The Dallas Mavericks are releasing trade-deadline pickup Tyus Jones. More roster decisions could be made before Sunday's buyout deadline.
The Dallas Mavericks have carried their recent string of losses through to the other side of the All-Star as Friday's blowout defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies now marks seven straight home losses and just two wins over their last 15.
With playoff contention not on the mind of the front office, it's now time to finalize the end-of-season roster, where we could see two moves to former trade-deadline acquisitions.
One decision has already been made as the Mavericks are releasing veteran guard Tyus Jones, who played in eight games for Dallas after he was brought in from the Malaki Branham flip after the Anthony Davis trade at the Feb. 5 deadline.
Jones' departure, as reported by ESPN's Shams Charania, has now allowed the Mavericks to convert two-way rookie Ryan Nembhard into a standard contract, officially inserting him into the future of the franchise with No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg (who remains out with an injured foot).
Nembhard has averaged 6.7 points and nearly five assists per game with the Mavs in between his duties with the G-League affiliate Texas Legends. Dallas head coach Jason Kidd has been cautious with his minutes as to not surpass the amount of NBA games he's allowed to play in on the two-way deal. The same mindset occurs for fellow two-way rookies Moussa Cisse and Miles Kelly.
Nembhard, however, offers the most potential out of the young trio and now earns a standard deal conversion that should make him an every-day role player to close out his first season.
This weekend, a more pressing deadline also looms for NBA champion Khris Middleton as the veteran decides his buyout fate, something the Mavericks are allowing him the freedom to explore.
Middleton, 34, could be interested in joining a playoff-bound team and be a steady presence on a team aiming for a championship here on the downward swing of his career.
Also acquired at the trade deadline in the Davis deal with the Washington Wizards, Middleton has had some good moments with the Mavs. He's averaged nearly 14 points in seven games suiting up for Dallas.
He and the Mavericks have until March 1 at 11:59 p.m. to determine if he will be bought out in Dallas or stick it out for the remainder of this season. After offering the opportunity for a buyout, the Mavs simultaneously told Middleton that there could be a place for him on next year's roster if he decides to stay.
Either way, the Mavs will have an extra roster spot making the turn toward the end of the schedule after Jones' release.
Just before the clock expires on Middleton's decision, the Mavericks host the Oklahoma City Thunder, who at 46-15 remain at the top of the Western Conference, on Sunday at 7 p.m. CST inside American Airlines Center.