The Mavericks moved quickly to fill their open two-way spot.
Feb 21, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Orlando Magic guard Jett Howard against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect The Dallas Mavericks waived Tyler Smith to open up a two-way spot on Monday evening, and they moved quickly to fill that spot.
Howard, a fourth-year player out of Michigan, was the 11th overall pick by the Orlando Magic in 2023 but hasn't really amounted to much. In 133 career games, he has averaged just 4.5 PPG.had him ranked as the 20th best player.
Yet they selected him ahead of players such as Dereck Lively II, Keyonte George, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. Jan 6, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Orlando Magic guard Jett Howard looks on during the second half against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Coming out of college, Howard was tabbed as a great shooter, as he shot 36.8% from three on more than 7 attempts per game in his lone season in Ann Arbor.
That has yet to translate to the NBA, as he has shot 32.6% from behind the arc in the league. Last season was his best shooting season, knocking down 37.2% of his outside shots, but he only appeared in 55 games for an average of 12.6 minutes per game. All you need to know about his career is that he should be on the fourth year of his rookie contract, but the Magic declined his team option last year.
He didn't do anything to prove he belongs in the NBA last year, and this could be his last legitimate chance. His father, Juwan Howard, played basically two seasons for the Mavericks, coming in at the 2001 trade deadline in a deal that brought in Howard, Courtney Booth, and Obinna Ekezie for Hubert Davis, Christian Laettner, Etan Thomas, and Loy Vaught.
A year later, he was traded to the Denver Nuggets as part of the package that brought in Nick Van Exel, Raef LaFrentz, and Avery Johnson. He signed back with the Mavs for the 2007-08 season. Many thought when this two-way spot opened up that the Mavericks would use it on Vsevolod Ishchenko, the 56th overall pick of the 2026 NBA Draft, who had some real flashes in the Summer League.
Now, his path to the NBA this year looks uncertain. They could always waive John Poulakidas, or maybe Howard disappoints in training camp and they waive him again, but we'll have to see what Ishchenko decides to do. In the meantime, the Mavericks take another gamble on a former lottery pick who can be a good shooter, which is something the Mavs need.
They've addressed shooting this offseason heavily by trading for Santi Aldama, Zaccharie Risacher, and Tarik Biberovic, but you can never have enough shooting. Although Howard played at Michigan, he did not cross paths with Dusty May or Morez Johnson, but the Michigan ties there probably don't hurt. Austin Veazey joined NoleGameday as the Lead Basketball Writer in 2019, while contributing as a football writer, and started as editor for MavericksGameday in 2024.
Veazey was a Florida State Men’s Basketball Manager from 2016-2019. Follow Austin on Twitter at @EasyVeazeyNG
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