The Mavericks may not have rushed into extensions before the season, and that patience is starting to look a lot better by the game.
One of the quieter calls came with starting shooting guard Max Christie. A lot of fans wanted that deal done, especially with Christie carrying a player option worth $8.8 million for the 2027-28 season and the real possibility he becomes a free agent next offseason. Instead, Dallas chose to wait and see how he looked in a new setup under a new regime.
So far, the answer hasn’t been encouraging.
Through three games, Christie is putting up 8.7 points per game, and the shooting line is hard to ignore: 4-for-17 from beyond the arc, or 23.5%. He’s taken more threes than anyone else on the roster, but three teammates already have more made triples than he does - Kyrie Irving with 6, Marcus Sasser with 8, and P.J. Washington with 4.
It’s still the first stretch of the season, of course, and Dallas hasn’t had its full group together yet. Santi Aldama and Dereck Lively still haven’t played, Flagg left the Indiana Pacers game with an injury in the first half, and Kyrie Irving sat out Saturday’s matchup with the San Antonio Spurs.
Even with all that in mind, Christie has been the most disappointing player on the roster to start the year.
That opens the door for change. If the slide continues, Dusty May could eventually shuffle the starting five, especially with a few other players making early cases for more responsibility.
Zaccharie Risacher started every preseason game, so his move to the bench in the regular season was a little surprising. His offense hasn’t come around yet, but he’s making a serious impact on defense. In three games, he’s already logged 7 steals and 5 blocks, and he made life difficult for Tyrese Haliburton against the Pacers.
Marcus Sasser has also been one of the early bright spots. He’s averaging 11.7 points per game and has hit 8 of his 14 attempts from three. On top of the shooting, he’s bringing pressure defensively and enough playmaking to keep the offense flowing.
Then there’s the swing-for-the-fences option in Sergio De Larrea. He barely saw the floor in the first two games, but with Flagg and Irving out, he delivered in the third one, finishing with 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists while going 9-for-15 from three.
He’s still raw, but the talent is obvious.
In Other News...
Spurs May Have Found Something Mavericks Fans Wont Like
San Antonio finally looked like a team that had found some footing, and it came at Dallas expense on a night when the Spurs were searching for their first win of the 2026-27 season. The energy level was different from their opening two losses, with head coach Mitch Johnson pointing to a sharper collective effort and a more consistent approach as the foundation for the turnaround.
For Mavericks fans, the frustrating part is that the Spurs did not stumble into this one, they seemed to earn it by doing the little things better. Johnson liked the way his team hustled, rebounded and defended, and he sounded convinced there is more to build on from here, which makes this feel less like a one-off and more like the first sign of a team finding its identity. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Just Took Another Ugly Step In The Wrong Direction
The Mavericks latest stumble came at the hands of a Spurs team that looked more composed when the game tightened, and the result only deepened the sense that Dallas is searching for answers. San Antonios 122-106 win was built around Victor Wembanyama, who led all scorers with 23 points to go with seven rebounds and four blocks, while Dylan Harper and DeAaron Fox gave the Spurs steady production in the backcourt.
For Dallas, the frustrating part was not just the final margin but how the game slipped away once San Antonio started to settle in. The Spurs finished with a strong defensive push in the closing stretch, and the Mavericks were left trying to recover from another night in which the effort to keep pace never quite matched the urgency needed to turn the game around. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Suddenly Look Far Better Equipped Behind Kyrie Irving
The Mavericks entered the season with a clear question behind Kyrie Irving, and the early answer has at least looked more encouraging than expected. Dallas has added Walter Clayton Jr. and leaned on Sergio De Larrea and Marcus Sasser to stabilize the point guard minutes, giving the backcourt a different kind of energy and, more importantly, some real production off the bench.
De Larrea offered the loudest reminder in a recent game against the Spurs, flashing scoring touch and playmaking in a strong all-around effort. Sasser has also given Dallas useful minutes through the first few games, and together the two have helped the Mavericks look far better equipped in the spots where they were once most vulnerable. The bigger question now is whether that depth holds when the schedule gets tougher and the rotation tightens. [Read more 🡒]