The Mavericks are being linked to another name as they keep reshaping the roster, and this one would address a clear need. Dallas is among the teams in the mix for Clippers guard Benedict Mathurin in a potential sign-and-trade, according to league insider Michael Scotto.
Scotto said the Mavericks are in discussions alongside the New Orleans Pelicans, Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks. The Clippers, meanwhile, still have interest in keeping Mathurin, who was an All-Rookie selection in 2022-23 and has been viewed as an elite perimeter defender when healthy. But LA’s recent additions of rookie Keaton Wagler and former All-Star Brandon Ingram have made the fit more complicated.
For Dallas, the path would likely require moving on from Klay Thompson. As Scotto put it: "As for the Mavericks, any pursuit of Mathurin would likely need either a trade or buyout of Klay Thompson, who’s on an expiring $17.46 million contract," Scotto says. "Without Thompson, Max Christie would be the only remaining true shooting guard on the roster."
Mathurin’s appeal is easy to see. The 24-year-old is coming off a career-best 17.6 points per game, and his age lines up neatly with the Mavericks’ long-term direction as they build around teen star Cooper Flagg.
Thompson, 36, is on a different timeline, especially after spending last season in an off-the-bench role. He has already been a frequent topic in trade chatter this offseason.
There’s also the basketball fit. Dallas’ biggest defensive issue last season was on the perimeter, where the absence of Kyrie Irving for the year led to more minutes for Ryan Nembhard, D'Angelo Russell, Brandon Williams and Christie. That group didn’t give the Mavericks much point-of-attack resistance, and the team finished 20th in defensive rating.
The frontcourt, by contrast, still looks like the defensive backbone of the roster with Dereck Lively II, Morez Johnson Jr., Daniel Gafford and Flagg in the mix. Adding Mathurin would give the Mavericks another athletic piece on the wing, which appears to be a priority for the new administrative pairing of president Masai Ujiri and general manager Mike Schmitz.
Mathurin is a restricted free agent, so the Clippers control the process and a sign-and-trade would be the most likely route if he ends up elsewhere. He was once a key part of the Indiana Pacers’ run to the NBA Finals before being dealt to the Clippers in the trade that sent Ivica Zubac to Indiana midway through the 2025-26 season.
In Other News...
Mavericks May Finally Have The Roster Dusty May Wants
The Mavericks have quietly built a roster that looks a lot more like the kind of team Dusty May has spent his career trying to coach. Dallas is now carrying an average height of about 6-foot-7, with a collection of long, mobile defenders and enough frontcourt size to give its new coach the sort of lineup flexibility he has leaned on at Florida Atlantic and Michigan. For a team trying to match its personnel to a fresh voice on the sideline, that is a meaningful starting point.
Mays best teams have always been defined by size, length and versatility, especially up front, and Dallas appears to have the ingredients to follow that blueprint. The alignment is obvious in the way the roster is built now, with multiple tall pieces who can protect the rim, switch on the perimeter and rebound in traffic. The next question is how far that fit can go once May starts sorting through the combinations that could make the most of it. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks May Have Finally Found The Guard Help Fans Wanted
A speculative three-team trade idea has started to make the rounds, and it at least checks the boxes Dallas has been chasing for a while: more guard help, more flexibility, and a cleaner fit around Kyrie Irving. The framework would send a rotation guard to the Mavericks, Klay Thompson to Miami, and a package of draft compensation plus Nikola Jovic to Sacramento, with the analysis arguing the deal could work for everyone involved on paper.
For Dallas, the appeal is obvious because the backcourt has needed another reliable creator and ball-handler for some time. The proposal even opens the door to that new guard taking on a bigger role right away, including some starts, but for now it remains just that, a proposal, with the real question being whether the teams involved would ever be willing to turn a tidy mock-up into something actual. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks May Be Preparing For Life After Klay Thompson
The Mavericks have quietly added another name to the mix as they keep sorting out their perimeter future, signing Tarik Biberovic to a two-year deal and giving themselves a look at a player whose shooting profile has long stood out in Europe. Dallas has been searching for more reliable spacing, and Biberovics track record from beyond the arc is part of what makes him an intriguing fit for a roster that is trying to get younger and more flexible around its next core.
Biberovics arrival also adds another layer to the conversation around Klay Thompson, whose place in Dallas has become a real question as the team weighs its options. For the Mavericks, this is about more than one roster spot. It is about whether they can keep reshaping the backcourt and wing rotation in a way that better matches the direction they want to go, with Cooper Flagg and the rest of the young group in mind. [Read more 🡒]