Mavericks sign Jorge Diaz Graham after cycling three players through 21st camp spot

The Dallas Mavericks have signed forward-center Jorge Diaz Graham to fill the last spot on their 21-man preseason roster, ending a busy Tuesday in which the club cycled three players through the same opening. Dallas waived forward Chris Mantis to make room and announced that Diaz Graham will wear No. 23.

The signing capped a chain of moves on October 13. After confirming Monday’s training-camp deal for Matt Cross, the Mavericks waived Cross to sign guard Darin Green Jr., waived Green to sign Mantis, and then waived Mantis to bring in Diaz Graham. Each move kept the roster at the 21-player preseason limit.

Why Dallas keeps churning the 21st spot

The rotation is about the Texas Legends, the Mavericks’ G League affiliate, more than the NBA roster. Hoops Rumors’ Luke Adams called it a safe bet that Green, Mantis and Diaz Graham all signed non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contracts. Under that deal type, a player who is waived and then spends at least 60 days with the team’s G League affiliate can earn a bonus worth up to about $91,000. The Legends had already acquired the G League returning rights of Green and Mantis by trade.

Green played last season for Hapoel Holon in Israel, while Mantis was a rotation player for the Capital City Go-Go. Cross, an undrafted forward out of SMU, spent 2025-26 with the Legends.

Diaz Graham’s stay could last a little longer. Because Dallas gave him a jersey number, Adams noted that the 6-foot-10 big man looks set to spend at least some time on the roster rather than being cut right away.

Who is Jorge Diaz Graham?

Diaz Graham, from Spain’s Canary Islands and also styled Jorge Diaz-Graham, is already tied to the organization. The Legends took him first overall in this year’s NBA G League international draft, and he played for the Mavericks’ Summer League team in Las Vegas in July, averaging 7.2 points and 5.4 rebounds in 18.2 minutes over five games.

He came to Summer League after his college career. Diaz Graham spent three seasons at Pittsburgh before moving to Oregon State for 2025-26, where he averaged 6.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 17.9 minutes across 32 games, with 11 starts. He made 36.5 percent of his three-point attempts and 83.1 percent of his free throws, a shooting profile that suits a stretch big in the G League.

The most likely path is the same one Dallas appears to have planned for Green and Mantis: a short camp stint, then a waiver before opening night and a season in Frisco with the Legends. None of these moves gives him a guaranteed place on the regular-season roster.