Multiple Dallas Mavericks Summer League Players Sign NBA Contracts

The Dallas Mavericks won’t be playing for a championship in Las Vegas. Dallas players had lofty goals of bringing home an NBA Summer League title before heading to Nevada, but after losing their opener, the odds of making the playoffs were against them. With a 3-1 record, the Mavs will close Summer League with a consolation round game on Sunday.

While their dreams of hoisting a trophy at the conclusion of Summer League on Monday may be dashed, a few of the Mavericks players realized an even greater goal. They signed NBA contracts and will compete for playing time this coming season.

Two players on Dallas’ roster already had agreements to join the Mavericks. Dallas and undrafted guards Mike Miles Jr. and Jordan Walker — from TCU and UAB, respectively — agreed to deals shortly after the 2023 NBA Draft to put them in Mavericks jerseys.

Friday, the Mavericks officially announced the signing of Miles to a two-way contract. The team did not disclose terms of the deal, but two-way players earn half the rookie minimum salary — $559,782 — and split time between the NBA and G League. Two-way players can be active for up to 50 of their team’s 82 regular season games.

Miles has played in all of Dallas’ games in Vegas, starting the last two. He averages 12.2 points on 48.6% shooting and 28.6% from deep. He is also grabbing 2.5 rebounds and dishing 2.7 assists in 18 minutes per game.

The Mavericks haven’t officially announced Walker’s signing yet. However, Walker, nicknamed Jelly, agreed to a one-year deal with the team.

He had a standout performance Friday night against the Indiana Pacers. Walker scored 21 points and had eight assists in the blowout win. He is averaging 10 points, 1.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals in 15.5 minutes in three games.

Two of their teammates also landed deals this week. Dallas is signing guard Taze Moore to an Exhibit 10 contract, Mavericks Summer League head coach Jared Dudley announced Friday.

An Exhibit 10 contract is a one-year, minimum salary deal — usually non-guaranteed — that allows a team to convert the contract to a two-way before the start of the regular season. If the player is waived and signs with the team’s G League affiliate, they can earn a bonus of between $5,000 to $50,000 if they remain with that G League team for 60 days.

Moore played 24 games with the Texas Legends in the G League last season. In Summer League, he’s averaging 8.2 points on 66.7% shooting, 4.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 16.9 minutes. He has come off the bench in all four games.

Forward Braxton Key will also get a shot to prove himself in the NBA; it just won’t be with the Mavericks. Key signed a two-way contract with the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported.

Key’s signing came one day after he had an emphatic putback dunk to give Dallas an overtime win against the Golden State Warriors. In three games, he averaged 8.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals in 19.1 minutes.

“When I came to Summer League, [the priority was] to win games; we’re 3-1,” Dudley said Friday. “It was [also] to get people jobs, Braxton Key got a two-way [deal with Denver], and we just gave Taze Moore an Exhibit 10.”

The Mavericks may not be playing for a Summer League championship this year, but some players on the cusp of the NBA made the most out of their time in Las Vegas. They landed contracts and have a chance to play at the next level.