Former Wichita State standout Dexter Dennis on brink of NBA after signing 2-way contract

Another former Wichita State men’s basketball standout is a step closer to reaching the NBA this weekend.

Dexter Dennis, who graduated from WSU and played for the Shockers from 2018-22, had his contract converted to a two-way contract by the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday.

After being undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft and playing in NBA Summer League, the 6-foot-5 wing signed an Exhibit-10 deal with the Mavericks. It was essentially a guaranteed invitation to the team’s training camp, where it would be up to Dennis to make an impression.

Saturday’s news confirmed that the former Shocker clearly made an impression on Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd with the same athleticism and attention to detail on defense that made Dennis a fan favorite at Koch Arena. It didn’t hurt that Dennis delivered one of his trademark tomahawk jams, which left Mavs star Luka Doncic in awe, during his preseason debut with the club.

Kidd commended Dennis for his “physicality” and “athleticism” following the Mavericks’ preseason game on Friday. Dennis, 24, averaged 3.5 points in 9.6 minutes per game for Dallas in four preseason games. He will wear the No. 17 jersey with the organization.

Dennis joins a growing list of former Shockers who are now on the cusp of the NBA. Former WSU teammates Craig Porter Jr. (Cleveland Cavaliers) and Ricky Council IV (Philadelphia 76ers) have both signed two-way contracts with their respective franchises, while two more former teammates, center Jaime Echenique and guard Tyson Etienne, have been G League players since departing WSU.

A two-way contract allows an NBA team to keep a player within its organization by sending them to play for its G League affiliate without having the player on a full-time contract. For example, Dennis will likely spend the majority of his time with the Mavericks’ G League affiliate, the Texas Legends, but he is now one call away from the NBA stage.

During his time at Wichita State, Dennis made 94 starts and scored 991 points over the course of four seasons. He notably won the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year in the 2021-22 season and helped the Shockers reach the NIT semifinals in 2019 and win the AAC championship with an NCAA tournament berth in 2021.

He finished his collegiate career as a graduate transfer at Texas A&M, where Dennis averaged 9.5 points and 5.7 rebounds for the Aggies this past season that ended in the NCAA tournament.