The Dallas Mavericks have spent plenty of time beefing up the frontcourt, but the backcourt still looks thin in a way that could come back to bite them. That’s the real concern heading into next season: if Kyrie Irving misses time again, Dallas may not have nearly enough help behind him.
That problem was on full display last season. Irving sat out the entire year while recovering from an ACL injury suffered the season before, and the Mavericks unraveled fast. A team that had high hopes wound up losing 56 games.
When Irving was out, Dallas leaned on young guards Ryan Nembhard and Brandon Williams, and neither was ready for that kind of responsibility. D'Angelo Russell got a shot to handle the starting job too, but that experiment didn’t work, and the Mavericks moved him at the trade deadline.
What makes this more troubling is that Dallas hasn’t really fixed it. Through free agency, the draft, and the trade market, the Mavericks still haven’t added enough at point guard. Right now, the roster’s only true point guards are Marcus Sasser and Sergio De Larrea, and neither looks like a clean answer if Irving goes down.
That puts a lot on Sasser, who played just 12.0 minutes per game last season. He’s more of a scorer than a table-setter, someone who creates his own shot rather than making everyone around him better. That’s not ideal if Dallas needs him to run the offense.
Then there’s De Larrea, the 20-year-old rookie from Spain. He showed some encouraging signs in Summer League, especially in pick-and-roll situations. He found cutters, made a couple of lobs, and flashed the kind of feel that suggests a future as a real guard.
But future and now are two different things. Asking a rookie with no NBA track record to stabilize the offense if Irving gets hurt again would be a big gamble, and Dallas already lived through that kind of mess with Nembhard and Williams last season. That’s why the Mavericks still need a veteran point guard who can step in and keep things afloat.
Irving’s own situation only makes the need more obvious. He’s heading into his 15th NBA season and will turn 35 this upcoming March. With his injury history and his age, Dallas has to be realistic about the possibility that he may not look exactly like the old version of himself.
The Mavericks still have a few months to round out the roster around Cooper Flagg and Irving, but the clock is ticking. Free agents are coming off the board, the draft is over, and trades are getting done. If Dallas wants to avoid another disaster, it needs a backup point guard who can actually run the show when the moment comes.
In Other News...
Mavericks Already Have A Marcus Sasser Problem They Can't Ignore
The Mavericks backcourt picture has gotten thin enough that Marcus Sasser is suddenly being asked to handle a role that does not really match his background. He is a shooting guard by trade, but Dallas is expected to lean on him as the primary backup point guard next season, a sign of how much the roster has shifted and how little proven playmaking depth remains behind the starters.
With Kyrie Irving sidelined and the guard room already stretched by recent roster changes, the margin for error is small. Sassers limited experience running an offense leaves Dallas with a real decision to make, and the front office may not be done looking for another guard who can ease the burden and give the team more stability in that spot. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Offseason Just Raised One Huge Question About Cooper Flaggs Timeline
Dallas spent the offseason reshaping the edges of its roster, adding Morez Johnson Jr., Santi Aldama, Marcus Sasser and Zaccharie Risacher while moving on from Khris Middleton and Marvin Bagley III. With Masai Ujiri now steering the front office, and Mike Schmitz and Dusty May in place as general manager and head coach, the Mavericks have clearly signaled that the next phase is about building around Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg rather than chasing a quick fix.
The bigger question is how patient that plan can really be. Dallas still has trade exceptions and midlevel flexibility to work with, but it also sits at 16 standard contracts with all two-way spots filled, which leaves less room for maneuvering than a team in transition might prefer. ESPNs offseason panel slotted the Mavericks 23rd, a reminder that the roster still feels unfinished, and the veterans around Flagg are already the names to watch as the front office weighs whether to keep this group intact or keep reshaping it. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Face A Huge Klay Thompson Decision With Real Stakes
The Mavericks are still working through what Klay Thompson is worth to them as the final year of his contract puts real pressure on any deal. Dallas has been active in the market, and the broader landscape has shifted with LeBron James landing with the Philadelphia 76ers, a move that changes the way teams like the Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat can approach the rest of the summer.
For Dallas, Thompson is part of a larger roster conversation rather than a standalone decision. The front office is also open to moving veterans P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford, while Kyrie Irving remains off limits, which gives the Mavericks a clearer sense of what they will and wont entertain as they sort through the next move. [Read more 🡒]