The Dallas Mavericks are on the verge of adding Marcus Sasser, but the move doesn’t come close to solving their biggest issue. Even with the Detroit Pistons guard headed to Dallas soon, the Mavs’ backcourt still looks thin, and that was a problem all last season.
Dallas leaned on Ryan Nembhard and Brandon Williams as its starting point guards for most of the year, and the results were ugly. The Mavericks finished with just 26 wins, their second-worst season of the 21st century, and guard play sat right at the center of the collapse. Nembhard and Williams both had moments, but neither brought enough to keep pace with the league’s top backcourts or give Dallas the kind of offensive punch it needed against better teams.
The D’Angelo Russell signing also went nowhere, leaving the Mavericks with even more work to do this summer. Sasser should help with scoring and shooting, and he brings some real value there.
Last season, he posted a career-low 5.2 points per game for Detroit while hitting a career-best 41.5 percent from three. But that kind of production doesn’t suddenly turn him into the answer for a broken offense.
There’s also a role issue here. Sasser is entering year four, and he played only 12.0 minutes per game last season. Asking him to steady an offense that lacked flow and reliable initiators is a big leap.
Kyrie Irving’s return will obviously matter, but Dallas can’t expect him, Sergio De Larrea, and Sasser to cover every hole by themselves. De Larrea is a strong passer, and Sasser can score at all three levels, but the Mavericks still need another guard through a trade or free agency.
That need becomes even more obvious if Irving misses time again. With De Larrea and Nembhard as the only point guards behind him, Dallas would be walking into trouble. Sasser can handle the ball when needed, but he fits more naturally as a shooting guard, even with point guard size.
He’s built to score in bursts, create his own shot, and knock down 3-pointers. What he isn’t known for is setting up teammates. Maybe that changes in a new system, but Dallas can’t bank on it.
So the Sasser deal should be treated as one piece, not the fix. The Mavericks still need another guard, and they have enough wings and bigs to make something happen.
A trade involving P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, or even Naji Marshall could help balance the roster and bring back a more experienced point guard.
The Morez Johnson Jr. pick and the Santi Aldama trade have already made those players more expendable, and the frontcourt is headed toward a logjam if Dallas doesn’t move some pieces. As the Mavericks try to build around Cooper Flagg, adding someone who can run the offense or fit next to Irving has to stay near the top of the list. Sasser helps, but he’s not the savior.
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The Mavericks were pulled into one of those sprawling summer trades that can change the shape of a roster without even looking like a headline move at first glance. A six-team deal with Washington, the Clippers, Detroit, Milwaukee and Memphis sent Khris Middleton into a new chapter, while Dallas came away with Marcus Sasser from the Pistons as the kind of backcourt piece teams often chase when they are trying to add depth without blowing up their books.
For Dallas, the value of the transaction is not just in the names changing hands but in how it fits into the rest of the offseason puzzle. The Mavericks also moved other assets in the process, and the financial mechanics around Middletons sign-and-trade give them a little more flexibility to keep working the summer market. In a league where one transaction can ripple through several teams at once, this is the sort of deal that can quietly matter long after the initial shock wears off. [Read more 🡒]
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For Dallas, the contrast is hard to miss. Doncic is no longer just the face of the Lakers, he is the player around whom the roster is being built, with reports indicating he had a real hand in the push for a starting center. The Mavericks spent years trying to convince him he could be the centerpiece of a contender, and now Los Angeles is showing exactly how far it is willing to go to make that feel true. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks May Have Found A New Name In Their Biggest Weakness
The Mavericks have spent much of the offseason looking for answers on the perimeter, and their newly released 2026 NBA Summer League roster gives them a chance to take a closer look at Jaden Springer. The former first-round pick of the Philadelphia 76ers brings a reputation built on defense, along with the kind of G League production that has kept him on the radar even as he has yet to carve out a steady NBA role.
For Dallas, the appeal is obvious: a team with a clear need on the wing gets a low-risk look at a player whose best skill lines up with one of its biggest concerns. For Springer, Summer League is another chance to turn that defensive profile into something more permanent, whether that ends up happening in Dallas or somewhere else. [Read more 🡒]