The Dallas Mavericks have made another move in their busy offseason, and this one keeps Naji Marshall in place.
Dallas announced Sunday afternoon that it signed Marshall to a three-year, $52.2 million contract extension that runs through 2030. Marshall had been entering the final season of the three-year, $27 million deal he originally signed in the 2024 offseason, after the Mavericks’ run to the NBA Finals.
Marshall’s role has only grown since arriving in Dallas, and last season he delivered the best scoring output of his career, averaging 15.2 points per game while showing he can do more than just finish plays. He handled the ball well enough to give the Mavericks another layer offensively, which helped make him one of the more interesting pieces on a roster that’s getting crowded fast.
That crowding is part of why Marshall’s future had become a talking point. Dallas has been active in trade discussions this offseason as it reshapes the roster around reigning Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg, and the front office has added a lot of forwards and shooting.
With that in mind, Marshall looked like a player who could have been moved. Instead, the Mavericks kept him, and according to NBA insider Marc Stein, "Dallas has consistently resisted trade interest in Naji Marshall."
The new deal almost doubles Marshall’s average annual salary, and it still looks like a reasonable number when stacked against some of Dallas’ other contracts. P.J.
Washington signed a four-year, $88 million extension last offseason. Washington remains the better shooter and can defend more positions, but Marshall brings more on-ball creation and better guard defense.
Marshall’s extension also raises more questions about Washington’s place in Dallas. The Mavericks traded for Santi Aldama and drafted Morez Johnson Jr., and Washington now has the second-highest salary on the team. He was a major part of the Mavericks’ 2024 Finals run, but the roster math is getting tighter by the day.
Marshall, for his part, has made it clear he wanted to stay. He wanted to be in Dallas and wanted to be alongside Cooper Flagg, and he got both the long-term security and the payday. He was one of the first to say, "Pledge Allegiance to the Flagg."
Marshall began his NBA career as an undrafted player with the New Orleans Pelicans, where he spent four seasons before landing with the Mavericks.
The one thing that could define how far this partnership goes is his outside shot. Marshall hit 38.7% of his threes in his final season in New Orleans, but in each of his two years with Dallas he has been below 30% from deep.
That shooting dip matters, especially on a team that needs spacing around Irving and Flagg so both can get downhill. For now, Marshall is secured. The bigger question is how Dallas clears the rest of the logjam, and whether Washington ends up being the piece that gets squeezed out.
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It also adds another layer to an already crowded part of the roster, where minutes are not going to be easy to come by. Dallas clearly sees value in Marshall as part of that wing rotation, but the bigger question is how the rest of the pieces fit as the Mavericks continue shaping the group around him. [Read more 🡒]