Mavericks Waive Tyus Jones, Promote Ryan Nembhard on Two-Year Deal
The Dallas Mavericks have moved to waive tyus jones and will sign two-way guard Ryan Nembhard to a new two-year contract, a shift that immediately opens a 15-man roster spot and changes both players’ postseason and eligibility outlooks. The decision comes as the club searches for backcourt consistency amid a slide in recent results.
Tyus Jones Waiver and Roster Effects
The Mavericks’ decision to waive tyus jones follows his arrival as a late addition to the Anthony Davis trade earlier this season. Jones, 29, appeared in seven games for Dallas, averaging 15. 9 minutes, 3. 6 points and 3. 7 assists in that span. Waiving him before the end of the day on Sunday preserves his playoff eligibility with any team that signs him next, and it simultaneously frees the Mavericks’ 15th roster slot.
Jones arrives in Dallas after a long NBA tenure; he is an 11th-year veteran with career averages of 7. 3 points, 4. 3 assists and just 0. 8 turnovers in 20. 7 minutes across 738 regular-season games. Earlier this season he had a limited role with another club, producing 3. 1 points and 2. 6 assists with subpar shooting splits in that bench assignment. The roster move will allow the Mavericks to clear space to reconfigure how they deploy ball-handling minutes down the stretch.
Ryan Nembhard Two-Year Contract
’s Shams Charania stated that Dallas is signing Ryan Nembhard to a two-year standard contract after the club had carried him on a two-way deal. As a rookie on a two-way, Nembhard has averaged 9. 9 points and 6. 1 assists in his starts, shot 44. 4% from three in 17 starts, and has appeared in 38 games overall this season.
Nembhard’s promotion would remove the 50-game activation cap tied to his two-way status, a practical change that would allow him to be available without the previous games-played restriction. He had been active for 44 games this season and logged a stretch of 33 consecutive appearances from late November through early February before being inactive since February 5. Converting him to a standard contract would also permit the club to fill the vacated two-way slot before the March 4 deadline for two-way signings.
What makes this notable is the immediate operational flexibility it provides: by converting Nembhard, the Mavericks both secure a young, demonstrably productive guard on a longer deal and gain the ability to reassign two-way resources where needed for the stretch run.
Timing, Team Form and Next Steps
The timing matters because the Mavericks have lost 12 of their last 14 games and face a challenging schedule, including a matchup against the defending champion Thunder on Saturday. With the club seeking answers at the point of attack, promoting Nembhard — who has shown scoring and creation ability in 17 starts — is a clear attempt to alter the backcourt dynamic.
Marc Stein noted that the waiver will open a roster spot that the Mavericks are likely prepared to use immediately. If Dallas converts Nembhard’s deal in the coming days, the team can then back-fill the two-way position before the league’s deadline, while Jones will be free to pursue a spot on a playoff-eligible roster.
The moves — waiving a veteran floor general and upgrading a two-way playmaker to a standard contract — represent an explicit roster recalibration by the Mavericks in response to recent results and availability constraints. For now, the immediate change is concrete: one veteran waived, one rookie elevated to a two-year standard contract, and a clearer path to managing two-way slots ahead of the March 4 cutoff.
