Jason Kidd Can’t Ignore This Obvious Move to Save the Mavericks’ Season

The Dallas Mavericks’ 2025-2026 season has been defined by a brutal, self-inflicted identity crisis, compounded by the devastating, season-altering injury to Kyrie Irving. In the absence of one half of their star duo, the franchise—which bet its future on building a defensive juggernaut around Anthony Davis—has stumbled through a murky stretch of indecision, cycling through a revolving door of ineffectual point guards who could neither stabilize the offense nor facilitate the talent around them. Head Coach Jason Kidd, a Hall of Fame point guard himself, has been searching desperately for a floor general to command his complex system, a conductor to ensure the orchestra’s instruments play in harmony. Now, in the depths of their early-season struggles, the answer has emerged not from a high-priced free agent or a complex trade, but from an undrafted rookie on a two-way contract: Ryan Nembhard.

The “obvious move” that Kidd can no longer ignore is twofold: first, solidify Nembhard as the permanent, starting point guard immediately, and second, force the front office’s hand to execute the necessary procedural transaction—the conversion of his two-way deal to a standard NBA contract—the moment league rules allow. This shift is not merely a short-term patch; it is the fundamental tactical and personnel correction required to unlock the potential of Anthony Davis and the No. 1 overall pick, Cooper Flagg, and ultimately keep the Mavericks’ playoff hopes afloat until Irving’s potential return. To hesitate now is to willingly choose chaos over the clear, undeniable command Nembhard has brought to the court.

The Context of Crisis: A Void at the Helm

The Dallas Mavericks’ current predicament is rooted in the structural void created by their seismic pivot away from Luka Dončić. While the trade brought back an elite defensive anchor in Anthony Davis and positioned the team for a historic draft pick—which became the phenom Cooper Flagg—it also stripped the roster of its singular, generational playmaker. The vision under General Manager Nico Harrison was clear: build a title-contending defense. The execution, however, was hampered by a consistent failure to source a stable, high-IQ facilitator to run the offense when the stars were unavailable.

This season began with a series of failed experiments at the point of attack. With Kyrie Irving sidelined indefinitely due to a torn ACL, Kidd initially gambled on throwing rookie Cooper Flagg into a playmaking role. While Flagg possesses guard-like skills, forcing him to be the primary initiator slowed his development and asked him to shoulder too much pressure, which negatively impacted his efficiency. When that failed, Kidd turned to veteran D’Angelo Russell and two-way returnee Brandon Williams. Russell, while a talented shot creator, is fundamentally a score-first guard whose inconsistency and tendency to pound the air out of the ball often led to offensive stagnation, especially in the half-court set. Williams, while showing promising flashes of aggressive defense and scoring, also leans toward attacking first, struggling to consistently set up his teammates effectively. The results were predictable: an offense ranked near the bottom of the league, plagued by forced shots, stagnant possessions, and a lack of rhythm. The team’s strong defense was consistently undercut by an inability to translate stops into fluid, productive possessions on the other end.

The Mavericks were desperately searching for a traditional point guard—a table-setter, as Kidd often describes the position—who prioritized generating high-quality looks for others over padding his own scoring numbers. The lack of this fundamental ingredient was the “season-killing problem,” leading to frustration for key pieces like Anthony Davis and hindering the foundational growth of Flagg.

The Nembhard Revelation: Command and Unselfishness

Ryan Nembhard, the undrafted rookie out of Gonzaga, was initially viewed as an intriguing development project, signing a two-way deal in the summer. Yet, his rapid and unexpected ascent has quickly exposed the coaching staff’s previous rotations as fundamentally flawed. Nembhard’s emergence is not based on flashy athleticism or elite scoring; it is built on the rarest commodity in today’s NBA: pure, unselfish, winning point guard acumen.

Nembhard’s college career, where he led Division I in assists with an almost 4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, provided a blueprint for his NBA transition. What the Mavericks needed was efficiency, control, and pace management—all traits Nembhard embodies. Since Kidd was compelled to insert him into the rotation, and especially since his move into the starting lineup, the difference has been night and day. His recent stretch of play is impossible to ignore: a 28-point, 10-assist career night in a crucial win over the Denver Nuggets, followed by another double-double against the Miami Heat (15 points, 13 assists). These aren’t just good games; they are performances that fundamentally transform the team’s offensive capability.

What makes Nembhard the key is his innate pass-first playstyle. Unlike Russell or Williams, Nembhard’s first thought upon crossing half-court is to facilitate, orchestrate, and deliver the ball where it needs to be. This instinct forces the other four players to constantly move, knowing that if they cut, screen, or post up effectively, the pass will find them. As Jason Kidd himself noted, Nembhard’s teammates “enjoy being out there with him because they know they have a chance of getting the ball.” This is the subtle but profound difference between a point guard who runs plays for himself and one who elevates the collective. Nembhard’s presence immediately raises the shot quality for the entire lineup, converting stagnant, isolation possessions into dynamic, five-man actions.

The Perfect Synergy: Unlocking Flagg and Davis

The most compelling argument for Nembhard’s full-time commitment is his catalytic effect on the Mavericks’ core pieces, Cooper Flagg and Anthony Davis. The organization’s future hinges on the success of this pairing, and Nembhard is the bridge that connects their individual brilliance into cohesive team strength.

Cooper Flagg: Enabling the Primary Scorer

The Mavericks’ No. 1 overall pick, Cooper Flagg, is a special talent—a long, versatile forward with guard skills who is best utilized as an aggressive scorer and opportunistic playmaker, not a primary ball-handler. When Flagg was asked to initiate the offense early in the season, he often became bogged down, leading to lower efficiency and less defensive engagement. Nembhard’s arrival liberates Flagg. By having a true point guard set the table, Flagg can focus on attacking downhill, spotting up for threes, and using his length to wreak havoc on defense. Nembhard’s court vision ensures Flagg is catching the ball with space and time to attack, rather than having to create the entire possession himself. Flagg is now averaging 18.4 points on improved efficiency since Nembhard entered the rotation, a clear sign that the infrastructure is finally in place to maximize the rookie’s immense potential. Nembhard feeds the scorers; Flagg is thriving as a result.

Anthony Davis: Maximizing the Big Man

Anthony Davis, despite his dominance, had been visibly frustrated with the lack of reliable entry passes and clean post touches. In the modern NBA, a floor general who can consistently execute the pick-and-roll and enter the ball into the post with precision is vital for a superstar big. Nembhard’s high-IQ passing is precisely what Davis needs. Nembhard’s unselfishness means he will look for the mismatch in the post immediately, ensuring Davis gets touches early in the clock and in advantageous positions. This reduces the need for Davis to expend energy initiating offense from the perimeter, allowing him to save his stamina for dominating the glass and anchoring the defense—the primary reason he was brought to Dallas. Nembhard is the selfless facilitator who complements Davis’s demanding, high-usage style, creating an optimal flow for the team’s two most important non-Irving players.

The Immediate Imperative: Lineup Permanence

Jason Kidd has had 11 different starting lineups this season, a statistic that screams instability and indecision. However, the recent combination of Ryan Nembhard, Max Christie, Cooper Flagg, P.J. Washington, and Anthony Davis has proven to be one of the most effective offensive groupings the team has deployed. The victory over the Miami Heat, and the back-to-back wins, were clear endorsements of this setup.

The “obvious move” for Kidd right now is to cease the rotation merry-go-round and declare Nembhard the starter indefinitely. The current minutes distribution—Nembhard logging significant starter minutes (e.g., 34 minutes vs. Miami), with Russell and Williams relegated to limited, score-focused bench roles (15 and 14 minutes, respectively)—is the blueprint for success. Russell and Williams, both better suited to attacking secondary units, can provide a necessary scoring punch off the bench without the pressure of having to initiate the main offense against starting-caliber defenses. This organizational clarity benefits everyone: Nembhard gains confidence, the stars gain rhythm, and the bench units gain a focused mandate.

Kidd, the coach, must now show the decisiveness and conviction that Nembhard, the player, shows every night. Any regression back to previous starting lineups in the name of veteran respect or sunk costs would be a dereliction of duty, risking the fragile momentum the team has finally established. This is a crucial stretch before the All-Star break, and the Mavericks cannot afford to sacrifice wins by overthinking a solution that is already working.

The Crucial Transaction: Securing the Future

While the on-court decision is tactical, the off-court transaction is existential. Ryan Nembhard is currently on a two-way contract, a status that limits him to a maximum of 50 games with the NBA roster and excludes him from playoff eligibility. Given his current usage—logging upwards of 35 minutes in recent games—he is rapidly trending toward that 50-game limit. The Mavericks cannot allow the player who has fundamentally saved their season to be deactivated in February or March, or be unavailable for a potential Play-In or playoff run.

The front office, previously hard-capped at the second apron, is legally constrained from converting Nembhard’s deal until January 6th. The moment that date arrives, the transaction must be executed without delay. The obstacle, however, is the roster spot. The Mavericks currently carry 15 standard contracts, the league maximum. To create space for Nembhard’s standard deal, they must waive a player.

The path is clear: waive the injured Danté Exum. Exum, who is undergoing season-ending knee surgery, is the logical and most straightforward casualty. While waiving an injured veteran is always a tough “business decision,” his contract remains guaranteed, and the move simply opens a roster slot for a player—Nembhard—who is currently critical to the team’s immediate success and long-term outlook. Holding onto Exum’s roster spot while Nembhard bumps up against the 50-game limit would be an act of profound self-sabotage. The Mavericks must prioritize the active, essential catalyst over the injured player who is unavailable for the remainder of the season.

The conversion of Nembhard is more than just a formality; it is a statement of intent. It tells the locker room that the organization is committed to winning now, and that performance is rewarded regardless of draft status. It provides security and stability to Nembhard, removing the cloud of uncertainty that comes with a two-way deal, allowing him to focus entirely on leading the team.

The Verdict: Conviction Over Hesitation

Jason Kidd, the legendary point guard, has seen firsthand the value of a true floor general. He spent the early part of the season trying to plug the Kyrie Irving-sized hole with square pegs. Now, he has found the round peg in Ryan Nembhard. The rookie’s impact has provided the Mavericks with the structural integrity they desperately needed—a steady hand to organize the offense, a selfless passer to unlock the potential of Flagg and Davis, and a winning mentality that is infectious.

The challenge for Kidd is no longer identifying the problem; it is demonstrating the conviction to commit to the solution. He must ignore the temptation to revert to high-profile veterans like D’Angelo Russell out of routine or familiarity. He must maintain the current rotation that has yielded their first significant winning momentum of the season. More importantly, he must communicate to the front office the vital necessity of the January 6th contract conversion.

The Dallas Mavericks have been handed an unexpected gift—a true point guard who has emerged from obscurity to become their indispensable engine. By committing fully to Ryan Nembhard in both the starting lineup and on the standard roster, Jason Kidd will not just be making the “obvious move”; he will be making the defining move that saves the Mavericks’ season from irrelevance and positions them for a serious playoff push upon Kyrie Irving’s eventual return. To fail to do so would be to allow a procedural technicality and short-sighted hesitation to doom a promising new era of Mavericks basketball. The time for experimentation is over; the time for decisive action, centered around their new floor general, is now.