OCTOBER 15TH: Dallas has followed up with a formal announcement of the signing, via press release.
OCTOBER 7TH: The Mavs have signed undrafted point guard Yuki Togashi, according to the RealGM transactions log. The team has yet to make an official announcement, but Togashi’s agents with Cloud9 confirmed the deal to Ed Odeven of The Japan Times. Dallas is limited to handing out minimum-salary deals, but it’s unclear if there’s any guaranteed money involved for the 21-year-old.
The 5’7″ Togashi had been playing professionally in Japan for the Akita Northern Happinets since February 2013. He joined the Mavs summer league team in July, and Dallas apparently remains intrigued by the Japanese native who came to the U.S. and attended the same Maryland high school where Kevin Durant matriculated. Dean Murray, an assistant for the Mavs D-League affiliate, praised Togashi’s on-court decision-making but expressed concerns about his defense to Odeven after summer league ended in July.
It would seem the Mavs signed Togashi with the D-League in mind, since they’d already been carrying 15 fully guaranteed contracts. The move brings Dallas to the 20-man preseason roster limit, but the Mavs can retain the D-League rights to up to four of the players they cut before opening night, and it seems likely they’ll do so with Togashi.