Mavericks Just Showed How Much Naji Marshall Means To Dallas

The Mavericks secure their future by extending Naji Marshall, a versatile and competitive forward, with a lucrative three-year deal.

The Mavericks have locked in Naji Marshall on a new long-term deal, finalizing a multiyear extension that keeps the forward in Dallas.

According to Shams Charania of ESPN, Marshall’s new contract is worth three years and $52.2 million, and it is fully guaranteed. The extension won’t begin until the 2027/28 league year, but Marshall will collect $9.4 million in 2026/27 before that new deal kicks in.

“ Naji has earned this opportunity through the way he approaches the game every day,” said Mavericks president Masai Ujiri. “ He is a competitive player who impacts winning in a variety of ways. His versatility, toughness and willingness to embrace every challenge make him an important part of what we’re building.”

Marshall is coming off the best season of his career, putting up 15.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals across 74 games, with 47 starts and 29.5 minutes per night. The former Xavier standout entered the league as an undrafted player in 2020 and spent his first four NBA seasons with New Orleans before landing in Dallas on a three-year, $27 million free-agent deal in the 2024 offseason. This new agreement nearly doubles that contract.

Even without much range to speak of - Marshall has hit just 30.0% of his career three-point tries on limited volume - he has carved out a reputation as one of the league’s better finishing wings. His floater has become a major weapon, and he’s used it in a variety of ways. In two seasons with the Mavericks, he has knocked down 59.8% of his 7.7 two-point attempts per game.

At 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, Marshall brings more than scoring. He’s a strong rebounder, a useful secondary playmaker and a versatile defender, and Dallas has “consistently resisted trade interest” in the 28-year-old, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line. The Mavericks have now made that stance official with a long-term commitment.

Marshall will also change his jersey number for the upcoming season, switching from No. 13 to No. 3, according to the team.

In Other News...

Mavericks Could Get Pulled Into A Lakers Deal Fans Will Debate

The Lakers have spent the offseason trying to keep building out the front line, adding Walker Kessler and Kevon Looney while continuing to look for more help at big man and power forward. As they sort through depth options, trade chatter around the league has naturally started to reach Dallas, where P.J. Washington remains the kind of versatile forward other teams tend to monitor when they want size, defense and a little lineup flexibility.

Los Angeles has also been talking through ways to restructure its roster, with draft picks and salary-matching pieces in play as it weighs different paths. For the Mavericks, that is the part worth watching, because any serious pursuit could pull Dallas into a deal that changes the shape of the frontcourt market and puts Washington at the center of a conversation fans on both sides will have plenty of opinions about. [Read more 🡒]

Mavericks May Have Found A New Way To Change Everything

Zaccharie Risacher arrives in Dallas as the kind of young swing piece the Mavericks have been looking for, a long, skilled forward whose best trait might be the one you cannot fully measure yet. After his playing time dwindled in Atlanta, the move gives him a fresh start with a staff that has already signaled optimism about his size and the different ways he can fit into a bigger lineup around the roster's core pieces.

For Dallas, the appeal is not just adding another prospect, but imagining how Risacher could grow in an environment built to give him a clearer lane. The Mavericks see the possibility of a taller, more versatile group taking shape, and that is what makes this deal worth watching: the franchise is betting that a change of scenery can unlock something Atlanta never quite found, even if the full outline of that future is still a little hazy. [Read more 🡒]

Mavericks Just Sent A Clear Message About Their Crowded Wings

The Mavericks made their first extension under new team president Masai Ujiri by locking up Naji Marshall on a three-year deal, a move that says plenty about how they view their wing depth. Marshall has been a reliable rotation piece, and for a team trying to sort out its perimeter mix, keeping a dependable veteran in place offers some needed stability.

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 🡒]