton Hall. He earned second team All-Big East honors last season after averaging 12.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.0 steals in 36 games.
Williams has appeared in nine total games over the past three seasons while on two-way contracts with Brooklyn, Miami and Detroit.
Both players will likely end up with the Capital City Go-Go, Washington’s G League affiliate — their Exhibit 10 contracts make them eligible for bonuses worth up to $85,300 if they spend at least 60 days with the team.