These might be steals for Dallas as undrafted free agents
Although the Dallas Mavericks did not trade back into the 2025 NBA Draft after selecting Cooper Flagg, they did do some work in the undrafted free agency pool. According to ESPN’s Jonathon Givony, Gonzaga guard Ryan Nembhard is joining the Mavs on a two-way contract.
Gonzaga’s Ryan Nembhard has agreed to a two-way contract with the Dallas Mavericks, a source told ESPN.
No. 59 prospect on the ESPN Top-100 led college basketball with 9.7 assists per game. pic.twitter.com/VCc030BXr8
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 27, 2025
Ryan Nembhard is the brother of current Indiana Pacer guard Andrew Nembhard. Ryan spent four years in college, first at Creighton before finishing his career in the Pacific Northwest with Gonzaga.
This is an outstanding pick up by the Mavericks organization. Ryan Nembhard is someone that I, and many others on this very site, have absolutely tried to wish cast to Dallas. Nembhard has the best floor game out of anyone in this entire draft class. Last year at Gonzaga, Ryan averaged nearly 10 assists per night for a Gonzaga team that was nowhere close to the vintage teams they’ve had in the past.
On top of that, Nembhard was an elite three point shooter last year for the Zags, shooting over 40% from long range. Again, this Gonzaga team did not have the spacing that they usually do, so these were by no means wide open looks. It will be interesting to see if he can continue to shoot the ball well as a pro, as he was only 35% from three over the course of his career. You can check out his career stats here.
If you need a quick introduction to who Nembhard is as a player, this should be a good starting point for you.
Also per ESPN’s Shams Charania, Auburn’s Miles Kelly will sign a two-way contract with the Mavs. Kelly is another four-year guy, spending his first three years in Atlanta at Georgia Tech before transferring to Auburn to finish out. Miles is mainly a marksman, as he took nearly 70% of his shots last year from 3, making 38% of them. Kelly also shot an impressive 91% from the foul line as a senior. Check out his career stats here.
These transactions leave Dallas with one available two-way contract spot available heading into the summer. Nembhard and Kelly, along with number one overall pick Cooper Flagg, figure to feature heavily on the Summer Mavs squad that will roll into Las Vegas two weeks from today. It should be a fun group to watch!