The Dallas Mavericks made three roster moves earlier today. With the March 4 deadline to sign players to minor league contracts fast approaching, the Mavericks inked Tyler Smith and John Paulakidas to two-way deals, per Michael Scotto of HoopHype.com. Scotto added that the Mavs released Miles Kelly to make room.
“The Dallas Mavericks have signed forward Tyler Smith and guard John Poulakidas to two-way contracts. In addition, the Mavericks have waived two-way guard Miles Kelly,” Scotto tweeted.
Mavericks Make 3 Roster Moves Before Deadline, Yale Product Earns The Ivy League Program’s 6th Ever NBA Contract
Smith has one year of NBA experience, while 2025-26 is Paulakidas’s first professional season. Both players were in the G League before inking their deals with the Mavericks.
Tyler Smith
Smith was with the Rio Grand Valley Vipers, the affiliate of the Houston Rockets, before signing with Dallas. Smith also played for the Washington Wizards’ affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go’s, this season. The No. 33 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft saw a total of 122 minutes in 23 minutes for the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2024-25 campaign.
Smith was the No. 2 pick in this year’s G-League draft by the Osceola Magic. But, the Magic immediately traded him to Capital City w, where he played eight games before being called up by the Rockets. While the 6-9 forward didn’t appear in a game for the Rockets, they were impressed enough by Smith to acquire his G-League rights.
Smith can play either the 3 or the 4. Smith was signed as a developmental prospect whose defense is ahead of his offense, and he has a high motor. He can guard on the wings or switch onto too small power forwards. While not known for his offensive prowess, he excels at cutting and in transition and can knock down open threes.
Smith has played exceptionally well for the RVG. Overall, Smith averages 14.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.0 steals in 27 games. He also knocked down 1.9 threes with shooting splits of 48.1/35.1/73.8. In addition, he has totaled nine double-doubles and six contests of at least 20 points.
While Smith projects to spend most of his time with the G-League’s Texas Legends, he could see some time with Dallas due to their injuries.
John Paulakidas
Paulakidas went undrafted out of Yale, though the 6-6 wing hooked up with the Los Angeles Clippers for the summer league, where he struggled. He also spent training camp with the Clippers and was then assigned to the Clippers’ G-League affiliate in San Diego.
Paulakidas is known for his shooting prowess. Paulakidas possesses a quick release and deep range, though he is not just a catch-and-shoot marksman. The 22-year-old excels at reading defenses, cutting at the right moment, and is very good at relocating on drives to give teammates easy passing angles. He also competes on the defensive end, though he doesn’t get to the foul line much.
Paulakidas averages 14.3 points, 3.3 threes, and 3.8 rebounds with shooting splits of 46.5/45.1/65. He has scored in double-figures in 22 of his 37 appearances, topping the 20-point mark eight times.
Paulakidas and Smith are eligible to be active in 12 NBA games this year. Moussa Cisse is theMavericks’s third player on a two-way deal.
Paulakidas is the sixth player from Yale to sign an NBA contract. Danny Wolf, Miye Oni, Tony Lavelli, Butch Graves, and Chris Dudley are the other former Bulldogs. Wolf spent two years at Yale before transferring to Michigan.
Miles Kelly
Kelly split time between the Legends and the Mavericks this year. The 6-4 wing, who went undrafted out of Georgia Tech this year, was very good in the G-League. He also appeared in 14 games, seeing 10 minutes a game, though he struggled with efficiency. The 23-year-old averaged 3.1 points and 1.7 rebounds with shooting splits of 36.4/30.3/1.000. He scored nine points on two occassions.
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