Dallas fuels its "Michigan Mavs" transformation by snagging former lottery pick Jett Howard, reuniting the versatile wing with coach Dusty May to bolster the roster’s youthful upside.
DALLAS — The very busy Dallas Mavericks are at it again.
They waived 21-year-old wing Tyler Smith on Monday - nothing too surprising there - and then with the roster opening used their final two-way roster spot to sign Jett Howard.
This relatively minor move comes on the heels of the weekend trade that saw Dallas send Ryan Nembhard and a future second-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team swap that brought former No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher to Dallas.
What's the attraction to Howard here?
Well, for one thing, he played one season with the Michigan Wolverines - who were once coached by new Dallas boss Dusty May - before being taken with the 11th pick of the 2023 NBA Draft.
He played for three seasons in Orlando, and 133 games with the Magic, Howard has averaged 4.5 points and 1.2 rebounds in 11 minutes per game.
Last season he made a bit of a leap as the 6-8 former first-rounder was good for 5.5 points, 1.6 rebounds, 41.8% field goal shooting and 37.2% three-point shooting.
But the writing was probably on the wall for him before the season when Orlando declined Howard’s fourth-year team option.
That would make him an unrestricted free agent once the Magic’s season ended ...
Enter Dallas.
This move is obviously about upside. sho Howard is still just a 22-year-old with some explosive athletic ability.
And now, as he joins the Mavericks, Howard will work under May and alongside recent first-round pick Morez Johnson Jr., furthering the fun idea of the "Michigan Mavs.''
There is another connection in Dallas here, as Jett is the son of NBA veteran Juwan Howard, the former Mav who coached his son in Ann Arbor.
Howard now joins John Poulakidas and the 48th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, Tobi Lawal, as the Mavericks’ two-way players as the team preps for training camp in the fall.
