The Mavericks are about to find out whether Kyrie Irving’s return is enough to change their story, or whether Dallas still needs another dependable scorer to make the whole thing work.
With the NBA season less than a week away, the buzz around the Mavs centers on Irving sharing the floor with Cooper Flagg in a regular-season game for the first time. Dallas has been waiting a year and a half for Irving to get back, and his return should help in a big way. He brings shot creation, another level of offense, and a boost to the 3-point shooting that was part of last season’s problem.
But the bigger question hangs over everything: who is the third option? If Flagg and Irving are the headliners, who is going to steady the offense when defenses load up on them? Dallas missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, and that makes the search for a reliable supporting piece even more important.
Last season put that issue front and center. Flagg was pushed into a huge role right away after being named the 2026 NBA Rookie of the Year, and the job was made tougher by the absence of Irving for the start of the year.
Anthony Davis, his former teammate, appeared in only 20 games. Dallas simply never found a consistent source of help around its young star.
Max Christie, Brandon Williams, Klay Thompson, and P.J. Washington all spent time leading the team in scoring, but nobody held that spot long enough to settle the rotation or clearly establish himself as the No. 2 option behind Coop. The production came in pieces, not in stretches the Mavericks could trust.
Irving’s return should take some of that weight off Flagg, but it doesn’t erase the need for someone else to rise with them. Dallas needs more than two stars. It needs somebody inside the roster to grab that third spot and make it stick.
One player who could fit that role is Zaccharie Risacher. The former top pick arrives in Dallas with a fresh start, and the numbers from his rookie year point to a player who can help in more than one way.
He averaged 12.6 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 45.8 percent from the field. He could score from the outside or use his length inside, and he finished second in Rookie of the Year voting.
What makes Risacher especially interesting is how he might work next to a primary playmaker. He didn’t get much of that in Atlanta, but that part of his game could be a better fit in Dallas. With Irving back, Risacher could thrive as a complementary wing, and he wouldn’t need to dominate the ball to matter.
If Risacher doesn’t seize that opportunity, the Mavericks have other names in the mix. Naji Marshall is one of them.
His versatility gives Dallas options, including the ability to handle the point guard spot. He has shown he can pass, push the pace in transition, attack the paint, and set up teammates.
That kind of flexibility makes him a useful piece no matter how the rotation shakes out.
P.J. Washington and Max Christie are also in the conversation.
Both have spent time in the starting lineup and off the bench during their Mavs careers, and both have shown they can score in bursts. They bring experience, and they’re the kind of players who can step in and take control when the game calls for it.
Dallas has choices. What it still doesn’t have is a clear answer. Flagg and Irving can carry a lot, but the Mavericks still need someone else to separate from the pack and become the consistent third option.
In Other News...
Mavericks Just Sent A Clear Message About Cooper Flagg
The Mavericks made their intentions plain this week with Cooper Flagg, locking in the third-year rookie scale option and ensuring the 2025-26 NBA Rookie of the Year stays under contract through the 2027-28 season. For a team still sorting out the shape of its next contender, it is a clear sign that Flagg remains central to whatever comes next, especially as he heads into his second season under new head coach Dusty May.
Dallas also kept trimming the edges of the roster as the 2026-27 opener approaches, waiving guards John Poulakidas and Seth Lundy in the process. Those moves are part of the usual late-summer cleanup, but they also sharpen the focus on the players the Mavericks are choosing to build around, with Flagg now firmly at the center of that picture. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Head Into Opener With A Frontcourt Question Still Unsettled
The Mavericks are heading into their season opener with a frontcourt picture that is still taking shape, and the uncertainty starts with Santi Aldama. Dallas has been monitoring his recovery since knee surgery, while head coach Dusty May has kept the opener status vague as the team works through the last stretch of preseason decisions and lineup planning.
Even beyond Aldama, the staff is still sorting out how the front line will look once the games count. P.J. Washington remains part of that conversation, and Sergio De Larrea and Morez Johnson Jr. are among the players being evaluated as Dallas weighs its options for the season ahead. For a team trying to settle on roles and depth before tipoff, the frontcourt remains the clearest unresolved piece. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Still Have One Intriguing Question As Opening Night Nears
The Mavericks wrapped up the preseason with a lopsided loss to Atlanta, but the bigger takeaway coming out of the exhibition slate is how much uncertainty still hangs over the group as opening night approaches. First-year coach Dusty May has been encouraged by the way the roster is beginning to fit together, and he singled out the early chemistry around veteran Kyrie Irving and rookie Cooper Flagg as a promising sign for a team trying to establish a new identity.
Even with that optimism, the most basic lineup question has not been answered yet. May is still sorting through his options and says he will wait until closer to game time before settling on a starting five, which leaves one of the Mavericks' most important decisions unresolved just as the regular season is about to begin. [Read more 🡒]