The Dallas Mavericks are cutting ties with a triumvirate of talented, NBA-caliber veterans just a few days ahead of the start of the 2025-26 NBA season, which tips off on Tuesday.

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Dallas, now led by No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg and All-Stars Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, will begin its season Wednesday, at home, against No. 2 pick Dylan Harper’s San Antonio Spurs.

Dallas has announced on its official X account that it has now cut point guard/small forward Dalano Banton, big man Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, and point guard Dennis Smith Jr.

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Banton’s training camp deal included Exhibit 10 language. Should he join the Mavericks’ G League affiliate, the Texas Legend, for at least 60 days of service, he’ll now become eligible for a bonus that could pay him as much as $85,300.

Smith and Robinson-Earl, meanwhile, had been on Exhibit 9 agreements. Per Marc Stein of The Stein Line, the Legends possess the NBAGL rights to Banton and Robinson-Earl. Texas is currently chatting with the Milwaukee Bucks’ G League affiliate in Oshkosh, the Wisconsin Herd, about a trade to nab Smith’s NBAGL rights.

These decisions could signify good news for 6-foot-1 point guard Brandon Williams, who at present only has $200,000 of his minimum deal guaranteed.

Another reserve guard, Dante Exum, has been struggling with right knee pain during the preseason, and Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News reports that he could be out for a while. And yet, Dallas would rather hold on to these standard roster pieces than a healthy Banton or Smith.

What’s Next for This Trio?

The Mavericks have had plenty of time to take a look at Smith. Dallas selected the 6-foot-2 pro out of North Carolina State with the ninth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. After lucking into Luka Doncic in the next year’s draft, Dallas flipped Smith midseason to the New York Knicks.

The 27-year-old has yet to carve out a consistent place on a subsequent roster, having now also bounced around through the Detroit Pistons, Portland Trail Blazers, Charlotte Hornets, and most recently the Brooklyn Nets in 2023-24. After failing to find an NBA home as a free agent in 2024, Smith joined the Herd, but departed in Jan. 2025 to play for EuroLeague squad Real Madrid. He left a month later.

In 326 career regular season games (152 starts) over seven NBA seasons, Smith has averaged 9.7 points on .407/.298/.674 shooting splits, 4.2 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals a night.

Banton, a 6-foot-8 point forward, caught fire as a trade throw-in for the Portland Trail Blazers to wrap up the team’s 2023-24 season. He averaged a career-best 16.7 points on .408/.311/.780 shooting splits, 4.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.6 blocks per bout, in 29.2 minutes per.

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Banton saw his minutes reduced last season with Portland, to just 16.7, and his numbers fell to a more pedestrian 8.3 points, 2.4 assists and 2.0 rebounds. He was obviously not brought back in free agency over the summer, which is how he found his way to the Mavericks.

The 25-year-old’s size, passing ability and athleticism are intriguing, and one wonders if the New York Knicks — fresh off losing out on Malcolm Brogdon to retirement — might give him a look.

Robinson-Earl, 24, has split his past four seasons playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder and New Orleans Pelicans. For his career, the 6-foot-9 big man boasts averages of 6.0 points on .441/.341/.796 shooting splits, 4.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.5 steals per.

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