Dallas Mavericks make big roster moves ahead of OKC Thunder game

The Dallas Mavericks are hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night.

Just hours ahead of tip-off, the Mavericks' PR team announced that they have signed guard John Poulakidas and forward Tyler Smith to two-way contracts. Per team policy, the terms of the deals were not disclosed. The Mavericks also requested waivers on two-way guard Miles Kelly.

Hailing from Yale, Poulakidas played all four years on the men's basketball team and averaged 19 points per game, shooting 40.8% from three-point range in his final year with the team. Currently on San Diego's Clippers of the G-League, he averages around 14 points per game.

It's been a rough season for Dallas. The Mavericks sit at 21-38, second-to-last in the Southwest Division and near the bottom of the Western Conference. Tonight's matchup against Oklahoma City is a tough one; the Thunder are the best team in the West at 46-15.

Fortunately, there is reason for optimism with rookie forward Cooper Flagg, who has had a standout first year in the league and figures to be a cornerstone of the franchise's rebuild moving forward after the Luka Doncic trade and Nico Harrison era swept the franchise.

The Mavericks will travel to the Hornets, Magic, and Celtics this week after hosting OKC.

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