Mavericks Sign Tyler Smith, Waive Miles Kelly

Smith, 21, was the 33rd overall pick in the 2024 draft and spent his rookie season with the Bucks. However, he played a very limited role in Milwaukee, logging just 122 total minutes across 23 NBA appearances.

Smith played more regularly in the G League, averaging 25.1 minutes per contest across 25 outings for the Wisconsin Herd, but he didn’t put up big numbers for the Bucks’ NBAGL affiliate, averaging 10.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game with a .415/.327/.824 shooting line.

The victim of a roster crunch in Milwaukee, Smith was waived by the Bucks in October and entered the G League draft, where he was selected second overall by the Osceola Magic. The 6’9″ forward was subsequently traded to the Capital City Go-Go, Washington’s affiliate, appearing in eight games before his rights were acquired by the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

Smith signed a two-way contract with the Rockets in early December, but he didn’t appear in any NBA games prior to being cut in early January before his deal became guaranteed for the rest of the season. He has played 19 regular season games (27.0 MPG) with the Vipers, averaging 15.8 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.1 SPG and 1.1 BPG on .509/.391/.690 shooting.

Kelly, a 6’4″ shooting guard, spent his first three college seasons at Georgia Tech prior to transferring to Auburn in 2024/25. He went undrafted in June and quickly signed a two-way deal with Dallas.

Kelly has played a modest NBA role for the Mavs, averaging 3.1 points and 1.7 rebounds in 9.6 minutes per game across 14 appearances. The 23-year-old has spent much of 2025/26 in the G League with the Texas Legends, appearing in 26 games (32.5 MPG) and averaging 19.9 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.4 APG and 0.9 SPG while shooting 37.1% from three-point range on high volume (9.1 attempts).

As we noted in another story, Dallas has also finalized a two-way deal with John Poulakidas, a sharpshooting wing who had been playing for the San Diego Clippers.