Game 22: Dallas Mavericks (6-15) vs. Denver Nuggets (14-5) | 8:00pm CST

[F Gump]

By January, I wonder if Nembhard has more leverage and decides against signing a two year contract at the minimum.   If he is still getting starting minutes, what are his options?  Could he sign a contract for rest of the season and then be a free agent?

He has no leverage. He can only sign what the Mavs offer. There are no other possible bidders, so he's unlikely to say no to whatever the Mavs offer. And fwiw, I don't expect anything to happen in this regard until late Feb, after the TDL, not early Jan.

It's the same situation (and likely will be an identical result) that they had with B Will last spring.

Mavs will also have lots of control via RFA and Arenas rules as contracts end through his 1st 3 NBA seasons (and free agency after year 3) so there's not a high risk with him while they all figure out who he is and what they need to do with contracts.

I would also note that we are excited about last night, but it was only one game. I am reminded of the emerging superstardom of Yogi Farrell once upon a time in similar circumstances. Things can look a lot different once teams begin to plan how to defend you.