4:34 pm: Robinson-Earl’s 10-day hardship contract is now official, per the Mavericks (Twitter link).
2:47 pm: The Mavericks have signed forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to a 10-day contract, reports Christian Clark of The Athletic (Twitter link). While Dallas has yet to formally confirm the agreement, Clark says it’s a done deal and that Robinson-Earl will be active on Thursday vs. Utah.
The Mavericks have a full 15-man standard roster but won’t need to waive anyone to make room for Robinson-Earl. They’ve been granted a hardship exception, Clark explains, allowing them to carry a 16th man for the time being.
A team qualifies for a hardship exception if it has at least four players who have missed three or more consecutive games and are expected to be sidelined for at least two more weeks. Big man Anthony Davis has now been out for three games due to his hand injury, so he meets that criteria, as do Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively II, and Dante Exum.
In addition to those players dealing with longer-term injuries, the Mavs may be missing a few more regulars on the wing and in the frontcourt on Thursday. Cooper Flagg (left ankle sprain) and Max Christie (illness) are considered doubtful to play, while Daniel Gafford (right ankle sprain) and P.J. Washington (right ankle injury management) are listed as questionable.
Robinson-Earl, 25, has appeared in 214 total regular season games for Oklahoma City, New Orleans, and Indiana since making his NBA debut in 2021. In 17 games for the Pacers earlier this season, the 6’8″ forward averaged 4.6 points and 5.2 rebounds in 17.6 minutes per night, but made just 34.9% of his field goal attempts, well below his career rate.
Robinson-Earl signed a pair of hardship 10-day contracts with Indiana in November, then was retained on a rest-of-season deal when those contracts expired. However, that new deal was non-guaranteed and he was later waived to make room on the 15-man roster for Garrison Mathews.
In recent weeks, Robinson-Earl – who was with the Mavericks during the preseason – joined the Texas Legends and has been a standout for Dallas’ G League affiliate. In 11 regular season outings at the NBAGL level, he has posted averages of 19.3 PPG and 11.7 RPG with improved shooting numbers (.522/.347/.944).
The Mavericks entered the day operating about $1.3MM below their second-apron hard cap. Robinson-Earl will carry a cap hit of $131,970, moving the team’s salary slightly closer to that ceiling.