One Zag is out, another one in.
Just a month after his 25th birthday, the Brooklyn Nets forward Drew Timme was waived after averaging 12.1 points in 28.2 minutes on a 44.1 field goal percentage in nine games played in 2024-25. He also chipped in 7.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.
Along with this appalling announcement from the Brooklyn organization, former Gonzaga shooting guard Malachi Smith was signed to an Exhibit 10 contract and will spend his time with the G-League’s Long Island Nets. Smith averaged 11.4 points on 34.7 percent from beyond the arc and 50.1 percent from the field, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 25.3 minutes per game for the G-League’s Memphis Hustle last season.
Yes, making an NBA roster is the toughest of all the professional sports, but Timme deserves better. One of the most accomplished college basketball players of all time has continued to show that he belongs with the best that the world has to offer. It won’t be long until another NBA franchise picks Timme up.
During the NBA Summer League this past July in Las Vegas, Timme averaged 25.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists across three games. That should have been enough to solidify him in a rotational spot in Brooklyn coach Jordi Fernández’s future game plan.
He now enters NBA free agency as a two-way contract prospect. Here are some offenses that Timme would be most suitable for based on his skill set: The Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks.
Speaking of the Mavericks, two-way lead guard Ryan Nembhard and 2025 NBA Draft No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg have some early chemistry brewing. The former Zag finished with 12 assists, six points, five rebounds, and one steal in 26 minutes off the bench in his best preseason performance in a Dallas uniform so far during the 114-101 victory over the Utah Jazz.
With multiple guards on the sidelines (Dante Exum out for at least the beginning of the year, already getting more run than Jaden Hardy), the opportunity is his for the taking, thanks to Nembhard’s unselfishness and ability to make the right reads.
Nembhard, looking like the same player who led the NCAA in assists in 2024-25, has earned the immediate trust of Dallas coach Jason Kidd early on during the NBA preseason due to his elite passing skills.
“You’ll see Ryan with that first group again. He took full advantage of the opportunity tonight.” – Dallas coach Jason Kidd on Ryan Nembhard via Dallas Hoops Journals’ Grant Afseth
It’s way too early and crazy to be saying this, but the Jalen Brunson comparisons are starting to barely come out.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho
