The Dallas Mavericks have a roster crunch. Seventeen standard contracts, all three two-way slots filled, and a 21-year-old Russian guard who might just be too good to let walk. That’s the situation with Vsevolod Ischenko, the No. 56 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, who turned heads in Las Vegas Summer League and now presents a real dilemma for the front office.
Ischenko averaged 9.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.2 steals over five Summer League games. He shot 43.3 percent from the field and hit 40 percent from three. Those numbers alone don’t scream superstar, but the tape tells a different story. He’s a big guard with legitimate playmaking instincts, the kind of guy who can get downhill, draw contact and still find the open man. That skill set is hard to find, especially in the second round.
How the Mavericks Got Him
Dallas acquired Ischenko’s draft rights through a roundabout deal that started with the Chicago Bulls and bounced through the Los Angeles Lakers. Second-round picks have become increasingly valuable under the new CBA, particularly for teams trying to stay out of the dreaded second apron. A cheap contract that doesn’t count against the cap is basically found money.
So the Mavericks have options. They could clear a roster spot and give Ischenko a standard deal, but that would require moving someone else. Or they could cut one of their current two-way players and slide Ischenko into that slot. Right now the two-way contracts belong to John Poulakidas, Tobi Lawal and Jett Howard. When the team waived Tyler Smith right after Summer League, a lot of people assumed that spot was Ischenko’s. Instead they went with Howard.
Lawal was the No. 48 pick and showed freak athleticism plus defensive potential in Vegas. Poulakidas is entering the second year of a two-year two-way deal he signed last season. So it’s not as simple as just swapping one guy out.
The Overseas Option
There’s always the stash route. The Mavericks could send Ischenko back overseas for a year, retain his rights, and circle back when they have an opening. That’s not a terrible fallback, but it’s not ideal either. If you believe in the kid, you want him in your building learning your system right now. You want him getting reps with the Texas Legends, not playing in some European league where the Mavs have no control over his development.
The risk of bringing him to training camp and then cutting him is real. Once he clears waivers, another team could scoop him up for nothing. That would sting. The Mavericks invested draft capital in him, even if it was a late second-rounder. Letting him get poached because of a roster numbers game would be a bad look.
For now, the smart money is on Ischenko spending the season on a two-way deal if the Mavs can figure out the math. If not, they’ll stash him and hope he’s still their guy a year from now. Either way, they can’t afford to let him just walk.
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