Trusted Mavs Rookie Guard Projected As Cooper Flagg Breakout Helper
DALLAS - When Miles Kellysteps onto the court for the Dallas Mavericks' Summer League opener against the Los Angeles Lakers on July 10, he'll do so with something many of his peers are still chasing: job security.
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The former Auburn guard has already agreed to a two-way contract with Dallas, giving him a rare edge among Summer League participants. While others fight for training camp invites or aim to turn heads with highlight plays, Kelly enters with his immediate future already mapped out. Alongside fellow two-way signee Ryan Nembhard, he'll look to make an early impression and push for rotation consideration during the 2025–26 NBA season.
Kelly's path to Dallas began with a breakout campaign at Auburn after transferring from Georgia Tech. The 6-foot-5 scorer brought spacing, poise and a veteran presence to Bruce Pearl's deep rotation, helping the Tigers reach the Final Four with a 32–5 record. His performance against Kentucky on March 1st — 30 points on 10-of-17 shooting and 9-of-14 from three-point range — likely caught Dallas' attention.
That wasn't the only time Kelly delivered under pressure. In Auburn's NCAA Tournament opener, he poured in 23 points while hitting 8-of-16 from deep. He followed that up with 22 points on 5-of-9 from beyond the arc against Florida.
Across 38 appearances (36 starts), Kelly averaged 11.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 28.2 minutes per game. More importantly, he shot 40.6 percent from the field, 37.8 percent from three-point range and 90.9 percent from the free-throw line — a sharpshooting profile that fits perfectly with modern NBA spacing demands.
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ESPN ranked Kelly No. 80 on its big board entering the draft and labeled him the 24th-best undrafted prospect. The Mavericks didn't let him stay unsigned for long. ... with the contract serving as a projection of their trust in him.
Dallas opens Summer League play at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN, with Kelly joining No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg on one of the most anticipated rosters in Las Vegas. Their nationally televised debut comes against a Lakers squad featuring Bronny James, adding another layer of intrigue to Kelly's professional launch.
Under assistant coach Josh Broghamer — who will lead Dallas' Summer League team — Kelly will get a chance to earn even more trust from a coaching staff that values system-fit and versatility. His ability to serve as both a primary scorer (as he was at Georgia Tech) and a complementary piece (as he was at Auburn) adds to his NBA appeal.
At 22, Kelly brings a mix of maturity and readiness that few Summer League players possess. His clutch performances, elite free-throw shooting, and proven perimeter game make him a candidate to contribute immediately to a Mavericks team with real postseason aspirations.
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The two-way contract structure makes Kelly a low-risk, high-reward investment. If he can translate his Auburn production to the NBA level, Dallas may have found a reliable depth scorer with the poise and polish to carve out real minutes in a playoff rotation.
Related: ESPN Suggesting Dallas Mavericks Trade Cooper Flagg to Victor Wembanyama's San Antonio Spurs Still Rings False
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
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