Former NC State All-ACC Guard Dennis Smith Jr. Signs a 1-Year Deal with the Mavericks

Former NC State All-ACC Guard Dennis Smith Jr. has signed a 1-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks, the team that originally drafted him with the 9th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Guard Dennis Smith Jr. has agreed to a one-year deal to return to the Dallas Mavericks, agent Daniel Hazan of Hazan Sports Management tells ESPN. Smith reunites with the franchise that drafted him No. 9 overall in 2017 and now he’ll compete in training camp in Dallas. pic.twitter.com/1KseWO0bPM

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 18, 2025

Former NC State All-ACC guard Dennis Smith Jr. has signed a one-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks, the team that originally drafted him ninth overall in the 2017 NBA Draft.

After spending seven years in the NBA, Smith Jr. didn’t find a home in the league last season and ended up playing in Spain for Real Madrid.

This upcoming season will be DSJ’s eighth in the NBA. The Fayetteville native has played for six NBA teams.
Across his seven-season NBA career, Smith Jr. has averaged 9.7 points, 4.2 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.2
steals per game. As a rookie, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.

DSJ won the ACC Rookie of the Year award in 2017, becoming one of just two players in NC State history to earn the honor, joining Hawkeye Whitney. He also earned a spot on the ACC All-Freshman Team and was named Second-Team All-ACC.

There have only been five triple-doubles in school history, and Smith Jr. owns two of them. The other players to record triple-doubles are Julius Hodge, Jarkel Joiner, and Markell Johnson.

In 2016–17, DSJ led the Wolfpack in scoring (18.1 ppg), assists (6.2), and steals (1.9). He is one of five NC State players to lead the ACC in assists in a single season, and his single-season scoring average remains the highest by a freshman in program history.