The Mavericks didn’t set out to create a backup point guard competition this summer, but that’s exactly what they’ve got in Las Vegas. Ryan Nembhard and Sergio De Larrea are both making a push behind Kyrie Irving, and the battle is becoming one of Dallas’ most watchable Summer League threads.
Nembhard has the early edge in experience, and he backed that up in Thursday’s 101-90 loss to Golden State. In 35 minutes, the second-year guard put up 15 points, 11 assists, three rebounds, a steal and a block, giving Dallas the kind of steady lead guard play that tends to stand out in this setting.
That showing wasn’t a surprise to the Mavericks’ staff. Assistant Joe Boylan described Nembhard as a luxury for a Summer League roster because of the way he can pressure the ball and control the tempo. Dallas has also already signaled where it stands on him, with the team set to pick up his $2.2 million option, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.
De Larrea, though, has brought a very different kind of intrigue. His route to Dallas was a little unusual: the Lakers took him 25th overall, sent his rights to the Knicks, and New York then moved him to the Mavericks. He signed his contract on July 3 and was in the Summer League starting lineup five days later.
His first box score in a Dallas uniform wasn’t eye-popping - nine points on 3-of-14 shooting, six rebounds and five assists - but the numbers didn’t tell the whole story. No Ceilings draft analyst Nathan Grubel said De Larrea looked better than the stat line suggested, pointing to his work away from the ball and calling him, along with first-round pick Morez Johnson Jr., one of Dallas’ bright spots.
The contrast between the two guards is obvious. Nembhard is the more traditional organizer, a proven playmaker with an NBA season already under his belt.
De Larrea is a 6-foot-7 creator who spent last season running pick-and-rolls and hitting more than 40% from three for Valencia in Spain. His handle was a little loose early, but he looked comfortable when asked to direct screens.
Dallas is back in action Saturday against the Lakers, and both guards should keep getting chances as the Mavericks sort out who handles the backup minutes behind Irving.
In Other News...
Mavericks Risk Wasting Their Best Chance To Fix A Growing Problem
The Mavericks still have real tools to address a roster issue that has been obvious for months, but the clock is ticking on whether they will actually use them. Dallas enters the next NBA season with a $20.8 million traded-player exception from the Anthony Davis deal and a non-taxpayer mid-level exception, a pair of mechanisms that could help reshape the back end of the roster if the front office chooses to act.
What makes the situation more pressing is the imbalance on the roster itself. The Mavericks are heavy on wings and short on reliable guard depth, a concern that only grows with Kyrie Irving coming off a torn ACL at 34. Dallas has already added Tarik Biberovic and Santi Aldama, but the bigger question is whether the team will lean on its exceptions or explore trades involving veterans such as Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, P.J. Washington or Daniel Gafford to finally correct the fit. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Suddenly Pulled Into Wild Kyrie Move That Could Reshape Everything
The summer rumor mill has found a way to drag Dallas into one of the leagues loudest what-ifs, with Cleveland emerging as one of the reported finalists for LeBron James if he decides to make a return. From there, the chatter has spiraled into a speculative sign-and-trade framework that would tie together James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Miami and the Mavericks in one sprawling deal, the kind of construction that instantly turns heads because of the names involved more than any actual traction behind it.
For Dallas, the intrigue is less about whether this is close to happening and more about how quickly a hypothetical can reshape the conversation around the franchise. The reported setup is still just that, a framework and not an active negotiation, but it underscores how often the Mavericks get pulled into league-wide star movement whenever Irving is part of the discussion. Even without anything official on the table, the idea alone is enough to keep Dallas fans watching the dominoes around Cleveland and Miami. [Read more 🡒]
Lakers Just Made A Strange Luka-Connected Move Mavericks Fans Will Notice
The Lakers quietly cleaned up a batch of old roster paperwork this week, officially renouncing the free agent rights to Jared Dudley and a long list of other former players. For Dallas fans, Dudleys name still carries a familiar ring because he spent time on the Mavericks bench after retiring from playing, and his path through the league has kept him connected to some of the same circles that once overlapped with Luka Doncic in Dallas.
The move is mostly procedural at this point, since Dudley has been out of the playing ranks for years and has long since moved into coaching. Still, it formally severs the last contractual tie between him and the Lakers, which is the kind of transaction that barely registers around the league but can catch the eye when a former Mavericks assistant shows up in the fine print. [Read more 🡒]