Former Colorado State guard and 2017 Mountain West Player of the Year Gian Clavell has agreed to a contract with the Dallas Mavericks. The 6-foot-4, 185 pound guard led the Mountain West in scoring at 20.4 points per-game last season and recently competed with the Miami Heat in both the 2017 NBA Orlando and Las Vegas summer leagues.

The specific details of the contract are still being negotiated between Clavell’s agent and the Mavericks, but the former CSU standout agreed to principal terms with the team on Wednesday. According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, Clavell’s contract is a partially guaranteed mini deal that can be converted to a two-way contract if the Mavericks choose or can designate him as an affiliate player.

After going undrafted, working his way through two exhibition leagues this summer and ultimately reaching a deal with an NBA franchise, Clavell is relieved that his hard work is starting to pay off and is excited to continue to prove those that doubt him wrong.

“I feel extremely blessed and grateful,” Clavell said. “I have been through a lot, but I stuck with it, stayed positive and kept faith. I just feel so happy about being to able to get my parents out of the place they are currently living. That is the most exciting part about this whole process.”


While most recently playing for the Heat in Las Vegas, Clavell averaged 12.4 points in about 25 minutes per-game. With Clavell on the floor, the Heat were one of the most efficient teams in the league, scoring 1.17 points per-possession. Only six players in the league finished with a higher average for their team.

One of the teams Clavell performed best against, ultimately ended up being the team that signed him. In an exhibition contest against the Mavericks on July 11, Clavell led all Heat scorers with 18 points, going 7-of-11 from the field. The 2017 All-Mountain West selection also finished 57 percent from beyond the arc (4-of-7).

“(Mavericks Head Coach) Rick Carlisle called me and I could not believe it,” Clavell said. “It was awesome. We talked for at least ten minutes and he was basically like just play for us, how you played against us in the summer league.”

What is Clavell most excited for about competing at the next level? The opportunity to get better by playing with veterans like J.J. Barea and Dirk Nowitzki and by playing for a world class coach such as Rick Carlisle, who Clavell referred to as one of the best coaches in the league.

“Whatever happens, I am just going to go out there and give it my all, like I always do,” Clavell said. “I can only control what I can control. Things like playing hard defense, having the right attitude and always giving effort. I just want to go balls to the wall and play hard.”

Clavell was not the only former Ram to sign a professional deal this weekend. Clavell’s CSU teammate, Emmanuel Omogbo signed a one-year deal with Victoria Libertas Pallacanestro in Pesaro, Italy.

Collegian sports director Justin Michael can be reached by email at jmichael@collegian.com or Twitter @JustinTMichael.