The Mavericks have a simple problem in front of them as training camp approaches: they’re carrying 16 players on standard contracts, and the NBA only allows 15. Something has to give before opening night, and if Dallas doesn’t make a trade first, Caleb Martin looks like the most obvious name in the conversation.
Martin was supposed to give the Mavericks a dependable 3-and-D wing when he arrived at the 2025 trade deadline in the deal that sent Quentin Grimes to the Philadelphia 76ers. Instead, the fit never really took shape. A hip injury pushed back his debut by more than a month, and he never settled into a steady role once he got on the floor.
The numbers tell the story. In 58 games, Martin averaged 3.9 points and 2.5 rebounds while shooting 35.1% from 3-point range.
He also missed the final 14 games of the season because of injury. Dallas wanted the version of Martin that had been a useful playoff piece for the Miami Heat.
That player never showed up in a Mavericks uniform.
Moving him, though, is not easy. Martin is 30, he’s coming off an injury-shortened season, and he carries an $8.96 million salary. That makes him a tricky trade chip, and Dallas would probably have to attach another asset to get a deal done - which would undercut the whole point of trying to clear space.
That’s why the waive-and-stretch route is on the table.
Martin is set to make a base salary of $8,963,901 in 2026-27. Under the NBA’s stretch provision, Dallas could waive him and spread the remaining guaranteed money over three seasons. With one guaranteed year left, the Mavericks would divide that salary across the 2028-29 season as well, turning one big hit into roughly $2.99 million annually.
The payoff is immediate. Martin’s cap hit for 2026-27 climbs above $10 million once his trade bonus is included, so stretching the deal would cut this season’s cap charge by more than $7 million.
For a Dallas team already operating near the luxury tax with major money tied up elsewhere, that kind of breathing room matters. It could open a roster spot for a young player, a Summer League standout, or simply give the team more flexibility to make another move later.
Of course, there’s a cost. The dead money would linger for three years, and the Mavericks would be giving up the chance to see whether a healthy Martin can regain the form that once made him such a useful postseason contributor.
And Martin still has time to change the picture. Training camp and preseason give him a chance to make his case and force Dallas to think twice before moving on.
In Other News...
Mavericks Suddenly Look Like A Real Threat In The West
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ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins has been among those seeing upside in Dallas, calling the Mavericks underrated and pointing to the kind of depth that can keep a team in the postseason hunt. There is also optimism around the teams three-point shooting, a detail that matters in a Western Conference where every margin is tight and every weakness gets exposed quickly. The bigger question is whether all of those pieces will add up fast enough to put Dallas into the kind of race it wants to be in. [Read more 🡒]
Kyrie Irving Just Reminded The NBA What Dallas Still Has
Kyrie Irving keeps showing up in a familiar place, even in a completely different kind of game. The Mavericks guard has been given the highest ball-handling rating in NBA 2K27 at 99, and it is the third straight release in which he has owned that top spot. For Dallas, it is another reminder of just how much shot creation and one-on-one pressure Irving can still bring to the lineup.
Stephen Curry sits second at 97, with Donovan Mitchell tied into the top tier at 93, which only underscores how crowded the leagues guard talent remains. The rankings also come alongside a broader look at recent player movement and contract situations around the list, a backdrop that makes Irvings standing feel less like a novelty and more like a snapshot of where he still fits among the NBAs elite ball handlers. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Davis Trade Looks Smarter As Mavericks Avoid One Huge Risk
When the Mavericks sent Anthony Davis to Washington, the move was framed as a bet on flexibility as much as talent. Dallas got back assets that later helped in a multi-team deal for players such as Santi Aldama, along with AJ Johnson and a protected future first-round pick, giving the roster more versatile depth without tying itself to a massive commitment at the top of the payroll.
The bigger picture now looks even cleaner for Dallas because the Wizards are not racing into extension talks with Davis, despite his eligibility arriving earlier than that. For the Mavericks, that matters: it means they avoided the kind of long-term risk that can hang over a team if a stars next deal becomes the central question, while Washington is left to navigate a far more complicated timeline with one of the leagues most expensive potential next contracts looming. [Read more 🡒]