Yesterday, it was announced that the Dallas Mavericks will be signing former guard Dennis Smith Jr. to a training camp deal (an Exhibit-9), as the Mavericks already have their 15-man roster completely filled, but want to give Smith Jr. an opportunity to compete for a spot, as well as give themselves the ability to retain his G League rights.
Smith Jr. will need to ball out on both sides of the ball in training camp to have any sort of chance to bypass a current member of the roster, but it's clear that Brandon Williams will pose as the most likely candidate for Smith Jr. to be able to surpass, as Williams is only on a partially guaranteed deal heading into next season.
This isn't to say that Smith Jr. will actually win out in training camp over Williams, especially since Williams balled out toward the end of the last season and has been with the organization for nearly two seasons now, but Williams' position on a partially guaranteed deal puts him in the most jeopardy of losing his spot to Smith Jr. out of anyone on the roster.
The Mavericks could also explore waiving someone like Dante Exum in the possibility that both Williams and Smith Jr. have stellar training camps, but it's undeniable that it'd be far easier financially for Dallas to cut Williams instead. Considering how dynamic a playmaker and three-level scorer Williams proved to be last season, Smith Jr. will be fighting an uphill battle to overtake him for the final roster spot.
Smith Jr. is easily a better athlete and defender compared to Williams, but with Kyrie Irving out of the lineup, Dallas needs shot creation at a premium, and this is something Williams projects to be able to supply in a more consistent fashion compared to Smith Jr.
Last season, Smith Jr. signed with the G League's Wisconsin Herd, but never appeared in a single game for the squad, and he later signed with Luka Doncic's former EuroLeague squad in Real Madrid, but played minimally throughout only two contests with the club.
At 27 years old, this could be one of Smith Jr.'s final cracks at proving he belongs in the NBA, so while it's undeniable that the Mavericks need someone with Williams' skillset more so than Smith Jr.'s, Smith Jr. will be coming into this training camp and preseason with the ultimate chip on his shoulder.
Smith Jr.'s main reason for fizzling out of the league was his inability to develop a consistent jumper, even in the midrange area, and he will have to prove to be at least semi-consistent in training camp if he wants to impress the coaching staff enough to override someone like Williams or Exum.
Being that Smith Jr. is a high profile point-of-attack defender, it'd be much more logical for the Mavericks to cut someone like Exum instead of Williams, as fans have been hopeful the 25-year-old Williams can continue to blossom into a more consistent role for the Mavericks next season, with some even thinking he could surpass D'Angelo Russell as the first backup point guard off the bench once Irving returns.
However, the financial stipulations of cutting Williams over someone on a veteran minimum contract like Exum are clear, and it'd take both Williams and Smith Jr. having absurdly efficient training camps for Dallas to ultimately retain both of them heading into the season.
Smith Jr. is a fan-favorite from his time in Dallas, as that was the best basketball he's played in his NBA career, but Williams is a budding fan-favorite as well, so the Mavericks will have to choose meticulously on this decision once training camp ends considering how high the stakes are for proven guard talent with Irving out of the lineup for an extended period of time.