The Mavericks have signed this year’s lottery pick Dennis Smith Jr. to his first NBA contract, the team announced today in a press release. Smith is one of several first-round picks who has officially signed with his new club this week.
Smith, 19, was the fifth point guard selected in the 2017 draft, and the ninth player off the board overall. As the No. 9 pick, he’ll be in line for a $3.218MM salary in his rookie season, and his four-year rookie contract will be worth more than $17MM overall, assuming his third- and fourth-year options are exercised. His year-by-year salaries are outlined in our chart of this year’s rookie scale.
Smith, who played his first and only season of college ball at North Carolina State, averaged an impressive 18.1 PPG and 6.2 APG for the Wolfpack, shooting 50.9% from the field and chipping in 1.9 SPG.
Despite being linked to several free agent point guards this offseason, the Mavericks have stayed out of the fray so far this week. The team seems likely to pick up a veteran at some point, but the fact that the Mavs didn’t pursue any top-tier options suggests that they’re confident in Smith’s ability to take on a substantial role sooner rather than later.
He’ll be a bust.
Why?