Mavericks set for all-out brawl with two 7-foot giants for final roster spot

NBA training camp is still over a month away, and Dallas Mavericks fans can't wait to see how Cooper Flagg grows ahead of his NBA debut in October. Flagg will be one of the biggest stories in the NBA ahead of the regular season beginning, as he is one of the most talented American prospects this league has seen in some time, but a battle for Dallas' final roster spot could be emerging in the shadows over the next few months.

The Mavericks have one open two-way roster spot heading into training camp, and considering that their other two-way players are Ryan Nembhard (a 6-foot guard) and Miles Kelly (a 6-foot-6 wing), Dallas could end up signing a center with their third and final two-way spot.

Two-way deals are the perfect way to help young players develop, as they give them the chance to learn in both the G League and the NBA, and Dallas could end up with a major battle for this final two-way spot between Moussa Cisse and Jamarion Sharp.

Mavericks fans should brace for a battle in the paint

Dallas signed Cisse to an Exhibit 10 contract following the 2025 NBA Draft, and even though Sharp hasn't signed an E10 with Dallas just yet, they could explore inviting him to training camp to see if he has the juice to compete with Cisse to secure the team's final roster spot.

Sharp started at center in all Summer League games for Dallas, and his size, length, and shot blocking could intrigue Jason Kidd and Nico Harrison enough to keep him around. Mavericks fans know Sharp well from him being on the team's roster during the preseason last year, and due to his 7-foot-5 frame, and he could end up developing enough this summer to prove he belongs in the NBA for good.

Sharp spent last season with the Texas Legends of the G League, where he averaged 6.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 3.2 blocks per game while shooting 61.8 percent from the field, and he has been working hard on improving his conditioning and offensive game to become more valuable on both ends of the floor.

With Cisse, his size doesn't pop off the court as much as Sharp, as he is about six inches shorter than him (6-foot-11), but he does bring some things to the game that would help Dallas and the way they like to play.

Sharp is much more active and agile than Sharp, as his ability to run the floor and finish above the rim in transition is strong. He is also a strong lob finisher, and he even finished a lob from Cooper Flagg on the first day of Summer League practice that had coach Josh Broghamer raving about it during media availability.

Sharp and Cisse bring different games to the table for Dallas, and either one of them could end up being the final two-way player, joining Nembhard and Kelly. Harrison and the Mavericks have done an incredible job at helping players grow while on two-way contracts, as Brandon Williams went from a two-way player to signing a standard deal with Dallas last season, and we could see a similar thing happen with Cisse or Sharp if they grow their games more and become more polished.

Even if Sharp or Cisse don't end up earning a standard deal with the Mavericks, we'll likely see at least one of them, if not both, with the Legends next season. They'll get plenty of reps working in the G League, and with Max Hooper becoming the team's new head coach, they should be in a great spot to improve in all facets of their game.

Hooper spent significant time working with Cisse while in Las Vegas, along with Matthew Cleveland, Nembhard, and Kelly, and training camp could end up bringing out the best of Cisse and Sharp to fight for that final contract with the team.

Dallas typically rolls into training camp with an open two-way roster spot, and this is bound to ignite a fire under every player on an E10 contract to work as hard as they can to prove to the coaching staff that they deserve to stick around. The open two-way spot will likely end up being one of the most hyped Mavericks storylines during the preseason, and Mavs fans should keep an eye on the battle in the trenches, potentially between Cisse and Sharp.