Correction 2026-07-19: Dallas traded Nembhard to Atlanta in the three-team deal that sent Luguentz Dort from Oklahoma City to the Hawks and Zaccharie Risacher to the Mavericks; OKC took back three second-round picks to get under the second tax apron. Nembhard's guaranteed $2.15M made him the matching piece, not the target. Everything below the projection table about the Dallas opportunity is preserved as history; the projection itself was rebuilt. In Atlanta he sits behind CJ McCollum, Kingston Flemings, Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Devin Carter, and Atlanta's own beat coverage expects him to be re-routed, waived, or developed in College Park rather than handed a rotation role. HoopsRumors · NBA.com · SI Hawks grade
2026-27 projection
| GP | MPG | FG% (FGA) | FT% (FTA) | 3PM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | 11 | .425 (3.4) | .780 (0.5) | 0.6 | 3.8 | 1.2 | 3.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.8 |
Correction 2026-07-19: cut from 62 GP × 15 MPG to 38 × 11, and the line is conditional on surviving Atlanta's roster crunch at all. The July 18 correction that raised him was Dallas-specific — it keyed on Brandon Williams's vacated 22.2 MPG and Kyrie Irving's rehab. Neither applies in Atlanta, where the trade pushes the Hawks to 17 standard contracts and Nembhard is the most waivable of them. He carries zero base minutes in the Atlanta 240 model.
Correction 2026-07-18 (superseded, Dallas context): raised from 50 GP × 10 MPG to 62 × 15. The prior line halved a retained rookie's minutes while the depth in front of him decreased. Brandon Williams, who took 22.2 MPG across 66 games in 2025-26, is an unsigned unrestricted free agent and off the roster (ESPN Dallas roster, accessed July 18, 2026), and Dallas exercised Nembhard's 2026-27 option on June 29.
Nembhard's rookie baseline was 6.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists with 1.4 turnovers in 19.5 minutes across 60 games. His assist-to-turnover shape is much more fantasy-relevant than his 41.5% FG or low stocks.
Fantasy translation
- Nine-category: undraftable in Atlanta; an assists-only streamer if injuries or a re-route ever hand him 20-plus minutes.
- Points: no value without minutes, and Atlanta has none to give.
- Dynasty: deep hold at age 23. The passing is NBA-useful, but size and scoring pressure limit the ceiling, and the trade removed the one depth chart where he had a lane.
Role, floor, ceiling, uncertainty
- Median role: third-string organizer behind McCollum and Flemings, with G League (College Park) reps a live possibility.
- Floor: waived or re-routed before opening night — Atlanta sits at 17 standard contracts against a 15-man limit, and his $2.15M is the easiest salary to move.
- Ceiling: an injury to McCollum or a Flemings stumble makes him a 18-20-minute assists specialist; his 27-start Dallas template (25.7 MPG, 6.8 AST) is the proof of concept.
- Contract: $2.15M guaranteed for 2026-27; Dallas exercised the option June 29 before including him in the July 19 trade.
Sources
- Mavericks exercise Nembhard's option — official release, June 29, 2026.
- Mavericks sign Nembhard to multiyear contract — official release, March 1, 2026.
- Dallas 2025-26 game notes — official 60-game baseline; accessed July 18, 2026.
Career record
Pre-NBA: Four college seasons, two at Creighton and two at Gonzaga, with the assist rate climbing every year.
| College season | Team | GP | MPG | PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | Creighton | 27 | 34.8 | 11.3 | 3.1 | 4.4 | .404 | .311 | .732 |
| 2022-23 | Creighton | 37 | 34.0 | 12.1 | 4.0 | 4.8 | .432 | .356 | .871 |
| 2023-24 | Gonzaga | 35 | 35.8 | 12.6 | 4.0 | 6.9 | .445 | .321 | .752 |
| 2024-25 | Gonzaga | 35 | 35.1 | 10.5 | 3.0 | 9.8 | .446 | .404 | .770 |
Big East Freshman of the Year in 2022, first-team All-WCC in 2024 and 2025, and the NCAA assists leader as a senior at 9.8 per game. Draft: undrafted (2025); signed a two-way with Dallas.
| Season | Age | Team | GP | MPG | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG% | FT% | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 23 | DAL | 60 | 19.5 | 6.6 | 2.2 | 5.3 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.8 | .415 | .806 | 1.4 |
| Career | 60 | 19.5 | 6.6 | 2.2 | 5.3 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.8 | .415 | .806 | 1.4 |
He shot .356 from three on low volume. The rookie season split cleanly by role: in the 27 games he started he averaged 25.7 MPG, 9.4 PTS, 2.9 REB, 6.8 AST and 0.4 STL, which is a different and materially more valuable player than the aggregate line. Dallas waived Tyus Jones and converted him from his two-way to a standard multiyear deal on March 1, 2026, then exercised the 2026-27 option on June 29.
Durability: 60 of 82 games. Early-season absences were two-way roster mechanics rather than health; a left knee sprain accounted for later missed time, though the specific game count is not verified.
Trajectory: An undrafted rookie who produced a 5.3-assist season at 19.5 minutes and forced his way onto a standard contract inside four months — that is a real outcome, not a fluke of opportunity. The problem is everything other than passing: .415 from the field, zero blocks, 0.4 steals and no size mean he cannot be on the floor for scoring reasons alone. The July 19 trade to Atlanta took away the clear first-guard-off-the-bench lane he had in Dallas; he becomes a genuine nine-cat asset only if attrition clears Atlanta's guard room, at which point his 27-start line — near seven assists in 26 minutes — is the template. Otherwise he is roster filler with an NBA skill.
Career sources: ESPN career stats · Wikipedia · Mavericks sign Nembhard to multiyear contract · Mavericks exercise Nembhard's option
Open questions
- Does Nembhard survive Atlanta's cut to 15 standard contracts, and if not, who claims him?
- Can Nembhard score enough to remain playable beside a non-shooting center?
- If he sticks, does Atlanta prefer his organization or Devin Carter's defense for emergency guard minutes?